As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Perfect for cold and flu season, use these Homemade Vicks Soother Tablets to clear your stuffy nose and relieve sinus pressure naturally. This is the original Vicks Soother Tablets recipe online and uses natural essential oils to help relieve head colds without chemicals.
Do you remember the commercials for the Vicks Vapor shower tablets thingies? You’d put one of the disks in your shower, and voila thanks to the vapors in it, you’re magically healed, your cold is gone, and your face is shockingly free of snot.
I always used to watch the “Noxema girl” splashing water on her face in those commercials and wondered how she was able to wash her face without being completely overrun with boogers.
I’m the only one? Yes? I’m stuck in the ’90s? Ok, moving along then…
What Ingredients Are In Homemade Vicks Soother Tablets?
- Baking soda
- Arrowroot powder
- Water
- Rosemary essential oil
- Lavender essential oil
- Eucalyptus essential oil
Please note, you will NOT see cornstarch in this recipe for a very specific reason. Cornstarch is horrible for clogging drains and is a plumbing nightmare!
The oils I buy from Plant Therapy have worked well for me, are affordable, and available on Amazon. I do not sell essential oils and am not part of any MLM organization. If you have an oil brand that you prefer, please feel free to use those!
Is There a Kidsafe Version?
Yes! The main essential oils in these Vicks Soother Tablets are not safe for kids under 12. If you have younger kiddos, Plant Therapy makes a Kid Safe Sniffle Stopper. Use 30 drops of that in place of the lavender, rosemary, and eucalyptus oils.
Can I Just Use Vicks?
My preference is always for a natural version of anything I am using for my health, which is why I use the essential oils. If oils are not in the cards for you, sub in 4 tbsp of Vicks Vapor Rub for the essential oils.
If you have kids under two, please make sure you use Baby Vicks Vapor Rub.
Can I Use Herbs Instead of Oils?
Yes, but you will need a large amount to replace the potency of the essential oils. You would want to use 2 tbsp (chopped) of each herb.
Can I Use Fragrance Oils?
I would not use them. Essential oils have medicinal properties, whereas fragrance oils are just there to give you the scent.
How Do I Use Shower Soothers?
You will want to place one on the floor of your shower. If you put it in the direct spray of the shower it will likely dissolve more quickly but give you a more intense hit of the oils.
Alternatively, you can put it in the direct spray while your shower is heating up, and then scoot it over to the side when you jump in. Or walk in, because jumping into a slippery shower seems kind of beetle-headed. I mean, you’re already stuffed up, why risk a concussion?
How To Store Shower Soothers
If you’re using them for yourself, throw them in an air-tight container and toss them in a cupboard or bathroom closet. If you’re gifting them for friends or family, an 8 oz jam jar with a ribbon tied around it would be cute!
How Long Do Homemade Vicks Soother Tablets Last?
Without herbs added to the mix, the shower soothers will last indefinitely. However, the strength of the essential oils will fade in a month or so. To store longterm, you can make them without the oils and add 2-3 drops of each oil just prior to using.
How to Make Soother Tablets
*Detailed and printable recipe card is available at the bottom of the post
In a mixing bowl, combine baking soda, arrowroot powder, water, and 15 drops of each of the lavender, eucalyptus, and rosemary essential oils to the mixture. Stir until the mixture forms a thick paste. Pro tip: it should be thick and viscous and with some water remaining on the top.
Scoop the paste into a muffin tin lined with muffin cups or a silicone muffin tin.
Bake at 250 degrees until hardened – about 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can set them out overnight for 12-18 hours.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Your soothers may still be a bit squishy after baking. They should harden as they cool. If you use silicone muffin tins, the bottom of the tablets may be sponge-like. That’s totally normal.
- If you leave your shower tablets out overnight to harden, please keep them in a safe place away from pets.
- A silicone muffin tin (always available at thrift stores!) makes it super easy to remove the shower tabs once cooled. If you want to use a traditional muffin tin, definitely use a cupcake liner. However, you may still have a hard time removing the tab from the liner. I love these compostable cupcake liners because nothing sticks to them!
Variations
- Feel free to add a little food coloring if you want to jazz up the appearance of these shower soothers.
- If you want to use the essential oils and also use some herbs to make them look cute, add the herbs to the top of the mixture after you have filled the muffin tin. I found out the hard way that pouring the mixture over the herbs results in them turning brown after baking. Your shower soothers may end up looking muddy or moldy. Gross!
- If you have an oil combination that you love, feel free to adapt the recipe to fit your preferences. Peppermint and eucalyptus combined are both great for clearing sinuses and perking you up! If you shower at night and want a calming soother, lavender is great for bedtime. I love Plant Therapy’s Sleep Aid blend.
These homemade Vicks Soother Tablets are wonderful to have around for cold and flu season, and I use them during the four months a year when my allergies are on full display.
MORE HOMEMADE DIY IDEAS
- Eco-Friendly Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner
- Homemade Laundry Soap
- How to Remove Rust From Cast Iron
- Homemade Dusting Spray and Furniture Polish
- Zero Waste Food Storage Ideas
- Natural Homemade Deodorant Recipe
- How to Freeze Fresh Produce
Homemade Vicks Soother Tablets {Shower Soothers)
Ingredients
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
- 1/3 cup water
- 15 drops lavender essential oil
- 15 drops rosemary essential oil
- 15 drops eucalyptus essential oil
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine baking soda, arrowroot powder, water, and 15 drops of each of the lavender, eucalyptus, and rosemary essential oil to the mixture. Stir until the mixture forms a thick paste.
- Add 15 drops of each of the lavender, eucalyptus, and rosemary essential oil to the mixture. Scoop the paste into a muffin tin lined with muffin cups or a silicone muffin tin.
- Bake at 250 degrees until hardened – about 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can set them out overnight for 12-18 hours. Store in an air-tight container until needed.
- Remove from the paper liner prior to using, and place on the floor of your shower. Breathe deeply, and enjoy.
This post on homemade was originally published in March 2012. I’ve updated it in December 2018 with new photos, details, and instructions. For reference, this is one of the photos from the original post:
You are a genius….but clearly your readers are not since they asked if they should take the disks out of liners! HAHAH common sense does NOT exsist anymore.
My husband and I are miserably sick with a cold and I have searched high and low for the Vick’s shower tabs. I don’t know if they make them anymore, but I couldn’t find any. This will be an amazing relief! Absolutely brilliant! I have re-posted to Pinterest…and yes, it is addicting…Pinterest, not the vapo-tabs, although, they are borderline addicting too.
love a goo two-fer!….clears sinuses and drains…what more could a girl ask for?!?!?!?
I have a husband with constant allergies and chronic sinus infections, you just got a new follower 🙂
Just adding my thanks! Trying this out tonight!
Also thanks to the commentators, interesting ideas in there too!
Oh, and the lip balm…….. awesome!
If baking soda is heated, It turns into washing soda.
Washing soda seems to be dangerous to the respiratory system.
Not completely sure, but it seems to me that way.
But i sure like the idea. Ill research It a bit further.
Mine didn’t smell at all once I put them in the shower and I think I even put way more drops of oils into the mixture… wonder why they were useless…
Thanks for posting this. Will definitely be tryin this 🙂
Hi i tried this recipe last night and baked them at the recommened temp and time. However, when i took them out they were caked on the muffin pan:( I also made another batch and left them sitting overnight and it was still too watery, i put it in the shower anyway and it didn’t really disolve slowly and there where no eucalyptus vapors and i put a lot of drops of oil in it. any suggestions?
Hi Thelma, did you remove the liners from the pan prior to them being completely cool, or did you let them cool 100% before trying to remove?
My liners are essentially like wax paper, so I don’t have an issue with sticky, but others have. Another reader recommended rolling them in to balls before baking so that the liners don’t stick.
You could try doing that and then adding the oils right before using.
Hi Sarah, i tried to remove them when i took them out of the oven,like right away. but i will try to use wax paper and add the oils right before using. Thanks a bunch!
Hallelujah! I love those things and they don’t make them anymore. I was thinking..can’t you smell the smoke ;),….instead of using the essential oils, what if you melted actual Vicks ointment or an off brand and add drops of that? Hmmmmmm….
So I was another that had problems with them sticking to the liners and also the pan…bad. I used the pry them out with a fork and beat the pan on the trash can methods to remove them, lol. Now I’m not admitting nor am I denying the fact that I may have baked them too long.
Anyway since so many others have had this issue I thought I’d share what I did. On the next batch I actually rolled or patted them into circular like shapes, about the size of a ping pong ball then baked them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. If I’m remembering correctly I actually had to make them a bit dryer than yours, it needs to be dry enough to stick together and keep its shape.
I have used these for my son and I feel that it helped quite a bit. Also recently I used the last one for myself. I was having a horrible time with my sinuses and it definitely helped. From now one I will keep some on hand during cold/sinus season. Time to make some more!
Still having problems with them crumbling and melting right away in the shower. Help.
Shoot me an email (contact me at the top of the blog) and let’s troubleshoot the issues.
Does this clog up the drain when dissolved at all?
Not at all. Baking soda is actually a well known drain clog remover when combined with vinegar. That’s why I used baking soda instead of corn starch.
I was excited to try these, so I made a batch of 6 using different oil combos in each one. The first disk promptly melted in its entirety down the drain once the shower water hit it – no time for the oils to release. I moved the second one to the back of the tub where the direct shower water couldn’t reach it, but the oils didn’t release enough to notice. Thinking of putting the third in the middle of the tub on a washcloth. Also trying different drain-safe ingredients that will allow the disk to hang around longer when hit with direct water.
Hi, did you bake them before adding the oils, or after?
Shoot me an email (click on contact me at the top of my blog), and let’s troubleshoot the issues.
I just found this and was intrigued. After reading the recipe etc I went on to read all the comments. I’m an avid comment reader because there is always a plethera of information to be added from other people’s experiences. Anything from where best to find ingredients to adjustments or substitutes to the recipe, and even explanations from people in the know regarding instances where it is not recommended for certain conditions or ailments.
After reading all the comments I do have a concern…one thread of information that seems to run through the entire post is that the commercial products can no longer be found on store shelves. As a logically thinking consumer, it makes me wonder why? I’m sure the large corporations/companies have many advisers and medical people on staff or as consultants that do testing and research on their products. Is it possible that they found out that these had a detrimental effect across the board? That in the long run do they cause more harm than good? Or, was it a money decision? Were they just not making enough profit on the product and decided to stop producing? I don’t know…maybe I’m playing the devil’s advocate? But, I personaly would like to know why they can no longer be found on the store shelves…I think I just found my next research project!
I’m not sure why Vicks stopped manufacturing them. Someone mentioned in a comment that their pharmacist said they weren’t popular. Another commenter mentioned that they got too hot when touched.
I just made these last night thanks to a nasty stuffy nose. I tried being patient and letting them dry overnight, but with the rain all day today, they didn’t dry so I had to bake them. I did put some more eucalyptus oil after baking them. I tried one tonight in the shower and it was LOVELY! Oh and I also didn’t use lavender, just eucalyptus and peppermint. Next time I think I will just go for eucalyptus and I think I might try mini muffin tins because I think that might be a good size for the length of showers that I take. My nose and I thank you for sharing this 🙂
I’m not sure if this has been answered already, but I had an issue. I baked the disks in the oven for 20 minutes at 350, but they stuck to the muffin pan. When I went to pull them out, the top part of the paper liner just ripped, and now I’m really dreading the cleanup. Was I supposed to spray the muffin pan with Pam? Has anyone else had this problem? And also, do you end up with half-full muffin hole or less?
Please see the updated edit at the bottom of the post.
Do those inquiring if you can skip the oils and use a vapor rub….no. I was in a pinch today and needed some relief for my congestion before a show I was singing in and couldn’t find oils anywhere so i used the vapor rub for a last ditch effort, it doesn’t bale well and it melts very rapidly in the shower.
Where do you buy esintiol oil
I made these as per your updated instructions. When I took them out of the oven I left them in the pan to cool…they stuck to the pan and flaked apart, boo 🙁
So I was unable to use them. I am so sinus/allergy laden at present. Any ideas on how to make this better? Maybe I just made them on the wrong day? I don’t know (read that in your best Eeyore voice) Thanks for posting sounds great!
I’m sorry to hear that you had problems with them! If you make them again, I’d take them out of the pans a bit before they’re completely cool. Another option would be to hit up Goodwill and get a cheap silicone muffin tin.