It starts with a single solitary sneeze - a sneeze that resonates and shakes you to the core - then the tired burning eyes, the aches, fatigue, scratchy throat. Soon, your nose is like a leaky faucet - drip, drip, drip. That's it. You know it! You have a cold. With all the tissues and cold remedies piled beside you on the nightstand, it only takes one glance and a quick calculation to know how many passes with a sandpaper-like tissue it took to light your nose up like Rudolph.



Add to this the dry winter air, made even drier with household heaters, and your skin and nose are soon raw and chapped. One of the best options coming to the attention of sore noses, and dry chapped skin everywhere, is shielding lotions.

Shielding lotions bond with the skin's outer layer protecting it from dry air, pollutants and the irritation of constantly wiping your nose - and won't rub or wash off easily. Additionally, the special moisturizing humectants attract moisture from the air and draw it into the deeper layers of skin helping it to heal faster.

The cold? Short of just letting it run its course, there are no known cures. Treating the symptoms can provide some relief, but the best protection is prevention: Here are a few tips that you can use before and even during a cold:

- Consider using humidifiers to put some moisture into dry heater-warmed air.

- Wash your hands. Germs are spread most often by your own infected hands, or the hands and surfaces of others. A shielding lotion can keep your hands from drying out in between washings.

- Use a tissue if you feel a sneeze or cough coming on. It will help to prevent the transmission to others or reinfecting yourself.

- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth before washing your hands.

- Stay hydrated and drink plenty of fluids. There is evidence that suggests dehydration opens the door to cold-causing viruses.

- Eat plant-based foods containing phytochemicals.

- Don't smoke.

- Reduce alcohol intake as it's dehydrating.

- Get your rest. The body does its best healing work when it's well rested.

- Take Vitamin C. You should be taking vitamin C on a daily basis as a supplement, but up your intake to no more than 140 milligrams per day of this vitamin.

- Protect dry skin from further cracking and peeling leaving skin more vulnerable to invasive cold viruses by using a shielding lotion to hydrate and protect the skin, and retain moisture. A shielding lotion will protect the delicate skin around your nose and help it heal much faster, say dermatologists.