Hello Autumn's here, and so are the sniffles. I used to be the poster child for good health. I'd get sick, but a cold would never last more than three days. I'd just power through, no meds, no doctor's visits – only if I had a fever. I'd take a sick day every now and then, but that was it. Then I had a kid, and everything changed. I'd catch every bug he brought home from daycare. I hoped it was just a phase, that I'd get my mojo back soon. But nope, I went back to work, and stress, anxiety, and lack of sleep became my BFFs.

Before I knew it, I was getting sick all the time. I'd just push through, but this time, I was so exhausted that I had to take a sick day for myself. I recovered, went back to work, and a week later, my throat was killing me. It took two days to recover, and I thought I was in the clear, but then my kid brought home another bug, and I was back to square one.

I got this crazy bad cold that I'd never experienced before. I could've just used a whole box of tissues and been done with it – no need to blow my nose, just rip through the whole pack. Saline rinse didn't help, and my nose was stuffy, but not runny. That's when Aqua Maris came to the rescue, and then the cycle started all over again. For three whole days.

I was at my wit's end, not knowing what to do. Luckily, my GPT chat suggested I try decongestants. I ran to the pharmacy and grabbed some Rino Norm. I was like, 'Wow, this is cheap – 106 rubles!' I bought it.

PACKAGING

The spray came in a purple cardboard box.

On the front, it had the name, a picture of a nose, the volume (20 ml), and the duration of the effect (8 hours).

On the side, it had the active ingredient, the number of doses, and the composition.

Xylometazoline is the active ingredient. It's meant to quickly clear up congestion and breathing.

The composition of the auxiliary ingredients is:

Benzalkonium chloride (50% solution) 0.056 mg, benzalkonium chloride 0.028 mg, lemon acid monohydrate 0.07 mg, sodium citrate dihydrate 0.364 mg, 85% glycerol 3.36 mg, purified water 136.71 mg.

Then it had the usage instructions:

I've gotta say, this thing's been a total lifesaver for me when I've had a bad cold, allergies, sinus infections, or ear infections. I've used it for all of those things, and it's worked like a charm.

And the fact that it's made in the Czech Republic and Germany is pretty cool too.

When I opened the box, I found a QR code and the expiration date on the bottom - nice touch.

The instructions were right inside the box, which was convenient.

The bottle itself is made of this dark, semi-transparent glass, and it's got a sticker on it with all the same info as the box.The nozzle is this long, thin thing that you press to get a small amount of the medicine out.

It's totally clear, doesn't have any smell, and doesn't leave any bitterness when it goes down your throat.

Using it

You're supposed to use it intranasally - one spray in each nostril up to three times a day for kids over six and adults. One dose is 0.14 mL and contains 140 mcg of the active ingredient.

Just don't use it more than three times a day, and don't use it for more than five to seven days.

I followed the instructions for the first few days and used it three times a day, then adjusted as needed.

My thoughts

I was blown away by how quickly my stuffy nose started breathing again after the first use. It was such a relief not to have to constantly blow my nose to get some air.

Of course, as the instructions said, the effect didn't last forever - after 7 hours, I started to feel it wearing off, but thankfully, I didn't experience any weird side effects during use.

I've gotta say, it's pretty easy to get hooked on stuff like this, so you do need to be careful and follow the instructions to avoid getting too reliant.

THE VERDICT

I'm totally stoked on Rhino Norma - it gave my nose the ability to breathe again in an instant, and my sinuses were instantly relieved. Plus, it's super affordable at just 106 rubles.

I'll definitely be reaching for this stuff again in the future.

Thanks for reading!