A Remarkably Simple Way To Make Homemade Vapor Rub

It’s cold and flu season and it seems to be hitting pretty hard this year, so I thought this was a good time to share my homemade vapor rub with you.

We all remember being slathered with Vick’s when we were kids. That yucky sticky petroleum jelly based rub that made your pj’s stick to your chest and made your eyes water. But it helped, didn’t it? Well, I am a little concerned about a few of the ingredients in Vick’s  like the sticky petrolatum and turpentine oil. Ewww!

A few years ago I started to experiment with alternative natural remedies to help my family breathe better when we are all stuffed up, congested or coughing from the cold, flu or sinus. I was amazed at how simple it was to make and can be done with a variety of essential oils.

I use coconut oil as a base because it melts and absorbs quickly into the skin. It’s not gooey like Vick’s at all.  I am not a coconut oil snob. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive or best of the best. I do insist on it being organic, extra virgin, unrefined and expeller pressed. There are many on the market to choose from. If you stick with this kind you know you are getting a good quality coconut oil.  You could also go with a liquid fractionated coconut oil if you choose. It’s simply a matter of personal choice. I stick with the solid because that’s what I already use and have on hand.

OK, now we have the base. Next we need the active ingredients that will help you breathe easier.  This is where essential oils come in. I don’t recommend you buy cheap oils from one of the popular discount stores that carry them. They are usually very poor quality. You want the good stuff. I have 2 favorite brands.

Young Living Oils are really super quality and boy are they strong! A little goes a looong way with these babies. They are a little pricey, but they last and last. Well worth the price.

Here are some Young Living oils I would recommend choosing from to make your vapor rub:  Raven, RC, (2 blends made for respiratory issues) or Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Lemon, and Cardamom. I really love these oils! I use some of them along with Thieves immune oil blend (ingredients: Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus Radiata, and Rosemary) in a diffuser as well when we are sick. You can also add a little more Lemon (to perk you up) or some Lavender to relax you.

Plant Therapy Essential Oils are a much more cost friendly option and quite good as well. I use these often too.  Their respiratory oil is called Respir Aid or you can make your own blend with a couple of these: Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree, Lemon, and Cardamom and their immune oil blend is called Immune Aid and it is a blend of  Frankincense, Tea Tree, Rosemary, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Sweet Orange oils.  I diffuse these oils as well. Again, Lemon or Lavender make a nice fragrance but are not needed for effectiveness.

When making vapor rub with either of these oil brands, you can add a little more Peppermint and Eucalyptus to make it super effective.

Note: All oils are not alike. The FDA says that “100% pure” only has to contain 5% essential oil. I know… WTFrig, right?!! The rest can be fillers of who knows what. YUCK!! Be sure you only use oils that are exactly what they say they are and have no fillers of any kind. I’ve done tons of research to find the best…

I love Young Living Oils. If you are a member you get a 24% wholesale discount and can earn oils too! But if you don’t want to do that, I highly recommend Plant Therapy Oils. You don’t have to be a member and their prices are great, plus free shipping! Both companies offer pure high quality products with no fillers, do outside 3rd party testing on their oils and are very organic & environmentally conscious which means a whole lot in my book!

So if you are using the solid coconut oil I fill the small glass jar that I am going to use to store it in with the coconut oil.  I save all my little jars and clean them well, remove the labels and viola, they make great concoction jars!

Then I heat the little jar of coconut oil in the microwave for a few seconds. I start with 15-30 seconds and add to if I need to. Just long enough to make it liquid enough to mix with essential oils.  You don’t want to cook it.

If you are using the fractionated oil you’ll need a little bottle to pour some into.

Depending on how big of a batch you are making, and which brand and how many different oils you are mixing, you will add 10-20 drops of the oil blend of choice, shake it up and give it a whiff. If you think it needs more, add more. This is a matter of personal preference. You’ll know when it smells strong enough.

Shake the bajeebies out of it and once it’s well blended just let it cool and it will solidify again and it’s ready to use! We use this under our nose and on our chest. Just like you would use Vicks. It’s a much better, more natural and healthy option. It lasts for a really long time. It takes much less and is much stronger than Vicks, you only need a very thin layer and it’s not nearly as messy and gooey.

I’m still using a jar I made a couple of years ago.  Coconut oil never goes bad so your vapor rub will last for as long as you need it to.

If you enjoyed this I would really appreciate if you commented below, pin it to Pinterest and share it on Facebook 🙂

Talk to you soon,

Find me on…
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest

 

 

 

You Might Also Enjoy…

Cheap and Easy DIY Non-Toxic Disinfectant Spray Recipe

How To Make DIY Toxin Free Medicated Body and Foot Powder

 

This blog post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from them I will make a little chump change. This helps me to be able to continue to share good stuff with you!

 

Save

Save