13 Helpful Ways to Use Vicks VapoRub

By MichaelH

Vicks VapoRub was always a staple in my mother's medicine cabinet. Since I moved out of her house, I have never really used it, but I recently purchased a small jar of Vicks to help battle my strep throat and bad cough. It reminded me of my childhood and really helped my cough and congestion just like it did when I was a kid being taken care of my mom.




This petroleum based jar of goodness reminded me of my 20 Beauty Uses of Vaseline, so I started to wonder if there were some other uses for VapoRub that I may have not thought of. I was surprised at the uses other than rubbing on your chest for congestion relief. Check them out, you may be surprised too and thankful of the great uses to help out your life.

Ingredients

• 1 Jar of Vicks Vaprorub

Preparation

Step 1

1. Decongest Your Chest

The most common use of Vicks is to decongest your chest and throat area. When applied to the upper chest, it provides excellent relief of cough and congestion symptoms.

2. On Your Feet for Cough Relief

Applying Vicks to your feet provides nighttime cough relief. No, seriously. Generously rub VapoRub all over your feet and cover them with socks. Within moments your cough will subside—in the morning you'll wake up a refreshed since you got a full night's rest without the interruption of your annoying cough!

3. Achy Breaky Muscles

Vicks relieves sore, overworked muscles. It increases circulation and provides almost instant aid. Use a generous portion and apply it all over the aching area.

4. Get Rid of Your Nasty Nail Fungus

Rub VapoRub on your toenails if you suspect you have a fungus. Within days, the nail will turn dark—this means the Vicks is killing the fungus. As your toenail grows out, the dark part will grow off and you will have fungus-free feet. Keep applying the ointment over a period of two weeks to fully cleanse nail beds of any remaining bacteria. Gross but effective!

5. Stop Your Cat from Scratching

Cats are notorious for scratching every hard surface they get their claws on. To prevent Miss Kitty from ruining your doors, walls, and windows, apply a small amount of VapoRub to these areas. Cats detest the smell and will steer clear. If your cat is scratching your furniture, try placing tape on the furniture your little kitty is scratching and spread a thin layer on the tape. Works wonders.

6. Deter your Pet From Spraying

If your dog or cat is not yet potty trained, or has a bad habit of peeing in a certain spot, put an open bottle of Vicks on the area he or she likes to mark as their territory. The smell will discourage them from lifting their legs and wetting your rug.

7. Headaches Cure

Rub a small amount of Vicks VapoRub on your temples and forehead to help relieve headaches. The mentholated scent will release pressure in your head and instantly relieve pain. I am definitely going to try this next time.

8. Humidify Your Sleep

Vicks VapoRub can be used in special types of humidifiers and vaporizers. Ensure your humidifier has an aromatherapy compartment before using. The humidifier will circulate Vicks throughout the air and keep you breathing easy and clear all night long.

9. Paper Cuts and Splinters

To prevent infection and speed up healing time, dab a small amount of Vicks on any small cut or splinter.

10. Ticks and Bugs

If you get bitten by a tick, apply Vicks immediately. The strong odor might help get the critter to release itself and get off of you.

11. Ward Off Those Pesky Mosquitoes

Vicks wards off mosquitoes. Apply small dabs of Vicks VapoRub to your skin and clothes and mosquitoes will steer clear. If you do get bitten, apply Vicks to the area and cover it with a Band-Aid to relieve itching. You can also try placing an open Vicks container on the table to help steer clear of those annoying bugs.

12. Erase Stretch Marks

Vicks contains menthol, eucalyptus oil and camphor, all of which are natural ingredients that can help with the smoothness and moisture of your skin.

13. Relieve Tennis Elbow

On aching muscles temp relieves aches and pains and has shown that it can help tennis elbow after a couple weeks or less.