Whooping cough is no joke. I know because I came down with it the day after Thanksgiving 2015. My poor little girl followed a week later. It was 10 weeks of sheer awfulness. There were times when I thought we were not going to make it through.

Unfortunately, we didn’t discover that our illness was whooping cough until it was too late to really do much about it. We were in the second stage of it and all we could do was try to support our system as much as possible. Let me tell you – whooping cough is a nasty, nasty beast and it does not respond well to much.

The cough was unbearable. It would come in fits day and night. The mucus build up in our chest was pretty horrific as well. While we took quite a few tinctures and constantly had herbal teas in hand, I knew that I needed to find something that took the edge off our chest congestion as well as something to stop the spastic coughing fits…especially at night.

Enter…

Mucus Buster Chest Rub and Cough Steam

Thank goodness for essential oils and a few other ingredients that you can find through my affiliate partner Amazon. What I was able to create absolutely helped us get through some of the worst moments of whooping cough. We were taking other support as I mentioned but I do believe the chest rub and cough steam helped us tremendously.

I want to make it clear that I am not a medical professional nor do I pretend to play one on this site. I am also not making any medical claims about the powers of the essential oils I used. I am simply sharing my experience as it relates to the two products I made, used, and had success with.

Ok – on with the show.

First – let’s take a look at some of the essential oils that I prefer to use to break up mucus that is stuck in the chest.

Essential Oils For Chest Congestion and a Chest Rub

• Eucalyptus (one of my personal favorites as I have had success with it promoting the expulsion of mucus, phlegm and other congestion in the respiratory tract).
• Lemon
• Peppermint
• Tea Tree

And now…the recipe for the…

DIY Mucus Buster Chest Rub

DIY Mucus Buster Chest Rub

Yield: 1/2 cup

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Active Time: 15 minutes

Additional Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Estimated Cost: $5.00

This DIY mucus buster chest rub will have you breathing normally again in no time! It comes together quickly so you can get relief fast.

Print

Materials

• 1/2 cup coconut oil, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons of beeswax, grated
• 3 tablespoons cocoa butter, room temperature
• 20 drops of eucalyptus essential oil
• 20 drops of peppermint essential oil
• 5 drops of lemon essential oil*
• 5 drops of tea tree essential oil*

Instructions

1. In a double boiler, add coconut oil and beeswax. Melt slowly and keep an eye on it. You do not want it to burn.
2. Once the oil and beeswax are melted, add the cocoa butter. Stir it in until melted and remove from heat.
3. Allow to cool slightly.
4. Add the essential oils and gently stir with a wooden or plastic spoon until well mixed.
5. Pour into a clean glass jar or container with a secure lid.
6. Store in a cool dark place.

Notes

To Use

Apply to chest every 4 hours and right before bed. You can also apply to the bottoms of the feet right before bed. Be sure to cover the feet with socks.

*Feel free to use either lemon or tea tree oil instead of both. This is simply the combination of essential oils that I used. If you use just one, increase the amount to 10 drops.

Recommended Products

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  Silicone Whisk, Spatula, and Measuring Set
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  Stainless Steel Pots and Saucepan Set
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  Amber Colored 8oz Glass Jars For DIY Skincare Products

Now onto my personal favorite….a potent Cough Steam!

I absolutely love sinus and cough steams. They can do wonders in my opinion. From clearing out stuffy noses to halting some of the worst coughs, steams, when used properly, can support healing more than a lot of other alternatives.

Essential Oils That Can Be Used To Support A Cough

While I have tried quite a few essential oils in my cough steam, these are my personal favorites and the ones I have had the most success with.

• Black pepper – known to open up the respiratory passages
• Eucalyptus – known to reduce inflammation of the respiratory system and loosens mucus in the lungs
• Lavender – known to relax the lungs
• Lemon – known for attacking infections in the chest
• Peppermint – known to be effective at loosening mucus as well as soothing a dry cough
• Rosemary – offers respiratory support
• Tea tree – known to be effective in clearing infections that may be responsible for a cough and helps clear bronchial congestion
• I have also successfully used Ylang Ylang for coughing fits as it is a known sedative. The oil has a distinctly relaxing effect on the body which can really help a spastic cough calm down. Having said that, this essential oil must must be used with caution, especially with children. I am only mentioning it because I used it in my steam but would not suggest you do so in children.

How To Make And Use A Cough Steam

Cough steam for adults

1. Pour 4 cups of boiling water into a bowl and add 5 drops of the essential oils that you have selected.
2. Place your head about 12 inches (30 cm) above the bowl and cover your head with a towel so you form a tent which keeps the steam in.
3. Keep your eyes shut and breathe deeply through your nose for up to five minutes.
4. If you feel that the steam is too intense, raise the towel to bring cooler air in. Breathe through your mouth a couple of times and then resume the steam. Should you at any time feel uncomfortable, discontinue the cough steam.
5. If you do not feel like the cough steam is working, add a few more drops of essential oils and repeat the steps above.
6. Do this as often as needed but no more than every hour.

Cough steam for children

1. Pour 4 cups of hot, not boiling water into a bowl and add 2-3 drops of the essential oils that you have selected.
2. Place your child’s head about 12 inches (30 cm) above the bowl. DO NOT COVER THEIR HEAD!
3. Have your child keep their eyes shut (or use an eye mask like this one) and breathe deeply through their nose for 2-3 minutes. Discontinue if the steam causes any discomfort.

What Brand of Essential Oils Should You Use?

• My hands down favorite brand is Rocky Mountain Oils (also known as Native American Nutritionals). These are seriously the BEST brand I have ever used. They are strong. And I mean strong. I have seen some amazing things happen when using this brand.
• I am really enjoying Plant Therapy essential oils as well. They are easy on the budget as well as being a high quality oil.

Are you going to try these recipes? If so, I would love to hear how they worked for you!