Vick’s Vapor Rub is the most underrated but versatile cure-alls you probably have in your medicine cabinet but never knew all the uses for. Vick’s has been around for over 100 years and is still sold regularly by pharmacy’s and other stores today.
The active ingredients include menthol, camphor, eucalyptus oil, and menthol. These active ingredients combined with other inactive ingredients make a powerful homeopathic remedy for many conditions and situations you may not know about.
For a great informational read and to learn the history behind Vick’s Vapor Rub and a for a product list of all Vick’s products click here.

Uses for Vick’s Vapor Rub
- Moisturizes the skin. Vick’s, rubbed into dry patches of skin can bring those areas back up to par over a short period of time.
- Mixed with table salt, it can reduce the healing time with your insect bites.
- Rubbing Vick’s on the walls and doors where your cat is scratching will deter your cat from doing so as cats can’t stand the smell.
- Keeps mosquitoes away when rubbed on your clothes before going outside.
- Breathing Vick’s Vapor Rub directly from the jar can eliminate a sinus headache within seconds.
- Vick’s gets rid of chest congestion.
- If your animals are urinating in the house just place some Vick’s Vapor Rub on the spot and they will stay away.
- Speeds up the recovery time when rubbed on cuts and splinters.
- Do you have warts? If you apply Vick’s over the wart, cover with gauze 2x a day, the wart will disappear in about 2 weeks.
- Rubbing Vick’s Vapor Rub on stretch marks daily will gradually make them less visible.
- Rubbing over troubled spots gets rid of the itchiness and inflammation related to eczema.
- Dries out pimples in no time. Just apply to a pimple before going to bed.
- Jockeys dab a bit of Vick’s Vapor Rub below the male horse’s nostrils before a race to avoid smelling the scent of the female horse.
- Apply Vick’s to your nail bed two times a day to eliminate nail fungus.
- Relieves tennis elbow when rubbed into the elbow area.
- Heals cracked heals by applying a decent amount on heels of feet and covering with a cotton sock before bedtime. (follow up with a pumice stone in the morning.)
- Rubbing into your feet 2 to 3x daily can eliminate Athletes Foot.
- Can stop earache pain. Place a small amount of Vick’s Vapor Rub onto a cotton ball and place inside the ear for a few hours.
- Placing Vick’s under the eyes can make you cry. Great way to get that sentimental role in that play!
- Placing Vick’s on sore muscles covered with a warm compress soothes achy muscles.
Final Thoughts…
Now that you know of 20 more ways to use Vick’s Vapor Rub, you can stock up your medical supplies with a few jars. Vick’s is a great addition to an emergency kit for the car or house.
Please remember that Vick’s Vapor Rub can cause an allergic reaction to the skin. Test a small spot before use to ensure no allergic reaction. Also, do not use on children under the age of 2. And finally, please consult a doctor if you are unsure of any of the home remedies here.
Get a Free Printable of the 20 Uses for Vick’s
Do you use Vicks in your home in a way not mentioned here? Feel free to share in the comments below!
Wow, So many interesting and different uses for dencocrub.
I’ve actually been using it on my husbands ‘tennis elbow ‘ bursitis for a while now and he swears by it , …… ,
I’ll be looking in to this further (as my husband is a ‘ tough audience lol) and for him to be impressed really speaks for itself.
Hi.. I just started reading thru this blog and enjoyed the uses for borax and coffee grounds .. .
Idk if U know that vicks has turpentine oil in it . Which is not something that you prob want to rub onto your skin. As u look thru ingredients.. look at the smaller ingredients listed .. My friend said that nobody could find fault w/ Vicks until I asked him to read ALL the inactive and active ingredients. Not so great after all , he said . I agree.
Just wanted to share !
Wow thanks! I definitely did not know this!!