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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’m stoked on these!
Awesome!! My mom gets sick frequently and this would be great for her!!!
Poor momma! I hope they help.
First, I just want to say how glad I am that I stumbled on your blog. I love you’re writing. You sound just like my friends and myself.
Second, I’d like to point out that the only problems that were reported with using Vick’s in children under 2 happens when parents apply the product directly under the child’s nose. Nasal passages are more narrow in children. The improper use if Vick’s causes an over-production of mucus which can be dangerous. In no way was it advised to discontinue use on kids. As a fellow medical professional, I’d advise the previous poster to research the topic for the most accurate of information. (End of soapbox)
Ah, that must be why I was always told to put vapor rub on kiddo’s feet instead of their chests! Thanks for that point of view! And for the compliment. LOL
What a fantastic idea! Great gifts! How long can you store them?
The essential oils will start losing strength after awhile. Nothing will “go bad”, but it won’t be as “smelly” after a few months.
thinking about making some for care packages to mail to my kids how do think they will do?
thank you so much for the idea!
Here’s the dumb question of the day… where do I buy the essential oils, and how much should I expect to spend? Feeling like I want to go out right now and get the ingredients to make them tonight – but not sure where to go! Thank you for this awesome post!!
Amazon sells them for a fair price. If you live by a Whole Foods or Central Market, I’d start there. I found mine at our local organic store. They were a bit pricey so I’ll most likely order from Amazon from now on but I was impatient and ready to create! 🙂
Please don’t go to whole foods. I used to get my oils there (a brand called aura cacia) and they say they are 100% pure, but have a musty, sticky, almost pungent smell. A truly 100% pure essential oil should smell clean, almost crisp, with no lingering chemical undertones. Now that I have been learning so much about essential oils, I would never put a brand like aura cacia on my skin or even diffuse it in the air. Most essential oils on the market are riddled with chemicals (pesticides, etc), made completely in a lab with synthetics, or have been diluted in some way.
Check out doTERRA’s certified pure therapeutic grade essential oils (www.thrivewithdoterra.com) and you’ll wonder why you never tried them before.
They are better than organic because not only are they guaranteed to be free from any chemicals synthetics or dilutants, but the right part of the plant is used, along with correct distillation methods, and the plants are sustainably harvested to ensure their health for the long-term. Plus, doTERRA has 10 year exclusive contracts with the growers around the world, so we can be sure that we won’t experience fluctuations in price which so often happens in the industry. doTERRA’s oils are the most pure and potent essential oils on the market today.
They are so pure they are safe to ingest!
Check out http://www.thrivewithdoterra.com for more information
Thanks and have a great day!
Pure essential oils are worth the money. They’re just so much better. I always use Mountain Rose Herbs. Certified 100% organic, ethically harvested, and great prices. They are a fantastic company and I have never gotten a bad product from them.
You use the name anonymous, it should actually read, “salesperson for doTerra!” The fact is that doTerra is not the only company who sells pure therapeutic grade essential oils. doTerra are also outrageously priced, even for distributors. Also your line, “they are so pure they are safe to ingest” is deceiving. Essential oils should only be ingested under the care of a qualified holistic health professional. The safety and dosage varies widely as do the contraindications. These falsehoods are spread by salespeople to increase sales. A qualified holistic health professional can give you accurate information regarding the use of essential oils. If you are interested in buying pure essential oils without the doTerra price tag go to Mountain Rose Herbs, they even have the recipe for Theives at and if you want to make the On-Guard exchange the The lemon for orange (doTerra calls it Wild Orange in the hopes of making you think it is something special) the botanical name is Citrus sinensis also known as Sweet Orange.
While writing this reply I considered whether or not to be anonymous, but, so that you know that I am in no way affiliated with the sales at Mountain Rose Herbs I will sign this reply with my real name.
My hope is to only endeavor to educate and keep essential oil use protected from the conspiring salespeople at doTerra or Young Living.
We get our from whole foods! (NOW essential oil brand) and they are great!!! I think they run to about 8 dollars a bottle! Totally worth it because they last a loooonnnnngggggg time!
How long should they be stored? Right now we’re not sick so we have no use for them but I love this idea
This comment has been removed by the author.
I would imagine for a long time – it’s just essential oils and baking soda. Store in a Ziploc or an air-tight container.
i am gonna make these and was thinking of leaving them in paper to keep them seperated and put them in a pringles can.. easy storage that way.
Thank you thank you (a million times over) for taking the time to post this. I used to buy these tabs and they’ve been discontinued and I was so sad. I kept saying to myself “Self, you need to find time (I work full time, am enrolled in an MBA program, and am a single mother to two small girls) to figure out how to make those darn snot tablets!”
You’re a busy lady! The good news is that these take about 4 minutes to make. Good luck with juggling those 3,098 balls you have in the air!!!
Oh, blessed baby Jesus, I could kiss you. I used to buy “Shower Soothers” – a tablet that you tossed in the shower – and I adored them. I have chronic sinus disease… and they helped soooo much. But I can’t find them any more (the last I bought, I got off Amazon for a ridiculous amount of money), and I’ve been so sad and congested.
Then this comes along.
THANK YOU.
You can’t tell by my header photo, but I have wonderful lips. I can’t blame you for wanting to kiss me – they’re pretty sweet. LOL.
So glad to be of help! I hope they help with your sinus infections.
can I use a different essential oil? I am highly allergic to lavender
Lavender is on the Vicks ingredients, but of course you don’t want to use it if you’re allergic! I’m guessing lavender is added to Vicks because it is calming. Perhaps swap out lavender chamomile if you’re looking for something calming.
I have a whole bottle of the vicks stuff that you’re supposed to add to humidifiers.. I might try that instead…Next cold season i’ll for sure look this up again!!!
I didn’t even know they made that! Nice score!
They also make Vick’s (and a generic brand) in a stick that looks like chap-stick. It is awesome for when you are on the go. It has a “protective cover” on it so you or your child can put it up or near their nose. Unbelievable how well it works and you don’t go around smelling like Vapor Rub.
Yes, I know exactly what you’re talking about! I had a horrible sinus infection when I was pregnant, and I took that stick with me when I was flying. I spent the whole decent with that shoved up my nose to keep my sinuses from exploding; they’re awesome!
Got a story on that. My first husband used them but dang if I could figure out how they worked! I’d stick them up to my nose and breathe in and all it would do was suck up against my nose. No air transfer, no smell, no nothing. Never COULD figure out what the gig was. Well, fast forward to my THIRD husband, (a blessing for sure and a keeper!) and now he uses those things too. (Sure wish we could find a generic one or even a steady supply! They’re awfully expensive for the what? A week’s worth of use you get out of them? Maybe 2?) I asked him what I was doing wrong and to his hysterical delight, seems I wasn’t removing the lid!! Go ahead and laugh, it’s OK, I did too. He still thinks it’s the funniest thing in the world, that lovable twerp! Seems both husbands were good for peeling the labels off and it all looks the same! (‘Scuze any spelling mistakes, seems Chrome’s spell check has died. Gah!)
I found your blog while wandering around on facebook, someone had pinned this and shared it so I thought I would check it out. I am really enjoying your blog, thanks for sharing 😀
Thank you for peeking in and hopefully sticking around!
I wonder if you could break these up and use them in the little tray on a cool mist vaporizor. Anyone tried this?
I actually put the essential oils in the humidifier directly. I wrote about it here: https://www.sustainablecooks.com/2011/03/make-your-own-vapor-rub.html
You have no idea how much of a life saver you are!! I use to buy these at the store but they were so expensive but they were the only thing that use to help get me to sleep with my bad allergies and now with this cold I thought it was hopeless. I am making these first thing in the morning! Thank you so much you are a genius for coming up with this recipe.
Ah, my pleasure – glad I could help!
Lavender is awesome for promoting calmness and sleepiness. I’d go a little heavier on the lavender if you’re using this trying to fall asleep.
In my neck of the woods (AZ) these are called Shower Soothers, but I haven’t been able to find them lately. I love them and think you could use any essential oil that you like and use them, EVEN WHEN YOU’RE NOT SICK! Sort of a fancy-schmancy, yummy way to shower for those of us that aren’t thrilled about sitting in the tub. THANK YOU!
I think a commenter above was told that Vicks pulled them because of lack of sales. Glad to be of help!
these are amazing!! thank you for sharing. i found you on pinterest and am a new follower 🙂
Laura
https://laurasjourney2012.blogspot.com/
My pleasure! Welcome, welcome (you can read that in the style of Effie Trinket if you’ve read Hunger Games).
Love it!! Found you on pinterest and I am a new follower!!
Michelle
http://www.delicateconstruction.com
Welcome, welcome!
Thank you, thank you. Those shower disks aren’t available in stores anymore. My pharmacist said they weren’t popular enough… I’m pretty sure I bought them by the case with all of my sinus issues, but I guess that wasn’t enough. Where do you store the ones waiting to be used?
In a basic Ziploc. Nothing fancy here!
So glad I could help.
I store mine in old Pringles cans that I covered in contact paper….pretty fancy chick here..lol
I’m with Gracie. Where does the disk go? I don’t have TV so I haven’t a visual.
What about substituting peppermint for rosemary?
I’d say give it a shot! I’m somewhat sensitive to peppermint (it makes my eyes water if it is mixed in with steam), but maybe my eyes are just little bitches.
If you are sensitive to peppermint you can try spearmint instead. It has many of the same properties at peppermint, only it is gentler. I use that with my kids.
no, peppermint is extremely potent and will surely burn your eyes.
I also wanted to try the peppermint oil as well. However, I have NEVER used oils before……should I use fewer drops of the peppermint than the recommended 15?
Spearmint is a good milder alternative to the peppermint