Natural Home Remedies for Sinus Infections

Are you interested in home remedies for sinus infections?  If you're looking for natural home remedies for sinus infections then you are in the right place!

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There are several ways that you can treat sinus infections at home, without having to see a doctor.

​Of course, if you have a severe sinus infection or can't seem to knock it out, you may want to see a doctor.  (I'm not a doctor, I just know what works for us with sinus swelling and sinus infections!)

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What causes a sinus infection or sinusitis?

Most sinus infections fall under one of three categories- infections caused my bacteria, viruses or allergies.  Each of these causes is very likely to create sinusitis, which is a fancy term for swelling of the sinus cavities.

​I'm sure you know the feeling all to well... your nose is swollen, burning and you may even have a chapped nose from constantly blowing it.

sinus pain, home remedies for sinus infections

If you're dealing with it now, you may be thinking about all of the times that you took it for granted when you could breathe normally.  You don't really think about how great it is to be able to breathe normally until you can't anymore!

Don't fret though.

​If you can't breathe, there are some things we can do to fix that!  Don't run to the store to buy cold medicine until you've read this post.

Home Remedies for Sinus Infections

There are several easy home remedies that you can use to treat sinus infections or sinus swelling.

1.  Steaming

This is one of my favorite methods of quickly opening my sinuses again.

You can steam your sinuses in a few ways.

Bring water to a boil in a pot on the stove.

Once it's reached a rolling boil and is really steaming, turn the heat off.  You may even want to pour the water into a bowl.

Once it's cooled slightly but still producing steam, hold your head over the steam.  Drape a towel over your head and neck to trap the steam around your face.

​The steam will open up the nasal cavities and will help to loosen mucus.

cup of steaming herbal tea for sinus infection, herbal remedies for sinus infection

You can also add essential oils to the water to get the added benefits from essential oils.

If you don't want to hang your head over the stove, run yourself a hot shower.

Close the bathroom door and trap all of the steam in there.

When you feel your sinuses start to clear and open up, start gently trying to blow your nose to remove some of the mucus trapped in your sinuses.

You can also make quick shower bombs with essential oils and add them to the floor of your shower.  The steam will pull the essential oils into the air.

Medical News Today has other sinus infection remedies on their website that you might want to check out.

2.  Essential Oils

According to the American Sinus Institute, essential oils can be very beneficial to opening up your sinuses and helping you breathe better.  There are eight regularly recommended essential oils that can help with sinus infections and sinusitis.

​Menthol-

Menthol oils can help with many aspects of sinus infections.

It can help to soothe sore throats that often come along with nasty sinus infections or colds.

It can also help to improve breathing and clear out any trapped mucus.

​Peppermint-

natural home remedies for sinus infections

This is one of the most versatile essential oils.

It makes a great addition to any home remedy kit.

Peppermint is wonderful at relieving sinus congestion and reducing sinus swelling so that you can breathe better.

​Lemon-

natural remedies for sinus infection

There is a reason that you see lemon in so many soaps and household cleaners.

Lemon is a natural antibacterial. 

Lemon essential oil has those same antibacterial properties and can help to kill bacteria that may be causing sinus infections.

It also has anti-inflammatory properties, so it can help reduce any sinus swelling.

​Frankincense-

natural home remedies for sinus infection

Frankincense is another very versatile essential oil.

It has been shown to help relax the lungs.

Therefore, it can reduce a bad cough.

Rough coughing that isn't productive can increase swelling of the lungs and sinus cavities.

​Eucalyptus-

natural home remedies for sinus infection

Eucalyptus is a strong anti-inflammatory and is useful in reducing the swelling often associated with sinus infections.

It's one of the key ingredients in Vick's Salve, which is one of the best things you can use to breathe better!

​Tea Tree-

Tea tree oil is a strong antiviral and antimicrobial. 

This oil can help to knock out any germs that may be causing your sinus infection.

It has also been shown to help combat sinus problems due to allergies.

So no matter the cause of your sinus problems, tea tree oil can help.

​Clove-

natural home remedies for sinus infections

This essential oil is a powerful antimicrobial.

Use clove to help clear out some of the germs causing your sinus infection.

Clove can also reduce and soothe some of the swelling in your sinuses, helping you to breathe better.

​Rosemary-

Rosemary has been shown to alleviate coughing.

Similar to frankincense, it can help you breathe better simply by soothing a cough.

Rosemary has also been shown to kill resistant bacteria, even strong bacteria that don't respond to antibiotics.

Resistant bacteria can set up shop in your sinuses and cause chronic congestion.

​If you're interested in using essential oils, check out my post 10 Benefits of Using Essential Oils.

Using Essential Oils as Home Remedies for Sinus Infections

There are a few ways that you can use essential oils to combat sinus infections.

You can put essential oils into steam and breathe in the fragrant steam. 

The steam combined with the oils will help to open up your sinuses.

You can apply essential oils directly to your nose. 

If you want to apply them directly to your skin, I recommend creating a sinus mix in a roller ball applicator.

You'll want to add a carrier oils such as almond oil to prevent the strong essential oils from burning your skin.

​Essential oils can also be put directly into the air with an essential oil diffuser.

natural home remedies for sinus infection

Essential oil diffusers will dispense the oils into the air.

You can also purchase an essential oil diffuser that releases a cold mist to add both the oil and moisture into the air.

Essential oils can also be used to create a salve, similar to Vick's.

To make a homemade version of Vick's salve, mix the following together:

1. menthol essential oil
2. eucalyptus essential oil
3. camphor essential oil
4. coconut oil OR petroleum jelly

​The oils combined with the coconut oil or petroleum jelly will not only soothe your sinus problems, but will also help to heal any raw spots that have been chapped from blowing your nose.

natural home remedies for sinus infection

3.  Saline Spray or Salt Water Rinse

When I was in college, one of my roommates had a NeilMed Sinus Rinse bottle and she swore by that thing.

I had never seen one until I lived with her.  I didn't try it until several years ago and I am hooked on rinsing my sinuses.

Have you ever felt like you needed to blow your nose and you had so much mucus that just kept coming out and you couldn't even figure out where it was all coming from?

When this happens, you've usually got mucus hiding out in the deep sinus cavities. 

Your sinus cavities are all over the inside of your face and offer hiding areas for mucus.  Gross.

When you rinse your sinuses, the water rinses out those cavities that you can't always clear out just by blowing your nose.

Simply fill the rinsing bottle with the water and saline solution.

Hold your head over the sink or bathtub and keep your mouth open.

After you've used all of the water, gently blow your nose to remove loosened mucus.  It's a nasty process but oh my goodness the relief you get from this is amazing!

I've tried different rinsing things and nothing compares to the NeilMed rinse.

I've tried netipots and, although they work, I found they weren't nearly as effective.

I think is has something to do with the fact that the sinus rinse bottle has a little more pressure behind it than the netipot does.

I've used saline nose sprays, mainly before I felt comfortable using a sinus rinse bottle.  They do help to soothe dry, irritated sinuses or loosen mucus.

However, if I've got a stopped up nose, the first thing that I'm reaching for is my sinus rinse bottle.

​I'm telling you, if you haven't used one, you need to try it.  You'll never look back!

Using Home Remedies for Sinus Infections

If you find yourself fighting a nasty sinus infection, don't freak out.

There are several things that you can try to naturally kick a sinus infection without pumping yourself full of medications.

If you're interested in more natural healing methods, check out my pain relieving salve that is made using dandelions.  It works better than IcyHot (and smells better!).

Try steaming your sinuses, even if you don't have essential oils to drop in.

The steam will help to loosen all of the mucus and open up your sinuses.  If you've got essential oils, drop some into the steam.

There are so many options for using essential oils to treat a sinus infection.

Use oils like lemon or tea tree oil if you think you've got an infection.

Use peppermint and eucalyptus if you can't breathe.

Create a blend of oils if you want to.  That's what I typically do when I'm trying to kick a sinus infection to the curb.

My personal favorite way of dealing with a sinus infection is using a sinus rinse.  The one that has worked best for me is the Sinus Rinse by NeilMed.  It's amazing.

Of course, if you can't knock the sinus infection after a week or two, then you may want to see a doctor.  Use good judgement if you can't get rid of it.

I hope that I've given you some options for treating a nasty sinus infection the natural way.

Buy what you need to treat sinus problems here:

1. Essential Oils
-Menthol
-Peppermint
-Lemon
-Frankincense
-Eucalyptus
-Tea tree
-Clove
-Rosemary
2. Essential Oil Diffuser
3. Homemade Vick's Salve with
-Camphor essential oil
-Menthol essential oil
-Eucalyptus essential oil
-Coconut oil OR petroleum jelly


​4. NeilMed Sinus Cavity Rinse Bottle and NeilMed Sinus Rinse Packets

​​If you haven't yet, grab your FREE Beginner's Guide to Homesteading to learn how homesteading and a simpler lifestyle can add years to your life! Click here to get your free copy!

natural home remedies for sinus infection, beginners guide to homesteading

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How do you treat sinus infections naturally?

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