10 Potential Uses for Vicks VapoRub (2023)

FAQs

What are the benefits of putting Vicks on your feet? ›

Using Vicks VapoRub on your feet or other areas of your body has a cooling effect. This is mainly because of the camphor and menthol. The cooling sensation of the vapor rub may be pleasing and temporarily help you feel better. But it doesn't actually reduce body temperature or fevers.

Vicks VapoRub is said to provide relief when your joints ache from overuse, injury or arthritis. The camphor does the hard work here as an analgesic that soothes nerve endings and relieves joint pain. You simply massage it directly into the skin around the joints that are causing discomfort.

According to Manway, Vicks VapoRub “isn't appropriate to be used on the face due to the thick, greasy vehicle that can easily clog pores and promote the cascade of further acne.” So, while using Vicks on a pimple likely isn't dangerous to your health, it could actually backfire and cause more acne.

Conclusions: Vicks VapoRub seems to have a positive clinical effect in the treatment onychomycosis. Toenail onychomycosis is a common diagnosis for primary care physicians.

There's no scientific proof that putting Vicks VapoRub on your feet at night will help ease a cough. However, some people use Vicks on their feet to treat foot fungus, relieve foot pain, and smooth cracked heels.

VapoRub for Pain

The menthol and camphor in VapoRub work as topical analgesics, which means they can relieve minor aches and pains of the musculoskeletal system through the skin. They've been used that way for hundreds of years, and the benefits are backed by some medical research.

Topical application of Vicks Vaporub on chest, neck, forehead and back can be done gently rubbing, two to three times a day. It can also be inhaled as steam. Prepare a bowl of hot water that is not boiling and add one to two teaspoons of Vicks Vaporub.

There's a little more support for Vicks being used to help tighten skin in general. "Vick's VapoRub does contain eucalyptus oil which has been shown to have wound-healing properties," Dr. Zeichner says. "For this reason, people often use it as a DIY hack to help treat sagging skin.

However, if too much camphor is swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin, it can poison young children, causing vomiting, seizures, respiratory distress, coma, or death. In addition, vaporub should ONLY be used as directed: Applied only to the chest, back, or throat; not to the nostrils or on open wounds.

Is Vicks good for your lips? ›

Fix chapped lips

The menthol in Vicks is very strong, so you shouldn't spread your lips with a thick layer, but a small amount applied to sore, dry or cracked lips can help to repair the skin, leaving you with a happy smile again.

Menthol is a compound known to clear pores of irritants so that hair can grow easily while eucalyptus and camphor are both essential oil that stimulate the hair follicles and improve circulation when applied topically.

Vicks VapoRub contains camphor, menthol, and eucalyptus oil, which may improve hair growth. People use it directly on the scalp or mix it with black seed oil or conditioner before applying it. Excessive use of VapoRub may cause scalp irritation.

Nail psoriasis sometimes causes too much keratin to grow under the nail. This overgrowth is called subungual hyperkeratosis. People with hyperkeratosis may notice a white, chalky substance under the nail. When this occurs in the toenails, the pressure of shoes pushing down on the nails might cause pain.

Narisety, M.D., a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Rutgers University. "It doesn't actually open up airways or break up mucous, but the menthol does trick your brain into thinking your airways are opening up and you're not so congested."

In adults and children age 2 and older, use it only on the neck and chest.

Bloggers recommend placing a dab of Vicks on a cotton swab and inserting it into the ear. This isn't a good idea. Cotton swabs can shred, leaving fibers and ointment residue behind without you knowing it. These fibers can accumulate bacteria, causing an infection and potentially damaging the middle or inner ear.

To be clear – VapoRub, like any other over-the-counter medicine, has an expiration date, and should NOT be used past that date.

Does Vicks open up airways? ›

Vicks VapoRub is not a decongestant. However, the menthol in the ointment might make you feel less congested. Research has shown that both camphor and eucalyptus oil, the other two ingredients in VVR, are associated with pain relief and other benefits.

Studies have shown that Vicks VapoRub helps relieve cough, congestion, and sore muscles.

Amazingly, in a couple of applications, deep and painful cracks healed. The only drawback: The cracks return if I stop. Vicks VapoRub contains many essential oils in a base of petroleum jelly. If plain petrolatum (such as Vaseline) doesn't help your cracked heels, the essential oils might be playing a role.

Vicks VapoRub — a topical ointment made of ingredients including camphor, eucalyptus oil and menthol that you rub on your throat and chest — doesn't relieve nasal congestion. But the strong menthol odor of VapoRub may trick your brain, so you feel like you're breathing through an unclogged nose.

NSAIDs are the most effective oral medicines for OA. They include ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) naproxen (Aleve) and diclofenac (Voltaren, others).

Do use "RICE." Rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE) is good for knee pain caused by a minor injury or an arthritis flare. Give your knee some rest, apply ice to reduce swelling, wear a compressive bandage, and keep your knee elevated.

Tea is one of the most-studied drinks when it comes to its benefits for arthritis patients. Green, black and white teas are all rich in polyphenols – compounds from plants that have strong anti-inflammatory effects. You'll find the highest polyphenol levels in green and white teas.

"There is no evidence that Vicks VapoRub helps to improve or prevent stretch marks," says Joshua Zeichner, M.D., director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Removing stretch marks

Vicks VapoRub is an effective remedy to get rid of those pesky stretch marks on your body. Apply Vicks on your stretch marks and wrap the area with a cling wrap. Leave it on overnight and you will see your stretch marks getting invisible from the very first use.

Here's How - The Bathtubber. While you won't want to put Vicks VapoRub directly in your bath water, you can still enjoy the strong decongesting powers of Vicks in the tub.

Does rubbing Vicks on your temples help headaches? ›

Relieve headaches

Dab Vicks VapoRub onto your temples. The menthol can improve headache management because it activates receptors that produce a cooling sensation and soothe an overactive nervous system during an attack.

Vicks Vaporub is also used for general pain relief with headaches, joint pains and muscle sprains.

It contains camphor which is toxic if swallowed or absorbed into the body and the manufacturers do in fact warn that VapoRub should not be applied in or near the nostrils and not used on children under 2 years of age.

Heat and cold.

Use of heat, such as applying heating pads to aching joints, taking hot baths or showers, or immersing painful joints in warm paraffin wax, can help relieve pain temporarily. Be careful not to burn yourself. Use heating pads for no more than 20 minutes at a time.

Topical NSAIDs

Products that contain NSAIDs work best. A topical NSAID ointment works directly to decrease inflammation that causes joint pain. NSAIDs are the class of pain relievers that includes Advil (ibuprofen). A topical NSAID ointment has fewer long-term gastrointestinal side effects than the oral version.

Counterirritants. Substances such as menthol and camphor produce a sensation of hot or cold that may temporarily override your ability to feel your arthritis pain. Examples include Icy Hot and Biofreeze.

Because Vicks VapoRub has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, it helps speed up your recovery process. It also takes the swelling down and the menthol helps to soothe any itching.

The most common triggers of an OA flare are overdoing an activity or trauma to the joint. Other triggers can include bone spurs, stress, repetitive motions, cold weather, a change in barometric pressure, an infection or weight gain. Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory disease that affects the skin and joints.

Several herbal remedies are promoted today for treating arthritis, including turmeric, ginger, Boswellia serrata, devil's claw, willow bark extract and feverfew. Not all herbal products are the same. Some are only available as pills. Others come in a variety of forms, including capsules, tinctures and teas.

Tobacco and alcohol

In addition to being bad for your overall health, these two chemicals are known inflammatories that contribute to specific types of arthritis. Smoking increases your risk of rheumatoid arthritis, and alcohol has been linked to gout, another form of inflammatory arthritis.

What vitamin deficiency causes arthritis? ›

Studies also have found that a lack of vitamin D is linked to rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease characterized by swollen, aching joints and numbness and tingling in the hands and feet.

Several nutritional supplements have shown promise for relieving pain, stiffness and other arthritis symptoms. Glucosamine and chondroitin, omega-3 fatty acids, SAM-e and curcumin are just some of the natural products researchers have studied for osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Some people use supplements to try to help manage joint pain from arthritis. Glucosamine, chondroitin, omega-3, and green tea are just a few of them. Glucosamine has been touted as an anti-inflammatory that helps keep the cartilage in joints healthy.

Patients who suffer from arthritis are trying anything to relieve those stiff and aching joints. Some have even tried spraying sore joints with WD-40 as they would to fix a squeaky, door hinge. But this folk remedy is not proven to work and may even be harmful.

Best Cream: Sayman Salve Wonder Rub

Three powerful pain fighters give this creamy oil a punch. It contains max strength lidocaine alongside a botanical blend that aims to desensitize aggravated nerves. Together, they dull pain, reduce inflammation and swelling, and relieve stiff joints.

Vicks VapoRub^® when applied before retiring to bed can reduce subjective sleep disturbances during a common cold. The results of this exploratory study support the belief among patients that the use of VapoRub improves subjective sleep quality during common cold which was associated with more refreshing sleep.

Vicks on the Soles of Your Feet Is Better Than Diamonds on the Soles of Your Shoes. Smearing Vicks VapoRub on the soles of the feet offers remarkable relief for a nighttime cough. We even think we know why it works!

Answer Section. Vicks VapoRub — a topical ointment made of ingredients including camphor, eucalyptus oil and menthol that you rub on your throat and chest — doesn't relieve nasal congestion. But the strong menthol odor of VapoRub may trick your brain, so you feel like you're breathing through an unclogged nose.