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Friday, October 4, 2013

Make Your Own "Vicks®" Vapor Rub ~ All Natural Respiratory Relief


With the changing of seasons, we often find ourselves congested with a cold and cough. When symptoms manifest, there is nothing like being prepared.

Our favorite and easiest remedy is to rub a few drops of Breathe essential oil with a bit of olive oil, almond oil or coconut oil to the neck, chest and lung area . You will instantly feel some relief!

If you are interested in making something similar to "Vicks" but with a natural oil base (instead of a petroleum one), then gather the following (it will only take a few minutes to make) and prepare our version below.



Simple Supplies:
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. shredded beeswax (or 1/8 cup)
  • 40 drops of Breathe Respiratory Blend (Note: You could probably replace this with a blend of either laurel leaf, peppermint, eucalyptus, melaleuca -- aka tea tree oil, rosemary, ravensara and/or thyme essential oils totaling 40 drops if you already have an oil collection.)

How to Make:

If you have a double boiler, melt together the olive oil and beeswax. If you don't have a double boiler, put a heatproof glass inside a simmering pot of water and place ingredients inside the glass vessel (this is what we do using our pyrex measuring cups). Carefully stir the contents until mixture is nice and smooth.


Once everything is melted, remove from heat. Wait a few minutes (until you can comfortably "touch" the container that is holding your mixture-- before it starts to actually harden) and then add in your essential oils (if you put them in too soon, the heat will evaporate them). Stir well and pour immediately into glass jars or tins since the mixture will begin to solidify.


Place any leftover salve inside a small container (like a discarded lip balm case) for a convenient travel size. This should keep through the next season if stored in a cool, dark location.

How to Use:

Use like you would any vapor rub by applying to chest, lung and neck area. Take a deep breath as the salve is penetrating your skin. I also use this for my allergy attacks and it really helps to stop the sneezing! Perhaps you would like to add this recipe to your "herbal"?


Important Note on Children/Infants {Plus a Gentle Recipe for Baby}:

Children under the age of 3 should not use peppermint essential oil topically as it contains menthol and has documented risks of asphyxiation. Children under the age of 7 should not use eucalyptus essential oils (unless under proper dosage of a professional) to be extra cautious as well. Though I have seen many recipes online for vapor rubs, I had not come across this information until I took the online essential oil course at Vintage Remedies. I know many of us may have administered this in the past, but once I learned this information, I felt the need to pass it on to you. For a safe vapor rub recipe for babies using the more gentle herb form of the eucalyptus and peppermint leaves, visit here.



"Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones."
~ Proverbs 3:7-8




Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. Using remedies is a personal decision. Nothing I say on this blog is approved by the FDA or intended to diagnose, treat or prevent disease. All things on this blog are my opinion or the opinion of others. To learn more about scientific evidence-based essential oil information, visit Vintage Remedies (affiliate link).



This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making MondaysModest Mom Monday'sMonday's MusingsMake Your Home Sing MondayGood Morning Mondays,  The ScoopTitus 2sdaysTitus 2 TuesdaysRoses of InspirationTuesdays with a TwistRaising HomemakersWise Woman Link UpHomestead Blog Hop Wow Us Wednesdays, Wildcrafting WednesdayCoffee and ConversationSo Much at HomeHomemaking ThursdaysHome Sweet HomeOur Simple HomesteadFrom the Farm Blog HopFarmgirl FridayFront Porch Friday Blog HopAwesome Life Friday Link UpSimply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these.  This post contains affiliate links meaning if you purchase from them, it helps to support our blog though no additional fee is added unto you.

28 comments:

  1. My dear JES, this is wonderful! My son tends to use vapor rub a lot when he gets a cold because it will settle into his chest. I would much rather use natural and this is the perfect solution. I will be adding this to my list of things to make. Thank you so much, friend, for sharing. You are such a blessing!

    Hugs to you!

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    1. Wonderful :) We use this all the time around these parts!

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  2. Love this idea--perhaps it will help my husband with his asthma this winter also. BTW--would love to pin this on PINTEREST, but can't figure out how, since I'm new to all this stuff. Any suggestions?

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    1. Ugh… I am right there with you! I don't even have Facebook… I know you can do it because someone left a similar comment like yours in the past and another reader offered assistance but I can't remember where?! Ahh… Here it is, help from dear Melissa:

      You can get your own pin it download from the Pinterest site and add it to your favorites column, then you can pin anything that is pinable. Blessings, Melissa

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  3. My Friend Renee has tried this, and she said it works Great...

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    1. I really LOVE it for stopping my sneezing fits/allergy attacks!

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  4. I will try for my family for this winter!! Thank you so much Jes. Just a few words to say you how much I enjoy your blog: the lovely design and of course the very inspiring words. You're such a blessing. THANK YOU. Many blessings from a french reader.

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    1. Thank you Sandra for always leaving with something nice to say! :)

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  5. I love it! This will be great during the winter!

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  6. I have been doing research and have concluded that essential oils are definitely what I am going to begin using for our family. I will be making this. My youngest coughs all of the time and I hate giving her over the counter cough medicine all the time. Thank you for sharing your recipe.

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    1. You are welcome :) If you want to go natural, essential oils are a treasure trove of medicinal helps!

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  7. Lovely! We shared with our FB readers at homesteadlady.com.

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  8. I wasn't really looking for a vapor rub recipe, but found your post on From the Farm Hop. Congrats on being featured. I think I'd like to try this. Two of my kiddos have asthma, so this could really come in handy. By the way, I'm the milk goat lady from charmingfarming.com

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  9. Great post (as always). I love making salve and this one is so much better than anything you can buy in a store. Congrats on being chosen as a featured post on this week’s Wildcrafting Wednesdays! I hope you'll join us again and share more of your awesome posts.
    http://www.herbanmomma.com

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  10. Hi JES
    Quick question, do you add 20 drops of eucalyptus, 20 of peppermint AND 40 Breathe or is it choose one over the other? I have eucalyptus and peppermint, but not Breathe :( I am one who needs exact amounts or I just can't get it right! I love this-thank you for all of your amazing work as always. This site is the best ever!!
    Amy

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    1. Hello Amy, I am just like you, I need exact amounts too!!! :)

      I would use 20 drops of eucalyptus, 20 drops of peppermint, and in addition, add in a total of 40 drops more containing either melaleuca, rosemary, ravensara and/or thyme (or a blend of all three totaling 40 drops).

      To be clear, the final product should have about 80 drops of oil to be strong and effective.

      Make sure the beeswax has cooled a few minutes before adding the oils so they don't evaporate. If you don't have any more of the oils I mentioned in lieu of the Breathe oil (such as the melaleuca aka tea tree oil, rosemary, ravensara and/or thyme ), you can always do 20 more drops each of eucalyptus and peppermint.

      Hope this helps!

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  11. Perfect! That's exactly the answer I needed:) Hooray! Also, why shouldn't children under 7 use eucalyptus or peppermint? I have and now I am afraid to even ask why...

    Amy

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    1. Hi Amy, I have done the same until I took an online essential oil course... We learned that the menthol in both oils had some documented risk of asphyxiation. We just don't know how each child will respond and therefore should exercise caution... Hope this info helps...

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  12. Thank you for sharing this at Our Simple Homestead Blog Hop this week.
    I am going to try this!!

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  13. I have a different recipe but love this. I may try yours. Thanks

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  14. JES, I find a combination of Peppermint, Scotch Pine, and Eucalyptus is good too. I'll be trying your recipe for sure. Mimi xxx

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  15. What essential oils would work in this for children under 7?

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    1. Sorry it took so long to respond Robin. I added more information to the post to be more clear and it took some extra time. I hope this now answers your question, which is a great one!!! :)

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  16. JES this is now 2020 but your posts are still valuable resources for so many of us. Thank you for everything you have done all these years.

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    1. Thank you! - what a neat thing to say!!! 😊❤️

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