Make your own Vicks Shower tablets with this easy recipe. The homemade shower tablets (also known as shower bombs) are great for alleviating congestion and helping you breathe.
Vicks Shower Tablets
Wouldn't these homemade Vicks Shower Tablets make a great inexpensive DIY holiday gift. This shower bomb recipe would be an especially good homemade Christmas gift for men, since they tend to be hard to make things for. Of course they would be just as appreciated by the ladies on your list. Why not make them for everyone in the office, cold season is still at it's start after all.
All you need to make these DIY congestion relieving shower vapor tablets is Vicks Vapor rub, some small air tight jars and a few common household ingredients. Glitter was added to this batch for more festive flair (it will just wash right down the drain), but you can skip that if you prefer or add a few drops of food coloring to match recipient's bathroom decor. When a nasty cold hits them, they will be very glad to have your thoughtful homemade gift on hand to help clear them up.
While the recipe below works fine for most... After Several requests here is an all natural, environmentally safe essential oil version of the recipe >> DIY Decongestant Shower Tablets
Homemade Vicks Shower Tablets Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup of cornstarch
- 5 tablespoons of Vicks Vaporub Can use baby Vicks for a more gentle smell
- ½ cup of Baking Soda
- glitter optional
- Add a teaspoon of water as your see fit. I did 3
- Mold tray ice cube, chocolate, or as shown mini-cupcake pan with liners
Instructions
To Make the Shower Tablets
- Place corn starch in a bowl, add the Vicks and mix it around until well combined. (This will be strong smelling so maybe wear gloves if your sensitive or open a window.)
- Now add the baking soda (and glitter if you are using it) and mix well. (IF you find you need more moisture add a teaspoon at a time use care not to over do it though,or tablets won't form right.)
- Put the mixture into your ice cube tray to other molding tray, and freeze it for a few hours.
- Take out and pop out of the molds.
- Store the homemade Vicks Shower Tablets in small airtight jars
To Use
- Just place one of the vapor tablets in the shower near the drain. The steam will fill your shower and help clear your congestion.
sara reeve says
Made these last night and love them. Made enough to give as a gift to a friend with sinus issues but my hubby dropped his tester aw ay from the dran and complained that the tub was greasy.
Katie says
I put these in mini muffin tins and they turned out perfect! I love these and make them every cold season for my 3 kids!!
VeraAnne says
Please help me. I've only added 3 teaspoons of water and all I have is a bowl of crumbs. Is that what it's suppose to be like? Something more like pie crust. Do I pack the crumbly mixture into the molds and hope that they hold their shape after freezing? Or, am I missing something.
Thanks for any help you can offer!
Robin Gagnon says
The mix should be sort of crumbly, but if you take a handful and squish together it should hold it's form... if not add a tiny bit more water until it will do so.
Michele says
Maybe for those who don't want to use glitter but want a pop of color maybe a bit of food colored Epsom salt.
teresa says
why would you use glitter?
Robin Gagnon says
You don't need to use glitter at all. It doesn't do anything other than add sparkle to thr shower tablets.
Mary says
I just made these and I am waiting for them to set up. I had a jar of Vicks and only had about 4 1/2 TBS in it. I used eucalyptus essential oil as one of the teaspoons of water. For color I added a few drops of blue food coloring in the water as well. They are a pretty light blue and no glitter to get into the water system. I hope with the minor adjustments they come out OK. I used a mini muffin tin and this recipe made 10.
Sara says
There was an article I read somewhere recently saying that additives like glitter and beads have been banned from commercial products. They are plastics that make their way into the oceans and other waterways, polluting and hurting wildlife. I am sure you meant no harm. I think this is a neat recipe. Just thought I would pass that along. =) While there are a lot of natural alternatives to plastic micro beads, I cannot remember the name for the glitter alternative I read about in that article, which I also can't remember.
Robin Gagnon says
I have made a new version of these shower tablets, which resolves that issue. I will try and get it up this week.
Jaymi Steele says
Can you put up a link to the new one and essential oil one? Pinterest still has the old one as of 12/19/2016. Thanks
Robin Gagnon says
Sorry I didn't respond sooner. My daughter was home sick the week before Christmas... so my annual break started unexpectedly early. This has been on my to-do list forever. Moving it up to first on the post que. May be too late for the holidays, but sickness season is in full swing 🙁
Peggy says
A bit disappointed here.
I made these last night and used one this morning. Didn't get much of the vapor and it left the floor of my tub greasy.
P Dove says
You should mention to people using this recipe that any plastic or silicone mold used cannot be used for food, because the menthol smell will transfer. Ruined brand-new chocolate molds. Thanks.
Robin Gagnon says
Thank you for the helpful feedback on the decongestant tablets. I hope the new batch works for you. If you don't find this recipe strong enough the newer version on my bath & beauty craft site uses camphor and a couple common essential oils. ) https://beautycrafter.com/diy-decongestant-shower-tablets/
sarah j says
These tablets worked good. My husband was happy.
Casey says
Glad they worked for you. I made some this morning, put in the freezer for 5 hours, then tried one in my shower. I got no discernable fumes in my steam, just a cornstarch-and-vaseline textured sludge blob :'(
I may try doing essential oils instead, but I had 2 tubs of vicks on hand.
Nic says
Hi! How do you know if you've added enough water?
Robin Gagnon says
You will need very little water. If a handful clumps in your hand when grasped firmly it is wet enough.
Madeline Moline says
This is a great idea thanks for the recipe! The other recipe I found would just be really runny and it did not work. When I gave it to my sister for a Christmas present it melted all over the box inside.
LaRue says
PLEASE do not use glitter!!! It gets into the water system and it to the food chain. It is dangerous for fish, fowl and mammals and all other creatures that creep, crawl or swim. . .
Be kind to our Earth!
Danielle says
I think a good alternative to glitter, would be some sugar crystals or sprinkles.
Robin Gagnon says
Yes, the newer version on my other site Bath Crafter uses both. That recipe uses essential oils rather than Vicks. It works well. The newer decongestant tablet recipe is linked in this article above as an alternative and I honestly prefer it myself... but some like to use the actual Vicks so I've kept this up.
Katrina Marks says
These came out perfect! I love these tablets but I can never seem to find them in the store when I need them, so when I got sick I had all the ingredients on hand already and whipped them up easily. Instead of glitter I added a few drops of essential oil!
angie says
Can these be used it a hot bath instead of the shower. When helping with my congestion i take out bath as it helps when my body is aching from arithritis. I use the essential oils and its ok i would prefer the vicks. So how would it work in a bath
Robin Gagnon says
They would dissolve fine into a bath. My only caution is like with peppermint essential oil... too much could be temporarily uncomfortable on the lady parts.
Larry Smith says
Awesome, but try to limit what goes down the drain. Per plumbers, one should not be putting glitter or much of anything extra down the sewer pipes.
Susie says
YOU ARE A BLESSING!!!
Ann says
I love these making them for my children!
Diana says
Loved the scent and ease to do, but had problems which shower too slippery and a bit of drainage clgging, the Vicks did not dissolve easily.
Ethel Hall says
Can Vicks crystals work as well with this recipe? I love the Vicks bc it opens up the nostrils, but it was a little slippery when made and didn't dissolve very easily. I had to place it under the water to get the full scent and this left a slippery spot in the shower.
Robin Gagnon says
I'm not sure the crystals were available back when this was originally published. I make them with essential oils these days rather than the Vicks (that recipe is linked to in article). If the crystals dissolve and emit the medicinal smell, they should work great. Add just enough water to hold the tablets together.