Wishing the bees a happy Christmas

As you are probably already aware, here at Herstat, we use Propolis ACF in our cold sore treatment. And, propolis is made by bees. As I was putting my Herstat LipCare stick on this cold morning, I thought to myself, "I wonder what the Canadian bees are doing right now?"

Read more: Wishing the bees a happy Christmas

Why petrolatum?

Despite what some people may tell you and what some enthusiasts may say about their fabulous natural cold sore remedies, you have probably come to terms with the fact that there is no such thing as a permanent cold sore cure.

If you get cold sores, you are likely to continue getting cold sores – that's just the way it is. It's a virus that you carry with you – there's not a product in the world that will eradicate it.

What we can tell you, though, is that an attack does not have to be the itchy, uncomfortable, unsightly horror that it used to be, because Herstat ColdSore Care ointment has been formulated to offer an ideal environment for effective healing. It does this by creating an emollient barrier over the affected area which helps retain moisture and protects against secondary infection. Even if products such as petrolatum are described as moisturisers, they do not really actively add water to the skin but instead they help the skin to retain its own moisture, so you have a much better chance of the cold sore healing quickly without leaving a scar.

How does Herstat do it, we hear you ask? Well, we owe some of our success to a man called Robert Chesebrough.

The magic of petrolatum

In 1872 a new product was patented by Sir Robert Augustus Chesebrough (opposite), a London-born chemist and inventor. He called it Vaseline.

Known variously as petroleum jelly, white soft paraffin and petrolatum, the substance created by Chesebrough was first tested on burns and cuts – on Chesebrough's own hands. Then, new mothers found that it helped to heal nappy rash on their babies' skin. And it was used by fishermen and North Pole explorers because it didn't freeze at low temperatures and could be used to relieve chapped hands.

In scientific terms, petrolatum is a semisolid combination of hydrocarbons, obtained by the de-waxing of mineral oils. When applied to the skin, it forms an occlusive barrier which helps prevent the loss of moisture through it (known asTransEpidermal Water Loss). The loss of moisture is accelerated when skin is damaged, and by coating the most external layer of the epidermis - the stratum corneum - with petrolatum excessive loss of moisture through the wound is prevented. This helps healing.

In non-scientific terms, petrolatum helps to keep the cold sore moist, which reduces itching and scabbing, and protects the sore from possible contamination which might delay the healing)

Okay, so it's not magic – just good biomechanical science.

Can't I just use Vaseline on my cold sore

Well, the short answer is, yes, you can. But Herstat has been specially formulated to be used on the delicate skin on your face. it has a pleasant vanilla aroma and is not sticky or greasy when applied. Plus, we use propolis as a preservative which means a tube of our ointment is self-preserving and will last a long time.

Herstat's ingredients have been chosen to help create, what we believe to be, close to an ideal environment for speedy healing. And we have a number of customers who wholeheartedly agree – see our testimonials.

To find out more about why we use petrolatum in our cold sore remedy please click here.

Alternatively to try Herstat ColdSore Care ointment for yourself, click through to our products page.

And when someone says they have the perfect cold sore cure at their disposal, you can tell them all about Robert Chesebrough.

Apathy is the friend of the cold sore

When talking to people about cold sores, we encounter an awful lot of apathy about new treatments. Most people we talk to tell us that they use the same product over and over purely because it's the easiest to get hold of and they know there is nothing on the market to cure cold sores.

Read more: Apathy is the friend of the cold sore