Wow, talk about a blast from the past ! I recently reviewed Karvol Plug-in Vaporisers and said that I'm sure nobody these days uses the Vicks Vapour Rub that my nan used to smother me in as soon as the weather turned cold. Well, I was wrong ! Boots have just sent me their version to review.
It's actually perfect timing as I have a yucky cold, Mike's just come down with it too, Pierre has a permanently snotty nose and I'm sure the girls won't be far behind. According to the blurb on the box, "Boots Mild Vapour Rub can be used on children from 3 months to clear congestion, blocked noses and coughs due to colds".
Well, I can't actually smell a lot, due to my cold, but as soon as I took the lid off the jar and sniffed, I could smell and even taste the menthol vapours. Mike had never seen anything like it before (presumably it never made it across the Channel !) but he dabbed a little under his nose and said he liked the smell and could imagine it would work really well at night to help you breathe and therefore sleep more easily.
It does actually feel a lot stickier and more gooey than I remember - it has the texture of Vaseline which is unsurprising when you look at the ingredients list as it contains white soft parrafin - but I haven't used Vicks for years so it could be my memory playing tricks. It also contains Eucalyptus oil, Levomenthol and Racemic Camphor.
The girls asked me to rub some on their chests and backs, as recommended on the label, and both said they thought it smelt really nice. I dotted some under my nostrils which, as well as helping unblock my nose and relieve my headache, also had a lovely cooling sensation on the skin which was sore and red from all the nose-blowing. The vapour is pronounced enough to work, but not as eye-watering as I remember, which makes sense, as this is the mild version.
I'll definitely be dabbing some under my nose at bedtime while I have this cold, as well as passing some over to Mike too in the hopes that he'll snore a bit less if his nose unclogs !
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP : £2.05 for 45g
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Did you find your bed still smelled of menthol even after you were better? It always seems to get down into the mattress or something!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds great, I think I'll try this for my youngest as he always seems to have a cold and Karvol doesn't seem to have the same effect now he's getting older, thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteI used this on my 2 but had to stop on Miss C because it made her eczema worse.
ReplyDeleteI quite like this, I don't find the smell as strong as others and it seems to work
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