Today I’m excited to share with you a guest post from The Gilded Sprout. This whipped coconut chest rub is free of any harmful additives and is the perfect remedy for sniffles and colds for everyone in the family!
*Guest post text*
It seems all that my family has done this winter is cough. They seem to get sick, get well again and then get sick all over again. We all know that the toddler is the likely source of the parade of germs through the house but she is cute and so we are willing to look the other way.
So what do you do when you are faced with sniffling, sneezing and coughing people at every turn? You whip them up something natural to sooth their symptoms. We all remember the little blue bottle that Mum would bring out and rub on our chests when we were young. Personally, it always burned (and not really in a good way) and although the vapours definitely did me a world of good, I was always left with a red chest and filmy residue. It is funny how sometimes it is not until you have a kid of your own that you look a little more closely at the labels of the common items and start to wonder what all of that stuff is and why it is actually needed. I had one such experience in the middle of the drug store and so I put back the vapour rub and headed straight to my essential oil box.
While there are a ton of essential oils that can help with coughs and breathing problems, I was feeling a bit nostalgic and so I wanted something that at least brought back the memories of the vapour rubs of old. For this, you are going to need eucalyptus and peppermint. They are going to open the airways and provide a slight cooling effect on the skin. Rosemary is another wonder for any breathing problems and so in it went as well as some lavender to calm the nerves (being sick can be upsetting especially to little ones who are congested and having some trouble breathing). Some tea tree to disinfect and a little lemon and clove to round out the mix. Soothing, calming and effective.
Because there is nothing in this rub other than the oils, it melts into your chest instead of sitting on the surface. Coconut oil absorbs pretty quickly but you might be little slick for a couple of minutes. If are looking for alternative ways to use the rub, you can always run a shower, put in the plug and then add some of the rub to the water. You can also add it to a bath and just sit back and relax in the warm water breathing in the vapours.
Remember to always make extra because if you end up catching it, you want to make sure that you are well stocked to get well soon!
This sounds so fantastic. We are dealing with spring colds right now. I may have to whip some of this up (ha…see what I did there??). Thanks for sharing!