Make your own Vick’s Vaporub – with nontoxic ingredients
A Brief History of Vick’s Vaporub
In 1905 a pharmacist by the name of Richardson from North Carolina wanted to create an ointment to decongest sinuses and relieve chest congestion. He blended menthol – which was newly discovered at that time and was simply an extract from oil of peppermint – and petroleum jelly. He called it Richardson’s Croup and Pneumonia Cure Salve. The suggested use was to rub on the forehead and chest and the idea was that the body heat would vaporize it. It stimulated blood circulation and opened blocked sinuses.
Young Living Peppermint Essential Oil
The demand for this salve became huge, and there was a desire for a catchier name. Richardson named the ointment in honor of his brother-in-law Joshua Vick. Vick’s Vaporub was advertised in many places with coupons for free trial jars. Richardson also convinced the United States Postal Service to institute a new policy allowing him to send out ads for Vicks Vaporub addressed to ‘Boxholder’ only – which, by the way, was the beginning of ‘junk mail.’
The Spanish Flu in 1918 that killed twenty-five million people, sent sales of Vicks soaring. Is this great history or what?
Well, let’s look at what we can do now to make our own chest rub without harmful petro chemicals and include therapeutic-grade essential oils…
We know that many of the AFNOR-ISO graded essential oils, such as Young Living’s, have anti-viral and anti-bacterial qualities, right? And, if you haven’t had the experience of therapeutic-grade Peppermint essential oil opening up your sinuses, you haven’t experienced the true meaning of ‘a breath of fresh air’ – so understandably Vick’s would be effective.
Buy therapeutic grade peppermint essential oil here
What we put on our skin gets absorbed into the body, our brains, fat cells, tissues, liver, lymphatic system, and more…
We don’t like petroleum or petro chemicals of any kind because of their toxic effects on the body. Anything applied on the skin does get absorbed into the body, even chemicals in the air can be absorbed through the skin.
As the years pass and I have more and more experiences with Young Living’s essential oils I continually gain a deeper appreciation of just how much our body can absorb through our largest organ, the skin. This has resulted in my being much more aware of what my skin and feet in particular touch. When you apply an essential oil to the soles of the feet, within 20 minutes that essential oil is in every cell, the blood stream, and lymphatic system, amazing!
This is why you never want to apply one of the cheap novelty essential oils on your skin, they are toxic! Read more on what’s the difference.
Just imagine what can get absorbed through your feet when you walk across a still wet floor that’s been cleaned with a chemical floor cleaner, or walking across damp carpet that’s just been shampooed with a chemical carpet shampoo! All the more reason why we would want toxic products out of our homes, lives, and environment! Here’s a much better and extremely effective solution for your floor, surface, and laundry cleaning needs.
Today, there are many safe and natural salves and lotions to use as a base for essential oils to make our own nontoxic Vick’s chest rub. And peppermint is one of those oils you want to dilute before topical application.
Petrochemical-free base ointments to use as salves for a chest rub mixture are:
• Virgin Coconut Oil
• Young Living Rose Ointment, and
• Young Living’s Animal Scents Pet Ointment (don’t let the name turn you away, Young Living’s pet products are nontoxic and can be used for humans too – because our pet’s deserve the finest! You will love the ingredients in this very effective ointment).
Shared by Sharon Brown
"Rebecca Noel Essential oils should be 100% therapeutic grade if you plan on using them for therapeutic purposes. Perfume grades and B grades are a waste of money. If it does not explicitly say 100% therapeutic grade on the label then you can be sure it isn't. Here's a great essential oils desk reference:http://www.essentialoilsaromatherapyinfo.com.../blog/introduction-to-essential-oils/essential-oils-books-videos-dvds"
List of Essential Oils--Submitted by: Cherrell Thomas
ANNINE REMEDY
Natural Essential Oils - The Essential Oil Company
Reference Guide for Essential Oils Tenth Edition, October 2006
Weekend Project: Save Money by Making Your Own Essential Oil Diffuser
4/15/2011 10:07:06 AM
By Robyn Griggs Lawrence
Mother Earth News
Tags: DIY reed diffuser, make your own aromatherapy diffuser, aromatherapy, Susan Wasinger, Robyn Griggs Lawrence
My mom’s annual visit is fast approaching, and I want her bedroom and bathroom to be as hospitable as can be. Because they’re in the basement, these rooms can take on a musty smell, especially at the end of a long winter. I love those essential oil diffusers that have become popular at natural products stores and other retail outlets, but come on. They’re ridiculously pricey.
I will make my own reed diffusers for Mom’s bedroom and bath. Former Natural Home & Garden stylist Susan Wasinger’s super simple instructions suggest using repurposed jars and thin peeled tree branches, woody cuttings from a bush, hollow or spongy weed stems or dried grass stalks, which are engineered by nature to draw liquids upward. Instead of paying $15 (or more), I will dip into my old bottle and jar collection and pick a few stalks during my afternoon dog walk to make a more unique diffuser with tons of character. I’ll use floral, relaxing lavender essential oil for the bedroom diffuser and invigorating clove in the bathroom. My mom’s rooms will look and smell great—because she deserves it.
Susan Wasinger's homemade reed diffuser adds fragrance and character to any room. Photo by Susan Wasinger
Homemade Reed Diffuser
1. Find a bottle, glass, jar or vase with interesting color or texture.
2. Find a cork stopper to fit (try the hardware store’s kitchenware or plumbing section). Drill a hole in the cork (1 inch or smaller) with a paddle bit.
3. Gather plant material (thin branches, bush cuttings, weed stems or dried grass stalks). Let them dry thoroughly so they will absorb more liquid. Use scissors or garden clippers to cut the stalks to an attractive length for your bottle.
4. Stir in 20 to 30 drops of pure essential oils for every 8 ounces of hot tap water. The oils will bead but will scent the water effectively. (Make sure you purchase a pure product and avoid oils labeled as essence oils, perfum oils or fragrance oils. If the label warns against undiluted use, that indicates you are buying pure, therapeutic-strength essential oil.)
5. Fit the cork into the bottle’s neck. Use a utility knife to shave an over-large cork to size or wrap the stopper with a rubber band to make a slightly small cork fit snugly.
6. Push the stalks through the cork hole and fan them out.
Over time, you can refresh your simple diffuser by turning the stalks upside down to expose their saturated ends. Add more drops of essential oil to the water as needed.
Use any bottle or jar that you like. Photo by Susan Wasinger
Find a cork stopper to fit. Drill a hole in the cork (1 inch or smaller) with a paddle bit. Photo by Susan Wasinger
Make sure your plant materials are thoroughly dry so they will absorb more liquid. Use scissors or garden clippers to cut the stalks to an attractive length for your bottle. Photo by Susan Wasinger
Stir in 20 to 30 drops of pure essential oils for every 8 ounces of hot tap water. Photo by Susan Wasinger
Fit the cork into the bottle’s neck. Use a utility knife to shave an over-large cork to size or wrap the stopper with a rubber band to make a slightly small cork fit snugly. Push the stalks through the cork hole and fan them out. Photo by Susan Wasinger
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