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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:
I made some with eucalyptus and peppermint (not a lavender fan) a few days ago. I wanted to first try the air-dry method b/c it just seems easier than baking then having to add oil to each individual disk. It’s taken several days for them to harden and they are still pretty soft, but I used one this morning. I think it needed more oil, but otherwise seemed to work as described. I can’t imagine that anything made of just baking soda and water will hold together very well, but I’m going to try using less water next time to see if I can get them a little less soft.
Really kicking myself right now! I saw your recipie about a month ago and thought “I need to make these.” Now I’m sitting here with horrible allergies and tonsillitis and thinking, “Crap, I wish I made these a month ago, I’d have them at my ready, and now I’m out of baking soda because I JUST HAD to clean that stupid shower head the other day!” I can’t wait for my hubby to rescue me with my odd request of baking soda and EO…..
I’m heading out to meet my boyfriend in Las Vegas and am hoping to take some of these with me (provided the airline doesn’t confiscate them). He has been filming in the casinos for a week and is very sensitive to cigarette smoke. I am hoping to surprise him with some fantastic relief in the shower! Thank you so much for this recipe!
just found a silicone pan since I was hoping to make these ~ would I need liners ~ or would they just pop out when cool ~
saw someone ask earlier about using them in the bath, You dont need them in a bath, you can just add some oil drops to the tub, no baking soda needed. depending on the oil used and how much you use, it might leave a slight oily residue on your skin/tub. I usually shower first to clean off and soak with oils in the tub just for relaxing, lavendar is amazing for using right before bed =)
Tried to bake them and they burned around the edges and were soft in the middle. Will try leaving them out overnight. I get my oils from The Organic Witch…very cheap and they carry therapeutic and organic oils. She has an ebay store.
So I tried them the original way, and it instantly fell apart and went down the drain. Then I did a batch of adding the oils after, one batch in the oven and one batch just left out, and they are both still just as crumbly. And I did the 1 part water to 3 parts baking soda thing. Does anyone know why I can’t get this to work? It’s wasting all of the oils…
So I tried one more time, less than 2/3 cup of water for 2 cups of baking soda to fill 12 muffin cups. I put a little spearmint eo in the bottom of each and didn’t use the paper cups. Then I packed the baking soda water mixture, which was very thick, like a paste-dough consistency, in each cup.
The oil was so they didn’t stick like people were saying they were. Baked for 20 min at 350. Then once cool enough to touch, I flipped the pan onto a sheet of parchment paper to get them out and dripped oil on them. I tested one in the sink and it seems like they will last the longest, but I still have to test them in the shower. The outside seems to last longer than the middle, so I may try baking them for a halfhour to really dry out the centre.
Wow, lots of comments, cant wait to try…
Sorry but these were an epic fail for me! I tried the updated recipe and baked them. The “puck” fused with the paper liner and stuck to the muffin tin (I now have it soaking). I waited until it was partially cooled to pull them out. Oh well, guess I’m back to putting some essential oil on a washcloth! :/
that page doesn’t exist, Elle! 🙁
Just tried this….followed the baking directions and they all came out really crumbling…is that right or what am I doing wrong? Trying to make them as holiday gifts…need help!
ideas on how to make these not a crumbly? I’m trying to make them as part of my DYI,pinterest-inspired christmas gifts…
Mountain Rose Herbs has great prices for bulk.
So I just made these since my son is sick. I baked them and must have missed the part where you said to add the oils after you bake…the WHOLE house now smells like a vicks factory! LOL…Have you ever experienced difficulty in removal from muffin tin?
I attempted these last night, but after letting them sit overnight, I’m concerned that I didn’t get the texture right. It seems that mine are still a bit watery – is there a way to salvage that? Could I bake them to harden them?
I read the new updates about baking then adding oils and I’m wondering is it already in the cupcake liners when you bake it? Then cool, then add oils? Does the oil absorb into the pucks? Thank you
So I was super excited to try these as I am currently 21 weeks pregnant and have a nasty head cold, but the first batch that I baked in the oven (just baking soda and water) in paper liners at 350 for 20 min is still stuck in my muffin tin. I have now resorted to trying to soak them out. I tried taking them out of the tin while still warm and they were still unbelievably stuck. So then I tried a second batch in a silicone muffin tray and I left them in there to cool overnight, but they crumble into a million pieces when I try to take them out. Do they need to bake longer? shorter? I ended up putting the crumbles into a small bowl and added my EOs to that and used it in the shower this morning, but it would be nice to get them into a “puck” for ease of use. 🙂 Would love any suggestions. Thanks! ~ Jen
I just stopped by from Pinterest….I’ve veen reading all the comments and would like to say, I agree with almost everything you have to say; but would like to offer a suggestion or a solution to the evaporation of the EOs after a time.
I used to make all my own soaps and bath bombs and the like for over 20 years, sold enough that I didn’t have to work for a year. I traveled a lot and one thing I learned from people who made essential oils is that evaporation overtime is not something you can control.
BUT, you can control when you add the oils to you product as in the case of bath bombs, bath salts, sugar scrubs, and now your vapor disks. All you have to do is make the recipe as above and leave out the oils. Let the disks dry ad you normally wouls, put them in baggies, or airtight containers, then add the oils to the product before you need them. I’ve tried this many times and you will need to let the oil absorb in the product for a while maybe 1 to 2 hours, then add one to the shower along with your sick child or family member.
I hope this suggestion helps you all….God Bless,
Debi from NE Ohio
Have you tried making these without the liners and putting the mixture directly into muffin pan? Just wondering. I am wondering whether when the discs dry and you take the liner off if some of the mixture come off with it like a cupcake sometimes does.
I am responding to my post here as I experimented with this. I tried using a standard tin muffin pan, a silicone muffin pan and whoopie pie tin. I had the best result with the standard muffin pan sprayed with pam. I baked them for 20 minutes and they came right out. I did not use any liners. I let them air dry for an additional 12 hours. I haven’t used one yet, so I will have to update in regards how quickly it melts away in the shower.
This did NOT work for me. I followed the “updated” directions with the 1 c baking soda and 1/3 c water with a little bit more water as needed. I baked them and when I tried to pull them out (I used liners) the liners tore and the “stuff” inside started crumbling. Once they cool I will try to add the oils to the puck but I’m really disappointed in how they turned out. The savings is not worth the hassle.