It’s that time of year when everyone seems to be suffering from sniffly noses and sore throats! I thought it was probably a good time to share my amazing homemade Vapour Rub
Last Christmas (not the one just gone, the one before) we were all chock full of cold from the weekend before the kids broke up for school until well into January – possibly February if I remember rightly. The kids especially were coughing so much that even when they had the energy to actually get dressed and do something, I was reluctant to let them venture outside as the cold on their chest brought on coughing fits and more often than not, they ended up feeling worse afterwards.
In fact, it was that bad that on Christmas Eve, Master Frugal actually said that we should cancel Christmas and stay in bed all day which made me so sad! They managed to get out of bed and open their presents and the excitement of Christmas got them through the day without much complaining but lots of their presents weren’t touched after they’d opened them for the next week or so as they just didn’t have the energy.
We did end up having a lovely Christmas but it was definitely a lot quieter than usual other than the coughing, sniffing and sneezing, that is!
I knew there was no point in any of us going to the doctors as we just had to let it run its course but I did pop to the chemist and buy some Lemsip and Vicks Vaporub which I’ve always used on the kids since they were younger just like my Mam used it on me when I was little.
Miss Frugal was fine with it but when Master Frugal used it on his chest, he got a bit of a rash on his chest – nothing major but enough to make us decide not to use that anymore. He had a similar reaction to deep heat cream a while ago when he hurt his ankle at football so I think he must be mildly allergic to something.
Seeing as he couldn’t use the Vicks Vaporub, we decided to have a go at making our own homemade vapour rub and actually, it worked out really well. There was no rash and although the smell wasn’t as strong, it still helped him and was much better than having nothing at all.
Kind of a disclaimer – I should say here that the Vicks Vaporub was more effective as you’d expect for something with active ingredients but this homemade version does a great job too.
How to make Homemade Vapour Rub
50g coconut oil (approx 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon beeswax (buy some on Amazon here)
20 drops eucalyptus essential oil
15 drops peppermint essential oil
5 drops tea tree oil
- Melt the coconut oil and the beeswax together in a heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water.
- Add the essential oils and mix it all together.
- Spoon into a suitable container – the small jars of baby food are ideal.
This is ideal rubbed on your chest or, as lots of people recommend with Vicks Vaporub, on the soles of your feet.
I hope you feel better soon if you’re suffering right now and if not, then I’d recommend Pinning this homemade vapour rub post ready for when the lurgy hits.
(PS) As always, be careful spraying when using Essential Oils. This post shares a bit of information about what you should know before using essential oils.
Don’t miss out on future posts like this – receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address here and hitting subscribe. You can also follow me on Twitter, BlogLovin or Networked Blogs and I’d love to see you over on my Facebook page and on Instagram
