Homemade Shower Soothers

I hate it when my kids get sick. I hate it for all the usual reasons, but I also hate it because I know it won’t be long before I get it too.  And, I can only hope that by the time I get it, the kiddos are feeling 100% again.  But 9 times out of 10, that doesn’t happen.  Most the times it results in sick Mommy taking care of sick kiddos.

The life of a mom.  Such glamour.

A few weeks ago, my middle child got sick with a nasty cold.  And it slowly went down the line.  First her, then my oldest, followed by me, and then my toddler.  Everyone except my husband got it.  Lucky duck.  

A few days before the first child started getting stuffy, I had whipped up a batch of my homemade vapor rub along with a batch of these shower soothers.  Perfect timing, huh?  Or maybe it was nature’s way of playing a joke on me.  Either way, I had my little arsenal of homemade cold fighting remedies ready for launch.

I first read about making homemade shower soothers on Pinterest, and I had to give it a shot.  I wasn’t too impressed with the original recipe though.  It was crumbly, gave off barely any scent, and evaporated in a matter of seconds.  Boo. 

I really wanted these to work, so I couldn’t just give up.  So, I tried a few different things (and a few different google searches) and came up with a final product I was really happy with. They aren’t very crumbly, the scent is perfect, and they last for my entire shower too.

The ingredient list here is pretty simple.  Baking soda, water, and a few essential oils – rosemary, eucalyptus, & lavender.

These are the exact same essential oils that I use in my homemade vicks vapor rub…. AND I worked out a great deal for you all. Cindy, the lady behind Ancient Indigo, graciously put together a money-saving set of these 3 essential oils for the readers at the Mrs who wanted to make one or both of the homemade cold fighting remedies, but not spend a huge fortune on essential oils.  Yay!!

Stir together the baking soda & water into a thick paste.  About 1 cup of baking soda to 1/3 of a cup of water. I really recommend using silicone muffin liners or a silicone muffin pan for these.  I tried paper ones my first try, and the paper stuck to them like crazy.  With the silicone muffin liners, they pop right out with ease.  (I’ve had my silicone muffin liners for at least 7 years now, and I love them for everyday baking as well).

Fill each muffin cup halfway.  Add a few generous drops of each of the essential oils. Then fill each muffin cup up with the rest of the ‘cold batter’.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350. Let cool completely before removing them from the pan/liners.  Once cooled, add a few more generous drops of each essential oil to both the top & the bottom of the soothers.  Also, for maximum scent output, you can just store them as is – and then add the essential oil to both sides about 5 minutes before using them.

Store them in an airtight container or a ziploc bag.  When ready to use, put the disc in the bottom of the shower infront of your toes in your hot shower.  I usually set mine on my shower shelf while my shower warms up the bathroom and makes it all steamy for a few minutes, and then I put the disc in the bottom of the shower.  Somehow, I like that better.  But, I’m a tad on the weird side.  ;)

Props to my husband for standing beside the shower to take a picture of my feet & the shower soother….although he did try to cop a feel. While I was sick at that.  And he still didn’t get sick.

Next time you get the sniffles or the stuffies – make up a batch of these shower soothers – and don’t forget about my homemade vapor rub either!

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