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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
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- DIY Bulk Bin and Produce Shopping Bags
- Homemade Dusting Spray and Furniture Polish
- Zero Waste Food Storage Ideas
- Natural Homemade Deodorant Recipe
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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:
I just found this on Pinterest. I am so making these! And following your blog.
Welcome!
Question, why baking soda and not corn starch? Baking soda is a deoderizer and corn starch is not but can be used to absorb the oils and water too.. no idea how this would work and if it would still make a “puck” as it dries and hold together enough to dissipate in the shower in the way we are looking for, but I thought maybe you have a reason you used baking soda that helps explain this some? Or maybe can help me understand why at least. Thank you very much for this idea and information!
Google “can you pour cornstarch” down the drain and you’ll see why I chose baking soda! I had originally thought to use cornstarch, but then read it was a plumbing nightmare.
this sounds really nice…i have a mild addiction to Vick’s Vapor Rub, but recently I read that the inactive ingredients are pretty scary and involve things like “spirits of turpentine”…i like your essential oils alternatives:)
Spirits of turpentine sounds like something from Harry Potter!!!
Niki, me too! And menthol cough drops as well!
Hi – these are great :>) when my son who is now 23 had croup we wrapped him up really warm and took him out into the cold air – works a treat – we’d done the steam up the room by boiling the jug over and over and over …. but this remedy was best :>))
How do you store what you have left over? Thanks for sharing this, too.
Ziploc or airtight container! The oils will fade quickly with time though.
As a note to others with Lavender sensitivities; Lavender gives me an instant migraine and makes me sneeze (a co-worker actually backed up my sensitivity saying that she had a lotion with just a teeny amount of lavender scent in it and everytime she put it on a room away I would coincidentally start sneezing even though I had no idea she was using it). Curiously when on vacation in Maui a few years ago we stopped at a Lavender farm and I had no issues…must be the synthetics that bother me.
Thank You so much for this recipe! I saw it on Pinterest and WILL be trying it (without the lavender oil). I haven’t been able to find the Vicks Shower Soothers anywhere for the past few years and I loved them, they were the only thing that helped me when I had a cold/sinus infection/flu.
For anyone with asthma, especially children, you should not use this! I am a respiratory therapist, specializing in pediatrics. All of the essential oils listed in the “recipe” can actually exacerbate asthma symptoms and worsen any cold symptoms. Vicks is not recommended for anyone with asthma, it says so right on the box. Also the author says she used this remedy for her nephew with croup- croup is caused by a virus in the throat, not in the lungs. (although it can move into the lungs). This remedy may open the sinuses, but the irritation caused by the essential oils will cause more swelling and irritation to already inflamed swollen tissue. Sorry to be a “debbie downer” but I have seen too many kids become sicker with home remedies. If your child has asthma please stick to just a clean cool mist humidifier in their room at bedtime. Keep it mold free. Talk with their doctor about pulimcort or some type of preventative. And under no circumstances should anyone with asthma be given a cough suppressant.
Thanks for the comment and for the info on asthma.
To note, I did not say I used this for my nephew nor did I claim it cured croup. I said I made these while thinking of my nephew with croup. I’m not even certain if my sister has used them with him.
Wow what a … lovely person…. I have asthma and use these! I’d rather use a home remedy than take a drug.. Good Lord all these drug pushers are out of hand. I don’t do routine-I won’t take your vaccines-I don’t want your drugs
I made some of these last night for my girls. They will love them! The allergy season started early this year. A question: do you know any reason why I should not add some food coloring to the mix? These could make a nice gift with a little pink or blue or other Spring colors.
Hmmm, I can’t think of any good reason not to color them. Not sure if it would stain your shower though.
I made some of these last night and tried them this morning. I did bake them for about 10 minutes at 350, because I put in a little more water than I intended and wanted to make sure they were ready today (awful, awful allergy attack the past two days). They were a little crumbly, but definitely a solid puck, so maybe baking helps?
I did about 15 drops of each oil, but I think they need a little more – or else I need to be more liberal with my “drops.”
A word about neti-pots: my ENT recommends using the squeeze bottle as opposed to the neti-pot, because you can control the pressure by squeezing. (I use the one made by NeilMed.) Also, if you’re using this method, you ***MUST*** use distilled water. Regular tap water contains a lot of bacteria, some of which is potentially fatal (check recent news for some horror stories about brain-eating amoebae). Finally, sinus rinsing can be addicting, because you feel so clean afterwards. But, you shouldn’t do them more than once a week, twice at the maximum, because they also rinse away the mucus that lines and protects the sinus, which can make allergies worse.
@ ~T check out the “addendum” I posted in the original post (towards the bottom). Hope that helps!
I’ve never used a netti pot before, but your info is going in my “good to know” brain file, because I’m sure I’ll use one at one point!
In the Pacific Northwest I like getting oils and things at Super Supplements, they tend to be significantly cheaper for the same brands and products.
Also Sarah, a friend on my Facebook posted about this link out of the blue. You are famous!