Vapor Rub Oil Test (Vicks)

I made Vapor Rub few months ago and while doing so, I also carried out a test to see how different carrier oils (which is the main ingredient) affect the end result.

I carried out the test using

1. Coconut oil
2. Grape seed oil
3. Almond oil
4. Olive oil
5. Shea butter
6. Cocoa butter

I mixed 4  1/2 tsp of oil or butter or a combination of both with 1/2 tsp of beeswax pellets. Ratio 9:1 oil to beeswax.

This was what I found.

Grease: By themselves, coconut oil is the greasiest. Shea butter, cocoa butter and grape seed oil is the least greasy. Almond oil and olive oil are somewhat in between.

Smell: Olive oil and cocoa butter have the most prominent smell. If you love the smell of chocolate, cocoa butter is the way to go. Shea butter has a ‘raw’ kind of a smell while other oils are pretty neutral in smell.

Consistency of rub: The result below is based on the temperature of the room the rub is in which is about 18 degrees Celsius (64 F).

1. Coconut oil is firm but will melt and soften very easily when contact with skin.
2. Grape seed oil is the softest, with almond oil and olive oil tagging behind.
3. Shea butter is firm like coconut oil.
4. Coconut oil+almond oil and coconut oil+grape seed oil are soft.
5. Cocoa butter is super hard.
6. Cocoa butter+grape seed oil is slightly less hard but more than the rest.

Conclusion:

a. Coconut Oil: Because this is a semi solid oil, in a cool climate, it firms up the rub. However, because it is greasy, application of coconut oil base rub will result in a greasy skin. Coconut oil has a very faint smell after application. To reduce its greasiness, combine it with grape seed oil.

b. Grape Seed, Almond Oil & Olive Oil: These are liquid oils. Grape seed is less greasy than almond. They both have the faintest nutty smell in them. They both produce soft rubs as they’re thin and silky oils. If you like the smell of olive oil, you can use that too. Olive oil has about the same greasiness as almond oil, but it is stickier.

c. Shea Butter: This is a semi solid oil. Good quality shea butter doesn’t have any smell. Shea butter is soft and sticky so it makes the rub silky smooth but together with coconut oil, they can be greasy.

d. Cocoa Butter: This butter is hard and brittle like a bar of dark chocolate. It smells like chocolate. By itself, it doesn’t work as a rub but if it is mixed with any of the liquid oils, it is slightly softer but the ratio has to be just right for the rub to stay soft.