DIY Natural Vapor Rub with Kid-Safe Version
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This Homemade Vapor Chest Rub is an affordable, easy recipe that's made with all natural ingredients.
It can help relieve discomfort associated with stuffy noses, coughs, and chest congestion, so you and your family can feel better fast and everyone can get a better night's sleep.
Also, I've put together a child-safe version so you can have confidence you're using a product that's gentler for young children when used properly.
Most of us remember the soothing smell of Vicks from when mom brought it out during cold and flu season. The menthol scent basically kind of makes you feel better just smelling it.
What you might not know, however, is that the ingredients in commercial vapor rubs, while not super toxic, are not the best.
Thankfully, this homemade vapor rub recipe works just as well as “the real thing” and it's made with only 100% clean ingredients.
Making your own natural products is great since you can customize them as needed while choosing better options for ingredients than what's used in most over the counter products.
Our DIY Chest Rub Experience
One night, our youngest son's nose was completely stuffed up. It was allergy season, so a bit of sniffling was normal, but a fully-clogged nose was not.
He was pretty miserable.
I reached for my trusted saline nasal spray and encouraged lots of nose blowing, but he still couldn't breathe well.
I quickly experimented, whipped up a batch of this rub and put some on my son's chest.
About ten minutes later, he was asleep.
Is Vicks Vapor Rub Safe?
The truth is, store bought Vapor Rub isn't great, but it's not worthy of a hazmat suit either.
Compared to spraying glyphosate on your weeds (that's been heavily linked to cancer) and using perfume-laden products Vicks Vapor Rub isn't that bad.
For example, one blogger refers to Vicks as “deadly vapor rub”, but really that's just way too harsh.
However, here are some ingredients in Vicks you might want to avoid by making your own homemade vapor rub instead.
Petrolatum – Derived from petroleum, which is known to be often contaminated with PAHs, which have been classified by the European Union as a carcinogen and are also linked to skin irritation and allergies.
Synthetic Essential Oils – Vicks clearly states that the camphor oil in their product is synthetic. While they claim it's just as effective as natural camphor, it's still, in my opinion, best to avoid that and use pure essential oils instead.
Ingredients
Here's a basic list of the simple ingredients used for this DIY Chest Rub. For the full details and measurements, see the recipe card below.
- carrier oil
- eucalyptus essential oil
- peppermint essential oil
- lavender essential oil
- rosemary essential oil
- tea tree essential oil
- beeswax (optional)
Instructions
Following are the basic instructions for making this chest rub. For more detailed information, see the recipe card below.
Melt the carrier oil, if needed.
Add essential oils and optional beeswax, and stir.
Store in a glass container.
Menthol Crystals and Camphor Oil
While I don't use them in this formula, there are some posts about DIY vapor rubs out there recommending the use of menthol crystals and camphor oil. While you can of course use either of these in your rub, here are a few things to consider.
Menthol crystals are very intense and some people have reported discomfort while using them. If you choose to try them, you would only need to use about 1/8 teaspoon of crystals for this formula. A little bit really goes a long way.
Note that camphor is toxic. Though it's truly only toxic in large amounts, it's still best to use caution, especially with children. You can read more about camphor toxicity here.
How to Use
Of course the typical use for a chest rub is–on your chest! Pretty clever, huh?
It's great to keep in your natural medicine cabinet to help open airways, address and more. However, vapor rub is also known for helping with sore muscles and joint pain, and even more. See this post for more alternative uses for vapor rub.
How to Make a Kid-Safe Chest Rub
Since you're likely going to be using this DIY chest rub on kids, it's crucial to know the following safety information about essential oils use for kids.
The type and concentration of the oils used makes a lot of difference.
Eucalyptus, peppermint, and rosemary are well known for respiratory support, but you have to be very careful using these around young children.
Eucalyptus, rosemary, and peppermint all contain 1,8, cineole, which can sometimes cause problems with the temperature receptors in kids' lungs leading to breathing difficulties. I could get into a lot more details, but here's some basic information.
Rosemary, isn't recommended for kids under 10.
Most forms of eucalyptus (eucalyptus globulus and eucalyptus radiata) aren't considered to be safe for kids, however Eucalyptus Dives is fine, but is harder to find.
Peppermint is also problematic for the above reasons.
Thankfully there are other oils that support respiratory function that can be used for kids, some of which are lavender and lemon. I provided a kid-safe option in the recipe card, but you can make your own knowing the following basic math details.
There are 295 drops in a tablespoon. 3 drops of an essential oil in 1 tablespoon of a carrier oil (replacing the carrier oil) would be a 1% dilution. 6 drops would be a 2% dilution, and so on)
Here are the safe dilution details for different age groups.
Ages 2-5: 1%. Can use up to 3% for short periods of time
Ages 6-9: 2-3%. Can use up to 6% for short periods
Under Age 2: Diffuse only
Best Essential Oils for Vapor Rub
For adults, common options include eucalyptus, peppermint, rosemary, lavender, and tea tree. For kids, I prefer gentler oils like lavender, frankincense, lemon, and tea tree in a very low dilution.
Homemade Vapor Rub with Kid-safe Options
Equipment
- Small Jars
- Small Pan for heating
- stainless steel bowl
Ingredients
Older Child / Adult Version
- ⅛ cup coconut oil (see notes for alternatives)
- 4 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 2 drops peppermint essential oil
- 2 drops lavender essential oil
- 2 drops rosemary essential oil
- 2 drops tea tree essential oil
- 1/2 tablespoon beeswax (optional)
Kid-Safe Version (Ages 2+)
- ⅛ cup coconut oil (or other carrier oil)
- 2 drops lavender essential oil
- 1 drop frankincense essential oil
- 1 drop lemon essential oil
- 1 drop tea tree essential oil (optional)
- ½ tablespoon beeswax (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the coconut oil (or other solid carrier oil) in a small pan over low heat, if needed. If using shea butter, use a double boiler or alternative.
- Heat until just melted, then remove from heat.
- Allow mixture to cool for about 5 minutes so that it's still liquid, but not as warm. This will allow you to blend the essential oils into the mixture without damaging the oils' healing qualities.
- If using beeswax, stir into the rub after removing from heat.
- Add essential oils and blend well.
- Pour blend into a small glass jar.
- To use, rub mixture on chest or wherever needed.
- Store closed jar in a dark, cool place for up to 1 year.
Notes
- Essential Oil Safety: For children, always use essential oils with caution and proper dilution. This recipe includes a gentler version suitable for ages 2+, but avoid applying near the face, nose, or mouth. For children under 2, do not apply essential oils directly to the skin unless advised by a qualified professional.
- Dilution Guidelines: This recipe uses about 2 tablespoons of carrier oil. For a milder, kid-safe version, use fewer total drops of essential oil. Lower dilution is best for children, especially for short-term use.
- Kid-Safe Oils: Some essential oils commonly used for respiratory support—such as eucalyptus, peppermint, and rosemary—can be too strong for young children. For a gentler option, stick with oils like lavender, frankincense, lemon, and tea tree in small amounts.
- Texture Tips: Beeswax is optional but helps create a thicker, more traditional vapor rub texture. Without it, the mixture will remain softer and more like a balm.
- Storage: Store in a sealed container in a cool, dark place for up to 6–12 months.
I'd love to hear how this works for you!
I love the idea of making my own vapor rub to be safe for my family.
My problem with the original vapor rub is this…. petrolatum. So to have information to explain why I went to a website and found the following. (My apologies if this subject was already discussed.)
Petrolatum, commonly known as petroleum jelly, is a byproduct of petroleum. Petrolatum is a soft paraffin or wax mixture sold as a topical skin ointment. It is acknowledged by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as an approved over-the-counter skin protectant and is used in the manufacturing of cosmetic skin care. However the side effects of petrolatum include finding the petroleum byproduct in breast tumors, suffocation of the skin, premature aging and aggravated acne.
I posted the website below.
https://www.livestrong.com/article/226763-side-effects-of-petrolatum/
Yes, I am not a fan of petrolatum either :(. Thanks for sharing.
I also noticed you do neti pot for cleaning the nasal passages. When I have a cold or worry about infection i will put a drop or two ( no more as it can be strong) of either Eucalyptus or Lavender E O in my solution. I like the results I get.
Sounds great – but one thing to point out is that the oils should be emulsified for safety: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/essential-oil-emulsifier/
I think you are overreacting to ingredients in commercial branded products. Vicks is a highly reputed brand used by millions of parents across the globe. If you think essential oils are the best, then I sincerely suggest you to read the chemical active component of every essential oil and let us see your reaction. You said which mother wants to apply turpentine oil on their children. Turpentine oil, for your kind information is the active component of Pine essential oil. (Pinus roxburghii). So applying turpentine oil is just applying essential oil of pine. If you would mention only the active chemical component of all your essential oils, then you would panic to an extent where you would feel your home made product would sound too scary. So, please read the content of the products and get sufficient knowledge before you allow your prejudice against store brought products to create fear and panic.
Hi there. I guess consumers can decide for themselves what they want to put on their bodies, but I would prefer not to use turpentine. https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/706749/TURPENTINE_OIL/
https://www.livestrong.com/article/496033-is-turpentine-healthy-for-the-lungs/
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/81-123/pdfs/0648.pdf
Yes, we are talking about diluting it, but still I think being aware of the issues is important.
Compare this to Pine Essential Oil, which is a 1 on EWG. Turpentine is a 5. https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/704889/PINUS_%28PINE%29_OIL/
I am very much aware that components of EOs might be unduly rated high, but I am just bringing it up so folks are aware of what is in the products that they might purchase.
Even Wake Forest has issued a warning about Vicks. In fact, I will add this to my post. Thanks for bringing this up :). https://newsroom.wakehealth.edu/News-Releases/2009/01/Popular-Cold-and-Cough-Treatment-May-Create-Respiratory-Distress-in-Young-Children
Im thankful for more natural choices and information. As a younger adult i recall Vicks giving me heart racing palpatations. We didnt know any better. Since becoming a Christian, ive prayed for our families health and was led to use the oils.
No offense meant, but are you literate in chemical engineering, or preserervatives’s. At all. I am from a medical family , including(a recently deceased Dr., a Pharmacutical Rep, and my Father was a Patent attourney(who was a chemica expert. I am also licensed in Cosmotology, and have worked “Extensivly” in Essential oil’s, from.all over the world. You can NEVER know too much, but Petrolatum, is a BIG CHEMICAL NO NO,in face and body formulations. It block’s all moisture from
Entering, or, impurities from exiting the body. If you don’t understand an ingredient, research it yourself, before you hang your hat on someone else’s opinion. There are MANY GREAT OILS OUT THERE, but do som research for yourself, and then make a qualified decicsion!
The small 4oz. Mason jars with the plastic lid are even better for things like this. They don’t react with the oils even over time a last for pretty much forever!
Turpentine is pine essential oil
Hi there. This is from Aura Cacia’s site:
Sorry, I should have said that turpentine is essential oil derived from pine trees. My only point was that it’s not as toxic or unnatural as folks make it out to be and has a lot of medicinal properties and it’s use goes back thousands of years.
I hear you on that. What are your thoughts on this?
https://www.livestrong.com/article/496033-is-turpentine-healthy-for-the-lungs/
Do you know what turpentine?
Yes, it’s derivede(distilled) from the resin of trees.
I have used eucalyptus for many years on cotton balls throughout the home. It is very good by itself, even on pillow slips. Not too much or it will make the throat sore. Just a small dab on the night cloths. Never on the skin. I make a spray to keep in the bathroom with eucalyptus and 1 or 2 other oils mixed in. It is good to use throughout the home. Or in sick rooms. (my family stays quite well, Thank God!) I also make a chest rub with 2 oz. of olive oil, in 2 oz bottles with 20 drops of eucalyptus, 5 drops of peppermint, and 5 drops of two or three other ess. oils. Any will do, for the eucalyptus oil is what does the killing of germs. Rub it up and down on the throat at the first sign of a runny nose, or a tinkle in the throat. And finish by rubbing the finger you’ve used under the nose. I have made this for friends with children, who ask for more,
Just be careful w/ eucalyptus and little ones :). Due to the high percentage of 1,8 Cineole constituent in Eucalytpus radiata and Eucalyptus globulus, we do not recommend use on children under the age of 5. Eucalyptus citriodora is a safer alternative.
The problem with using Vick’s Rub on the chest, is that you cannot fan about. The Doctors always said that vick’s opened the pores up and you could take in more cold and make yourself worse.
I would do some checking and make sure that the oils I was using didn’t open the pores like Vick’s.
Hi and thanks for sharing. Did you find data for that? Interesting.
My daughter had an Asthma attack overnight and after using her inhaler, saline wash and everything I knew to do, a light turned on in my head and I reached for the tea tree oil. I rubbed it on her feet, put socks on and within ten minutes she was sound asleep after over five hours of continuous coughing. ?
Thank you so much! I’ll be making this very soon. I was trying to find a recipe like this that doesn’t call for beeswax and other ingredients that I normally don’t have on hand. I will post my results soon as I can.
Great!!
Love this! I had my first baby last May & we have been trying to find a safe decongestant. Perfect, I’ll be making this asap, ????