How to Get Rid of Chest Congestion with Natural Remedies

• Method 4: Use a Vapor Rub

  # Vicks Vapor Rub

  Vicks Vapor Rub is a common household name and is considered a cure-all for a majority of cold-related ailments. Some of the active ingredients in the popular brand formula are eucalyptus oil, turpentine oil and camphor, all of which are considered very effective decongestants.
  When applied on the chest, you can breathe in its vapors. This helps the active ingredients reach into the body easily and work to relieve congestion.

  Single-Step Treatment: Apply Vapor Rub on your chest and breathe

  

  • Take some Vicks Vapor Rub on your fingers and rub it over your chest and throat.
  • Cover the area with a towel or a thick cloth.

  Repeat the remedy until you find relief from congestion.
  Note: The normal Vicks formulation is not suitable for children under age 2.

  # DIY Vapor Rub

  If you’re wary of the popular vapor rub brands and don’t trust the ingredients that they might be using, a DIY vapor rub is just what you need. It’s simple to make, easy to use and can be applied to people of all ages without fear of any side effects.

It contains choice essential oils in a skin-friendly base of coconut oil and shea butter. Eucalyptus and peppermint oils, known for their benefits against colds, congestion and mild fevers, are the main constituents.
Lavender and lemon oils lend more than calming effects to the rub and work as an antihistamine and an immune-booster, respectively. This recipe also contains tea tree oil for added benefits.
All you need to do is gather the ingredients, whip them up, store the resulting vapor rub and use as needed until your chest congestion is treated completely. This gentle formulation can be safely used on children.
Note: Do not apply this DIY vapor rub directly over or under the nose. For infants or small babies, rub a small amount on the bottoms of their feet only and put their socks on.

Tips

• If the DIY homemade decongestant proves too strong for you, reduce the amount of cayenne pepper and ginger powder to half.
• When stored in a cool and dark environment, the DIY decongestant can keep for a long time.
• Shea butter can be substituted with cocoa butter in the DIY vapor rub recipe or skip it all together, if need be. A simple coconut oil base can be used in a pinch.
• Add beeswax to the DIY vapor rub to give it a firmer texture.
• Some other essential oils that can be used to make a DIY vapor rub to get rid of chest congestion include thyme, basil, rosemary, pine, clove, marjoram and chamomile.

source:fabhow.com