Homemade Flu Busting Vapor Rub for The Family
The Dreaded Sniffles Syndrome ~
Sorry Sue we have to cancel today Ethan has the sniffles, up all night with a cough and runny nose . . . .
Sound familiar? I would see my little 3 year old nephew Ethan weekly before I moved to the countryside. I loved spending time with him and looked forward to these weekly visits.
My heart would sink with disappointment when the dreaded sniffles took hold of his little body. Subsequently my brother would end up with it and then my sister-in-law.
So with the temperature drop recently as the seasons change, I decided to make a vapor rub for Ethan and the family that will relieve congestion fast because you can be sure the sniffles will be back soon.
Flu, Runny Nose, Congested Sinuses . . . Who Wants Those?
Eucalyptus globulus
Minty Fresh
Ingredients ~
This combination of beeswax and extra virgin olive oil make a powerful bug busting formula that helps clear the airways in a creamy easy to apply base that smooths and conditions the skin as it glides on effortlessly.
The three powerhouse essential oils for this recipe are:
Eucalyptus – it is a natural decongestant and is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and superb for all respiratory conditions including asthma, sore throat, runny nose, coughs, colds, and sinusitis.
Eucalyptus may be used in a range of products from deodorants to house cleaners so this inexpensive essential oil is a worthy and easy investment for the family.
Peppermint – cooling, soothing it is antibacterial, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory and commonly used in a range of homemade and commercial skin care, hygiene and personal care items.
It is beneficial for coughs, colds and clearing lungs of congestion. A stimulating and energizing scent, peppermint is a terrific all round “must have” oil in the cupboard.
Rosemary – a terrific health boosting addition, it is antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiseptic and known for its ability to fight respiratory problems.
Rosemary is excellent for clearing throat congestion, coughs, colds, sore throats, allergies and the flu.
It is antispasmodic which means it can be effective for bronchial asthma. A multi-functional essential oil which can be used in a range of homemade products.
Rosemary 3 Ways - Essential Oil, Fresh and Dried Herb
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Melting Wax and EVOO
- How to Use Essential Oils and a Base Oil to Make a D...
Knowing how to dilute essential oils with base oil is important. Widely used in beauty products and in Aromatherapy they have excellent therapeutic benefits to mind and body. Read on to learn more .
Vapor Rub Recipe ~
2 tsp Beeswax
1/4cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
25-30 drops Peppermint Essential Oil
10-15 drops Rosemary Essential Oil
15 –20 drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil
You Will Need:
Recycled Small Glass Jar (sterilized)
Double Boiler or Glass Bowl and Saucepan
Hand Whisk
Spoon/Spatula
Disposable Plastic Spatula (optional)
Method:
- Gently melt the beeswax and the EVOO in the double boiler or glass bowl sitting in a saucepan of hot water.
- Stir well until the beeswax is completely melted and combined with the olive oil.
- Remove to a heatproof surface and begin whisking as you are adding in the essential oils one by one.
- Continue whisking until all 3 essential oils are blended in.
- Spoon into your sterilized jar and allow cool on the counter top. Secure with lid and pop it into the fridge to fully harden.
- This vapour rub is suitable for all the family and lasts 6 months to a year.
- Store it in a cool dark cupboard.
To Apply:
- Apply in the same way you would as a regular chest rub by massaging a small quantity on the back or chest.
- Use the small disposable spatula for removing the rub as it is more hygienic than using fingers. Wash in-between uses or throw away and use a new one. NEVER use fingers as cross contamination is more than possible, in fact it is nearly guaranteed.
Beautiful Fresh Beeswax
Would you find this useful at home?
Tips and Suggestions ~
Remember to store this out of reach of young children. While it is safe for you to apply to them, it is a potent product and should be stored with this in mind.
Always take precautions before using these or indeed ANY essential oils. Always seek the advice of a doctor before using essential oils, particularly with any existing medical condition or prescribed medication.
Attach a spatula with a ribbon for easy access or leave a packet of disposable spatulas with it. You could also use clean toothpicks, popsicle (ice pop) sticks or a teaspoon.
If you have a large family or want to make it for gifts you can double or triple the amounts easily.
Use between 50-65 drops of essential oils, no more. You may want to use less so make sure to have a pen and paper handy in case you want to tweak or adjust quantities.
All these ingredients are multi-functional so you will not be stuck with them and all have good shelf lives. Check out my selection of homemade recipes for more ideas.
For a quick alternative check out the video below which uses coconut oil, lavender essential oil and the three I have used. How easy is that?
Coconut Oil and Essential Oils Vapor Rub
Food for Thought . . . .
Whatever the season those flu like sniffles seem to come on all of a sudden. Being prepared comes easy with this recipe that works a treat. These are my requirements:
- Kid friendly - tick
- Not full of chemicals - tick
- Smells nice - tick
- All ingredients serve a purpose - tick
- Works fast - tick
- Quick, easy and cost effective - tick
This little pot of magic seems to tick all my requirements how about you?
"Creating health awareness through homemade beauty solutions"
Author Info ~
Information on the author, her bio and full body of works available @ Suzie HQ
Credit to sharkye11 ~
Dividers on this page are used with permission from this source: Line Dividers To Enhance Webpages
Homemade Flu Busting Vapor Rub for The Family Comments
Awesome hub on how to beat the flu with homemade remedies. I'll keep this in mind. Voted up!
Sounds nice but I would worry about developing a rash if I rubbed some tincture of weird plant on my body.
Its a great recipe to know,..... I enjoyed it a lot...keep it up!!
Our family could definitely use this right now! You should bottle it up and sell it because some of us just aren't talented enough to make it, but it sounds wonderful!
This is perfect timing. My husband and I both have a flu we can't shake. The doctor says no antibiotics. I'll have to give this a try.
Hi Suzie...how very strange that I was thinking of you this morning and this gets shared on my facebook page! It has been a long time since I have seen your posts. I hope all is well with you. This recipe sure came in time for us here at my house! Thank you! Up++ and pinning! Happy New Year!
My mother actually just got the flu. She's lying in bed quite miserablely right this moment. So thanks for the hub, I definitely know what I'm doing today! Very useful.
Homemade Flu Busting Vapor Rub for The Family sounds a wonderful idea and I have all the ingredients. Thanks for the useful and interesting hub. You explained well and presented a helpful hub to all readers. Voted up, useful and interesting
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Hi JPSO138,
Hope you find it useful for your child, appreciate your comment and thumbs up!!
- AUTHOR
Hi mythbuster,
Many thanks for checking this out, so glad you enjoyed it! Hope you enjoy making it up, it works so well!
Thanks for this very useful information. My child easily catches cold and it pains me to see him having such. I will definitely try these remedies. Up for this one!
Ingredients above just went on my shopping list. I am going to track the ingredients down and try your recipe, suziehq. Thanks for the easy to follow instructions and thanks for sharing.
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Hi GTF,
A vapor rub is so handy to have at hand and this one is easy to make. Thanks so much for your interest!
I swear by a eucalyptus rub in the winter months when we have colds. It really helps to get a good night's sleep. This is an awesome replacement for the store bought version Suzie! Thanks.
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Hi Mary,
Many thanks for your lovely comment! Hope you find this useful for the coming cold season it works a treat and keeps those airways clear.
Wonderful. I definitely need to make some of this homemade vapor rub. I always can count on your page for some good homemade remedies.
- AUTHOR
Hi teaches,
Many thanks for commenting on this vapor rub. I hope your family in colder climes find it useful heading into the colder months when sniffles and congestion can be part of the seasonal change.
This is one that I am sharing with my friends and family up north. It is the best way to fight the flu and is much more tolerable.
- AUTHOR
Hi Kathryn,
Been thinking of you, hope all is good with you in Boston. Thanks for checking this one out, good to hear you enjoyed! I am learning fast that most things are doable at home which is fantastic! This rub is certainly one of them and the beauty is the ingredients are all versatile for other products. Cheers for the thumbs up and hope you have a great weekend too!!
Another amazing idea! I use Vick's at least a couple of times during the cold weather, but I never thought there'd be a type of homemade chest rub! Fantastic. I want to try this sometime!
Thanks for sharing this with us, and have a great weekend.
~ Kathryn
- AUTHOR
Hi Phyllis,
Lovely to see you here. Hope you get to try it out and find this little pot as magical as I do! Appreciate your comments so much!
- AUTHOR
Hi Rose,
Glad to see you enjoyed. My dad gets the flu jab too and tends not to get any colds etc. . . I used to get them now and again, more at the start and the end of the seasonal changes. I love being able to clear my sinuses too which sometimes get blocked and sore. Cheers for your input and support!
- AUTHOR
Hi Schoolmom,
It is so good to read you are excited about this one. I thought the coconut was a great option too, hence why I put it in. It is an oil I adore using in skin products, hair treatments everything really! A wonder product! I do love olive oil even though it is a heavier oil and in summer a little too heavy for my skin but I often use it because of its powerful benefits. Both these oils are easily purchased and not too costly which is another terrific reason to use them. Cheers for your support :-)
- AUTHOR
Hi Brandi,
Hope this will help alleviate your son's stuffy nose it is always the little ones who often catch everything going when they are in contact with so many other kids or adults. Thanks so much for your comment, hope you get to try this out!
- AUTHOR
Hi Stephanie,
So glad you enjoyed this! As you know I have visited your online business and you have a wonderful line up of products. Hope it goes well for you. Your herbal knowledge is so interesting. There are a number of recipes and I found I liked the simplicity of this and using the whipped beeswax and olive oil gave it a nice texture. Coconut oil is another one and even sweet almond oil with the essential oils I have read is good too. Thanks for dropping by and for your comment.
- AUTHOR
Hi Natasha,
Many thanks, the three of these oils are so useful to have and together are just what is needed for the dreaded sniffles. Lavender is good too if you have it. Cheers for dropping in, always lovely to have your thoughts!
- AUTHOR
Hi Mary,
How nice to have you comment, always precious! Glad you found this a useful one; thought it was seasonally appropriate. i will do my best to continue to think of new and interesting ideas! Thanks Mary for all the support and for sharing on, pinning and thumbs up :-)
- AUTHOR
Hi Bill,
It does sound better and is a much healthier choice while being effective - win win all round! Cheers for all your encouragement and always appreciate your votes, shares and pin, have a great weekend!
- AUTHOR
Hi Thelma,
So good to hear you found this handy. Appreciate your time to comment and thanks as always for your thumbs up and share!
- AUTHOR
Hi Thundermama,
Good to see you! A great gift idea I think and that combined with the kids and the fact I got sniffles recently made me decide on doing one! Hope you enjoy making it, it is easy and quick with more uses for the ingredients if you have some leftover. Thanks so much for your support!
- AUTHOR
Hi ElleBee,
Yes, this does help coughs and as it will last a long time you can be prepared for when they happen! Thanks very much, appreciate your visit and comment :-)
Suzie, this is a fantastic hub, as all the ones I read from you are. This magic pot of vapor rub will become a very useful and welcome addition to my personal care. Thank you so much.
Such a timely article! I get a flu shot and for the most part tend to avoid these kind of things, but you can never be too careful. Thanks for providing yet another awesome homemade alternative for a commonly used item.
Love, love, love this! I have been learning about different homemade remedies and this one sounds so great to try. I may go with the coconut oil as she used in the video since I have that one on hand already (bought it for the first time a couple weeks ago!). And I know about the olive oil being a great moisturizer because I've been using it or two years. :) Thank you for sharing this.
Voted up and useful!
My son catches everything under the sun. He has allergies and is constantly coming down with a stuffy nose. Thank you for this. You always do a great job presenting these natural remedies.
I love, love, love homemade products. I guess I should since that is what one of my businesses is all about. But I am definitely going to be busy making some vapor rub for all my clients and customers. I have yet to figure out which recipe(s) I am going with. But I love how simple and easy this one is to make. You give excellent information about the benefits of the ingredients.
What a cool idea! I knew of rosemary's benefits, but I hadn't thought to put it in a rub with eucalyptus, or to add peppermint. When I think decongestion, I just think of eucalyptus! This seems way more helpful because it would help fight the cause, not just treat the symptoms.
When I am late to one of your hubs SuzieQ I see all of my thoughts already down in the comments before me therefore leaving little for me to say. How could one NOT like this great recipe especially at this time of year? You just keep writing and we'll keep using and sharing my friend.
Voted up, useful, awesome, interesting, pinned and shared.
Sounds so much better than Vick's Vapor Rub. Love the ingredients. I think this would definitely agree with my nose. Another great hub Suzie and just in time for the coming winter season. Voted up, pinned, shared, etc..
This is very useful especially during winter. I can smell it now just imagining the smell. I like vapor rub for my colds. Thanks for sharing Suzie. Voted up, useful and shared.
I love this! Who knew making this would be so straight forward. I can't wait to try making this and plan on giving it to people as a gift before flu season hits. Thank you! Can't wait to share this.
interesting. it is pretty rare that I get the actual flu, but I tend to get a few long, lingering coughs a year, and I think this would be helpful on that front as well. thanks.
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Hi Samita,
Many thanks for taking time to read, glad you enjoyed :-)
great information because i prefer natural remedies.. Thanks Suzie HQ
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Hi Janet,
I hope you find this useful for your young son. i have read but not tried rubbing this on the soles of the feet which helps clear congestion. I always appreciate your support, your interest and your enthusiasm for homemade stuff! It makes my day when I have helped people with some options!
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Hi Marie,
How timely i am so glad this was of benefit and hopefully you will give it a go for your hubby! I started to get a sneezing and the runny nose awhile ago when the temp here suddenly dropped and my partner got it a week later which also made me think it was time for such a product! I made a batch for us and then both my brothers and their families. Dad rarely gets anything as gets the flu jab yearly. Thanks for your comment and have fun making this little pot of magic!
This is the right thing we need now. My son has caught a very bad flu which made him really weak. I prefer natural remedies. Since he was born he has only taken natural or homeopathic remedies. Thank you for sharing.
That is exactly what we need right now since my husband is full of flu. This looks fantastic. Thank you.
- AUTHOR
Hi Elizabeth,
Great to see you enjoyed this one. it is one of those versatile products we all can use so really good to have in the medicine cabinet or fridge. Cheers for commenting, votes and sharing, much appreciate your support :-)
- AUTHOR
Hi anginwu,
Good question. I would give it a try as it is similar to the wax even though it is a butter. It will become solid when cool. Check your consistency while whisking and add more cocoa butter if needed . Give it a try to let me know how you find it. Glad you found this useful and gave it the thumbs up!
- AUTHOR
Hi FlourishAnyway,
How cool you stopped by! The oils are adjustable and can even add in lavender and then adapt the amounts, working in the quantity of drops in this recipe. Thanks for your comment and input!
Great tips here that I think everyone can use. Voted up and shared!
I love your homemade remedies. Can I substitute beeswax with cocoa butter as I have a jar of cocoa butter at hand? Enjoyed the hub and rated up.
Great information. I like the idea that you can make this product and control how it smells by how much of what you put in it. That is a major benefit.
- AUTHOR
Hi erinshelby,
Thanks for popping by. I prefer not to use or recommend petroleum jelly also known as petrolatum. There are mixed reports on the safety of it and it has links to being carcinogenic and a danger to health. If the full refining history is known and the substance from which it is produced from is not a carcinogen, the European Union pass it otherwise it is a banned substance here. I would recommend using caranuba wax or coconut oil instead.
If you don't have beeswax, can you use petroleum jelly instead?
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I am looking right now! What type of material is couch? Microfibre? Stains vary too but I had a strong gut feeling baking soda or corn starch would be a goer or vinegar but I will keep delving myself and see what I can try out here too beforehand! Appreciate the vote of confidence!!!
Suzie, I wouldn't ask if I hadn't done the research myself. I didn't find anything I would trust. YOU, however, I trust!
Hey, we can't have you running out of ideas now, can we? :-)
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Hi Shauna,
Jeez, you don't ask for much do you??!! LOL I will try (being the operative word!) my best but fabrics I am not that familiar with but will give finding a color-safe, gentle effect remedy a go for you oh teacher as the newest assignment! There has to be SOME magic potion and MJ's couch could do with it too. Cheers for the question and glad you found the vapor rub useful for the months ahead!
- AUTHOR
Hi Bill,
Ah, numero 2 Bill, you are slipping! LOL Lovely to see you my friend and what memories we all seem to have of Vicks! I can still see it and smell it even though I have not used in years! You would definitely love mine more!! LOL
Appreciate your support as always and love having you in my corner, have a great week yoda!
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Hi Crystal,
Wow, thanks so much for beating Bill by a minute! LOL Only joking of course dear Bill! This will be a great recipe for you if you do tend to get the odd cold. You could also use lavender oil if you want as it is a great one too and would lessen the cost if you were planning on buying just the few oils. You may like to use the coconut oil option in the video so do check it out it is simple, effective and inexpensive too. Appreciate your sharing and pinning!
Just in time for the cold and flu season, Suzie. I would love to try this recipe. I keep vapo rub in my cabinet. When I'm congested, I rub it on my chest, my upper lip and around my nostrils. There's nothing worse than not being able to breathe when you're trying to sleep.
I keep forgetting to give you some more homework. :-) My couch is made of fabric, kinda silky with embroidery running thru it. It is burgundy in color and the embroidery is gold. I've got some stains on the cushions that I need to clean up. Can you come up with a home remedy that is color-safe and gentle on the fabric yet effective on stains?
The smell of Vicks as I went to bed as a child is one of those lasting memories from childhood. I don't know if it did any good to ward off illness but I loved the smell. I think I'd love this more. :)
Great as always Suzie!
Unfortunately, I fear I will need this recipe this year. I tend to get sick in the winter, and I've heard this flu season will very bad. Another great hub. Sharing and pinning.
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