Homemade Vapo-Rub

Remember those baby food jars I needed?  Well, I finally got around to making one jar of homemade vapo-rub.  I think I will be trying several recipes.


A farmgirl shared the recipe with me.  This recipe is for adults (over the age of 12 I believe, but you could always swap out the peppermint for a safe oil for children).  Always do your research on what oils are safe, if you have young children, infants or if you are pregnant.

First, you'll need to measure out 1/4 cup of olive oil, and grate 2 teaspoons of beeswax.  Mix them, and melt over a double boiler.

Remove from heat.  Add (I used organic essential oils):

25-35 drops peppermint oil
15 drops eucalyptus oil
10 drops rosemary oil

Mix, and pour into a container to store.  I used a recycled baby food jar.  Allow to cool, and cover with a lid.  This fills a 4 oz. baby food jar about halfway.  According to my scale, it produced 1.95 ounces.  I may even try doubling this for this size jar.

There are many recipes for this, and you can probably search the internet for more, using different oils.  This was my first time making this, and the real test, will be if the family can live without their usual Vick's Vapo-rub (and use my homemade vapo-rub instead).  

Why did I make it?  I know the ingredients that are used are healthy and organic.  There is no petroleum jelly in this, and the cost is much lower.  Have you seen the prices for Vick's Vapo-rub recently?  Wal-mart sells it for almost $7.00, and it's 3.53 oz.   

I can tell you, right off the bat, that I think I prefer less peppermint oil (I used 25 drops of peppermint), and more eucalyptus oil.  I have also read that you can use coconut oil (which will give it a white color vs. a yellow color if using olive oil). 

Update:  One kiddo (14 year-old) used this for congestion, and within 5 minutes, she had clear breathing.  I think everyone will have different preferences on which oils to use when making this.

Note:  If you use olive oil, it will easily soften, and may even need to be refrigerated during summer weather (to hold the thick texture).  I thought about making this with coconut oil, but then again, I have the same softening issues with my homemade deodorant (softening in warmer weather, and made with coconut oil).