VapoRub products are clearly contraindicated for use in children under 2 years of age, as Alex notes...but more importantly this is a good time to remind people to READ THE INFO that comes with the medication, whether Rx or OTC...it's a vital part of being an informed pharmaceutical consumer.

Menthol and Camphor are irritants to sensitive skin. I can attest to that after applying it one night, then using the bathroom. Yeouch. It makes sense when concentrated in the nose, your body would respond by trying to protect the sensitive membranes. I use it b/c it always makes me feel better. If I want to stop coughing, I break out my bottle of Buckley's Cough Mixture. If after taking one dose, the smell alone doesn't make your body stop you from coughing, it will by the third time.

I personally, as someone over the years who has suffered from allergies, had Vicks work miracles for me. Breathing is a pain in the ass when your sinuses are so clogged up at night that you have to breathe through your mouth which makes sleeping difficult. I never put the Vicks on my nose or chest. Just used the can's proximity (which contains menthol) and that was good enough for me. Might I add, menthol is an effective treatment (No that doesn't mean go smoke) so Cough Drops are just as effective.

Still works well though if you're trying to evade rotting smells, i.e. somebody who smells bad, or rotting flesh if you work in a morgue.

I'll have to take a bunch of Ecstasy and try this!

or not.

Hmmm...isn't Vicks just menthol? I have used menthol cough drops to soothe sore throats since I was a little kid and I never noticed any real changes in my mucus.

You're definitely not supposed to put it right under your nose though. Dumb grandparents.

Reasonable alternatives to Vicks include Sudafed Shower Soothers (released menthol and some other stuff in the shower steam, so you get all the steam plus all the menthol & stuff) and peppermint tea, which has some menthol, some steam, and is tasty.

Vicks is a little strong for me. :) (And, yes, makes my skin crazy.)

It helps clear my nose if I have a constant drip. I use the sniffers. They're compact and not messy. It's pretty much the only cold medicine I can have with a thyroid condition other than Corcidin HBP

@Ryan Gard:

I have never met a corpse so bad it made me need Vapo-rub. If that's your chosen profession you get used to it.

* personal experience only*

@Eyebrows McGee: I *love* the shower things!!
Do they still make them? I've been looking since I got wicked sick in Nov and no stores in the metro -phx area carry em anymore.

"Mucus researcher," I wonder if that's something that one wants to be while growing up, or if it just kind of happens.

@Eyebrows McGee: Those are AWESOME. They are sort of difficult to find though.

@KesselRunner_GitEmSteveDave: Buckely's is total witch elixir; I mean, it tastes like some faul concoction from a cauldron, but damn, does it work.

There's an infant version of Vicks Vapo-Rub which uses Eucalyptus Oil as the active ingredient rather than menthol. We haven't had much luck using that either with our snotty 11 mo. old. We've never rubbed it anywhere near his nose though.

Anyone heard about rubbing Vapo-Rub on the soles of a babies feet to stop nighttime coughing? This has been recommended to us by a few mother's we know.

@Eyebrows McGee: Second note for those: Don't actually put them on the floor of your shower. Get yourself an old coffee mug (something that can safely get hot, and isn't a porous material) and put it in that, in the shower (let the water still hit it though). It will last 3x longer because it's not all running down the drain, smell just as good, and won't burn your feet if you accidentally step on it (they get SUPER hot!)

@punkrawka: It has to be better than the "Taint Inspectors" from last week :)

Step 1: Observe rivers of mucus.
Step 2: Put VapoRub and KY on ferrets.
Step 3: Profit. Probably from the ferrets.

Ahhhhh! It reminds me of when I was little and my great- grandma, Nanna, would "latum" us if we ever coughed. By "latum" us, I mean Nanna would apply a ton of Vicks mentholatum to our chests and necks and put a fan on us. It was torture. And she'd do it if we coughed for any reason, didn't matter if you were actually sick or not. If my sister and I were fighting whn we went to Nanna's, I'd try to make her cough and tell Nanna that she needed some "latum". And she'd do the same to me.

Funny, on the radio this morning they were just talking about the link between Vicks Vaporub and respiratory issues. Apparently it does something to burn out your sinuses and ducts up in there, causing breathing issues. Especially in children.

@MonkeyMonk: I've heard about the foot trick but I've never used it. Report back if it works.

@MonkeyMonk: I have a feeling it's more of an old wive's tale. Our nine month old has a cold right now, complete with a snotty nose. We have been using the trusty nose sucker-outer and making sure she is well fed and rested. We asked our pediatrician if there was anything we could give her, and she said for something like this, just rest.

@weakdome:

To my currently sick and fevered brain this is BRILLIANT!
*sends future-mr off to store to buy some*

Can you imagine what those ferrets must have smelled like.

@picardia: Of course I don't think you can get the all-natural Buckley's in the US...if you've got the stuff labelled "Cough Suppressant," it's just Robitussin engineered to taste like crap.

Is it really necessary to have a "mucus" tag for this post? Are we to expect many more mucus-related consumer posts now that the Consumerist is under new ownership? Because I am all for that.

@MonkeyMonk: I swear by the NoseFrida (Swedish Snot Sucker) for my toddler. We've been using it on her since she was 6 months old and we love it. www.nosefrida.com
(I know it's been mocked on this site before, but it truly works!)

Combined with a humidifier in baby's room, and some saline in the nostrils now and then, it really helps to give relief from colds.

@ScottRose: I'm assuming the "Profit" comes from selling a weird porno involving rubbing VapoRub and KY all over ferrets?

Erm...I put this stuff under my nose when I have a cold. It's probably not the best idea, but that stuff opens up my nasal passages like woah. I only use it when my breathing passage is so obstructed that I have trouble sleeping.

Again, not saying that other people should do it, and I definitely don't know what would possess someone to use that on an 18 month old, but I'm doubting that one night of Vick's under my nose a couple months out of the year is having an irreparable effect on my mucus production.

At first I was confused as to why he used ferrets as his test subjects. Ferrets, why ferrets? Then I remembered that ferrets are susceptible to influenza.

Bitey model system, but so cute when sneezy!

Who needs that stuff anyway? Take a hot shower, and if that doesn't work, get out some Frank's Red Hot sauce and take a few deep breaths of that - it (or any other hot wing sauce) works wonders. I always have wings when I get congested...of course maybe it's just an easy justification...

@Eyebrows McGee: Our local Walgreens carries them, according to their website. I think CVS might as well.

@segamanxero: Maybe. Though catching the KY-rubbed ferrets for the video will be the hard part.

@Tashi King: I can find them at my Walgreens, but they aren't always in stock. I bet, like, drugstore.com has them!

As a firefighter, I've used the stuff for those nasty calls where you're dealing with people who don't appreciate the values of modern hygienic practices.

That being said, I *used* to be a vicks-under-the-noser but as of late, I've really come to appreciate the Zircam nasal gel medicine and the Ayr saline gel stuff. The Ayr stuff is great especially on airplanes when the cabin air gets dryer than George Bush's humor.

@Troy F.: I had both. I gave them away to friends in need when coughs refused to reside in my body due to the stuff.

@aloe vera: As crazy as that contraption looks, I might have to grab one. The little bulb nose sucker just doesn't cut it usually.

I @Ryan Gard:

I never understood why you would apply Vicks, a vaso-dilator, when confronted with foul odors, such as those in the morgue. Someone should create a product, like Vicks, that is applied to mask the ambient odors, but that doesnt cause vasodilation.

If the excess mucus annoys, simply slather your private areas with it and you'll completely forget about your runny nose!
(Yes, we played Truth or Dare for keeps in my neighborhood)

@KesselRunner_GitEmSteveDave: I had a similar bathroom incident with Icy Hot. I don't put that under my nose either.

My research has shown that Vicks VapoRub causes tears if you rub it in your eyes.
This must mean it is a bad product and it does not work.

Also in this category is cayenne pepper, toothpaste, and lemon juice.

And I didn't even need ferrets to test this out!

@Papa Midnight:

I usually just smear some on a tissue and fold it up so I can have it under my pillow or move it closer as needed. Plus, that way it can be brought in the car or wherever without the smell overpowering other people.

@docrice: It can help people breath easier over a period of time (like sleeping) rather than clearing out the sinuses. Helpful for colds, but definetely not a cure all.

Plus it's cheaper than hot wings. ;)

@Ninjanice:

OMG that is hilarious.

My dad used to put it on his neck and then wrap a towel around.

@Chris Walters: Musty AND menthol-y, mmm.

I actually have two pet ferrets so I'm imagining them with VapoRub under their noses. It would probably be intensely painful for them, what with their super-sensitive sniffers and all...

Everybody's different but... you can't beat a netty pot.

@Ryan Gard: I'll stick with clove oil under the mask, it doesn't make my eyes tear up lick Vapo-rub does.

@mrgenius: Well, we'll see what we can do.

I don't know about babies, but my uncle swears by it-- put some on the soles of your feet and wear a pair of socks to bed, and he says it works wonders.

@Stanwell: erk. This was intended as a reply to the question about vapor rub and babies above...