Leo smiled, closed his laptop, and went back to bed. He didn't need the pharmacy spray after all. Just a bowl, a towel, and the ancient magic of steam.
For the first thirty seconds, nothing happened except his glasses fogging up. He felt ridiculous—like a witch brewing a nasal potion. But then, the heat invaded his sinuses. The eucalyptus unclenched something deep in his skull. A slow, miraculous trickle of air returned to the right nostril. He inhaled again, deeper, and the left one gave a wet, rebellious pop. home remedy for nasal decongestant
Leo filled a large bowl with near-boiling water from the kettle. He added three drops of eucalyptus oil he’d bought for a diffuser he never used. Then, remembering a tip from his grandmother, he crumbled in a handful of dried mint leaves from the garden. He draped a towel over his head, creating a tent, and lowered his face toward the fragrant abyss. Leo smiled, closed his laptop, and went back to bed
He stayed under the towel for ten full minutes, breathing in the herbal steam, letting the warmth loosen the concrete in his face. When he finally emerged, the world smelled different. The faint scent of coffee from that morning. The cool night air from the cracked window. He took a long, silent breath through his nose—both nostrils working, like old friends shaking hands. For the first thirty seconds, nothing happened except
It was 2:00 AM, and Leo was certain his nose had declared war on the rest of his face. The left nostril was completely bricked. The right one was a narrow, whistling disaster zone. He’d already tried the spray from the pharmacy, but it only worked for about three hours before the congestion came roaring back, angrier than before.
The top result made him groan: Steam. It was too simple. Too boring. But desperate times…