{"id":678118,"date":"2026-11-07T23:30:14","date_gmt":"2026-11-07T23:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/678118\/"},"modified":"2026-11-07T23:30:14","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T23:30:14","slug":"vicks-says-black-folks-are-using-vaporub-all-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/678118\/","title":{"rendered":"Vicks Says Black Folks Are Using VapoRub All Wrong"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vicks VapoRub has long been used by generations of Black folks as a miracle-working cure-all for virtually any type of ailment.<\/a> But this cold and flu season, Vicks is stepping in and telling the diaspora that we\u2019re using the product wrong, sending the internet into a tizzy.<\/p>\n

For over a century, Vicks VapoRub has been the quintessential cold remedy in Black households. Parents have slathered it all over sick kids\u2019 chests, backs, feet, ears, necks and faces and smeared it in, under and around their noses. Others have stirred a spoonful of VapoRub in a pot of hot water to inhale the steam. Some have even admitted to being instructed to swallow VapoRub<\/a> or drink it in tea. No matter the method, VapoRub\u2019s signature minty menthol aroma seems to reset the sinuses and clear congestion with every whiff.<\/p>\n

But representatives of Vicks have warned that there is, in fact, a right way to use<\/a> the beloved ointment. According to the P&G-owned company\u2019s advice, it shouldn\u2019t be applied near the nose, mouth or eyes. They also advise against heating the ointment or adding it to hot water, which \u201cmay cause splattering and result in burns.\u201d<\/p>\n

It all clicked for Jolene, <\/a>a Black lifestyle TikToker, late last month after she decided to check the label on her jar of Vicks VapoRub.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd to all my Caribbean folks \u2014 did y\u2019all know we aren\u2019t supposed to apply this anywhere near our nostrils or mouths?\u201d she said, holding the container in one hand. \u201cI\u2019m literally just now reading the label and seeing that it says this, but we\u2019ve been doing this for years. \u2026 The things you learn.\u201d<\/p>\n

But commenters under Jolene\u2019s video<\/a>, which racked up over 2.5 million views, were not ready to change their ways.<\/p>\n

As one person put it, VapoRub is the \u201cmedical duct tape of the Caribbean.\u201d It seemed the label wasn\u2019t enough to stop tradition.<\/p>\n

\u201cVicks don\u2019t know how to use their products,\u201d another person wrote. The comment section was filled with GIFs of people shooing away Vicks or covering their ears. \u201cWe didn\u2019t DIE, did we? No harm done,\u201d wrote someone else.<\/p>\n

A day later on Instagram, another Black content creator named Noushky filmed a funny video<\/a> teasing Caribbean folks for inhaling Vicks after rubbing it beneath their noses. The clip, which has over 1.6 million views, caught the attention of someone running Vicks\u2019 Instagram account. In a follow-up video<\/a>, Noushky shared that that person gave her quite the scolding in her direct messages.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe appreciate your enthusiasm for Vicks. However, we want our products to be used safely. As mentioned on the label, VapoRub should be applied only to the chest and throat to temporarily relieve cough due to minor throat and bronchial irritation associated with the common cold, and on muscles and joints to temporarily relieve minor aches and pains of muscles and joints,\u201d the message read. <\/a>\u201cSince VapoRub is an oil-based medication, it shouldn\u2019t be used under or inside the nose, inside the mouth or swallowed. Any oil-based product can get into the lungs if used improperly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVicks said, \u2018you ain\u2019t about to play with my money.\u2019 That\u2019s all I heard,\u201d Noushky said before busting out laughing.<\/p>\n

Despite the company\u2019s message, Black folks seem more determined than ever to use Vicks VapoRub any way they please. <\/p>\n

\u201cVicks don\u2019t know how to use Vicks,\u201d wrote someone on Instagram.<\/a><\/p>\n

Straight From \"The<\/p>\n

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