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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
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- DIY Bulk Bin and Produce Shopping Bags
- Homemade Dusting Spray and Furniture Polish
- Zero Waste Food Storage Ideas
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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 Homemade Vicks Soother Tablets {Shower Soothers) 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:
when my seven year old son was a baby he had bad allergies and i would take a shower with one of the vicks shower soothers & put him in the bathroom in his bouncy seat so that he would get the steam & Vicks without it touching his skin – it was a life saver. I now have a 1 week old and am so glad to find this so that i can use it if needed with him since they dont sell the Vicks anymore (plus talk about a lot cheaper & i know what is in it which makes me & my pocket book feel better!!!) thanks a million! 🙂
Just out of curiosity, did you purchase or acquire some of the vicks ones just to see if your worked the same? I’m wondering because I’ve tried other products with not great results. I’m intrigued about the DIY stuff, but I’m trying to figure out the best approach. (Like if I were doing bookcases, I’d measure the similar ones at Ikea)
I haven’t used the Vicks ones so I can’t compare them. I had only seen commercials for them a year or so ago.
Helpful, right? LOL, sorry I can’t compare.
Essential oils are very volatile and any heat at all evaporates them quickly. It might be better to make the baking soda “pucks” first, then douse them with the oils. I’d store them in an air-tight container too… Baking them with the oil in them will bake out the oil.
I’ll try that on my next batch and see if they work any differently. Thank you!
Gee, and I thought I was the only snotball around!
I was wondering if I could use the essential oils from Walmart? I don’t like shopping online, so that resource is limited to Amazon, or driving 35-40mins to a shop that does carry them (twice as much as Walmart)…..so, is that brand ok? This is awesome.
Also, have youu figured a life-span for them on how long they last?
I’m sure you could. I’m not familiar with the brand they carry there, so I’m not sure how strong they are. You may need a few more drops if it is a weaker essential oil.
In terms of how long they last, it kind of depends on how you store them and the oil you use. They do lose strength as the oil evaporates over time.
Pretty sure Walmart only sells fragrance oils (like, by the candles), which are NOT THE SAME as essential oils!!! For the love of all things good, don’t use those!!!
the oils used at walmart are not meant for skin contact so I would not recommend using them!
The essential oils that you bought at Walmart, where were they located in the store? Are they food grade or are they for an oil warmer?
@monica what aile can u find the lavender oil thats the only oil i cant find at wallmart there eucalyptus they have there is pretty strong and love using it in hand scrubs
Hi Sarah,
Just made a six pack of your disks for my 15 year old who has had a nasty cold for almost a week.. OTC products have not touched it… I will try them as soon as they dry…
Also I wanted to thank you for the trip down memory lane.. While making them the vicks smell reminded me of my mom taking care of me when I sick .. 🙂
Tricia
I hope your kiddo is feeling better soon!
SOOOO excited I just squealed w/ delight at my desk when I found this. I loved and swore by the shower soothers that Sudafed used to make…now you have to buy them on the black market or ebay for $80/box of 3 because they’re nowhere to be found around here. I can’t wait for my next cold so I can try these out 🙂
Ohhhh, don’t wish a cold on yourself!!!
I hope these help when and if you do get sick.
Steam from running water never seemed to do much for my daughter’s croup – the fastest and easiest remedy was always to bundle her up (if it was really cold – and she only ever got the croup in the winter) and step outside with her. The cool/damp night air almost always quickly helped soothe her croupy cough, and usually the sudden coldness against her face would help calm her down, and getting the crying to stop also helped ease the coughing….
That being said – these are really a genius idea – I’m all for making things cheaper/better on your own than putting money into the pockets of the big companies….
We found that cold was helpful when Jack had croup too. We took him to the ER at 2 am in the morning and it was freezing out. By the time we got to the ER, his cough was gone.
we took my grandson into ER with that same problem and they told us that when they get that bad to do just that; bundle them up and take them outside into the cold air. The cold shrinks the swelling in the lungs and helps them breathe better.
has anyone given any thought to how these effect the shower drain? Are there any issues with the oils or the baking soda on the chrome parts or the drain?
I’m no expert on this but this is how I would view it… Baking soda shouldn’t pose any harm unless you decide to use one of these darling disks as a metal polisher before it dissolves. If you do decide to use in this manner, you will find scratches left behind on your shiny chrome surfaces, so, I would suggest just letting them dissolve. Baking soda is also widely used as a mild cleaner (for everything from your cheeks to counter tops), it washes away easily so it should not leave much of a residue. Rosemary and eucalyptus EOs are widely used in holistic cleaning products because of their anti- bactierial/microbial (either one or both, can’t remember exactly) properties. All in all, these super disks not only would clean out the sinuses of suffering sweeties but would also serve as a mild cleanser for your bath tub bottom. They should be completely harmless to your pipes.
Ditto to this. Baking soda is one of my favorite cleaners and is much more gentle on things than chemicals in store bought products.
We got around to using the ones I baked tonight. They had no fragrance at all! I dissolved on in boiling water in a bowl and had hubby breathe over the bowl. Nothing… I ended up just putting a couple drops of each oil in the hot water. So I guess an hour at 300 is way too long. If anyone figures out the magic time/temp combo, I’d like to know!
Angela, check out the “addendum” I posted in the original post (towards the bottom). Hope that helps!