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 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
- 1 cup of cornstarch
- 5 tablespoons of Vicks Vaporub Can use baby Vicks for a more gentle smell
- 1/2 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
- 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 tsp 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
- Just place one of the vapor tablets in the shower near the drain. The steam will fill your shower and help clear your congestion.
Veronica says
02/03/2015 atSince you freeze these guys to mold them, do you have to store them in the freezer? Thanks so much!
Robin Gagnon says
02/03/2015 atNo, just store in a cool spot.
Kennedy says
03/28/2015 atThese are adorable and my family loves them! Thank you so much for this awesome idea!
Barbara E. says
04/22/2015 atWould this work with essential oils?
Robin Gagnon says
04/23/2015 atYes, but the formulation would be different. I plan to do an essential oil version soon.
Doris says
04/23/2015 atWhat else can I use instead of Vics? something more natural. Have anyone tried lavender oil?
Beth says
04/23/2015 atFor the “Vicks ” smell….mix the following essential oils. Peppermint, lavender and eucalyptus.
I do that to my Epsom salts. When I get sick, I add it to bath water.
BW says
04/23/2015 atPlease think before you “just wash [glitter] right down the drain.” Anything washed down the drain ends up in our drinking water supply. Do you really want glitter in there?
While not specifically about glitter, here’s an example of why you should care what you wash down the drain: http://www.npr.org/2014/05/21/313157701/why-those-tiny-microbeads-in-soap-may-pose-problem-for-great-lakes
Dash says
04/23/2015 atThis is awesome and I cannot wait to make some — Thanks for the post!
Beth says
04/23/2015 atMine are in the freezer now. I can’t wait to try them.
kaila says
05/15/2015 atdo you think mini muffin tin would work as a mold ?
Robin Gagnon says
05/15/2015 atYes.
Verlena says
10/28/2015 atSo do these have to be stored in the freezer?
Robin Gagnon says
10/28/2015 atno, they don’t
lauren says
11/23/2015 atLove this idea but what is the consistency of the mix supposed to look like as mine seems powdery?
sara reeve says
12/03/2015 atMade 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
12/05/2015 atI 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
12/17/2015 atPlease 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
12/17/2015 atThe 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
12/20/2015 atMaybe 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
01/03/2016 atwhy would you use glitter?
Robin Gagnon says
01/04/2016 atYou don’t need to use glitter at all. It doesn’t do anything other than add sparkle to thr shower tablets.
Mary says
01/11/2016 atI 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
02/15/2016 atThere 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
02/15/2016 atI 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
12/19/2016 atCan 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
01/01/2017 atSorry 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
11/12/2016 atA 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
12/03/2016 atYou 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
12/30/2017 atThank 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/