Vicks Steam Inhaler

I purchased this Vicks Sinus Inhaler for my daughter, who is a singer, and it has been a great addition to her routine—especially during allergy season or when she’s dealing with congestion. The steam relief helps clear her sinuses without medication, which is ideal before rehearsals or performances. It’s easy to use, portable, and gentle on the voice. Many actors and singers look for non-medicated options to support vocal comfort, and this fits that need perfectly. It helps her breathe more freely without drying out her throat. Highly recommend for vocalists, performers, or anyone who relies on their voice and needs quick sinus relief.

I’ll try to keep this short. I recently had my second brain surgery in December 2024. The majority of the tumor was removed through my nose. This kind of surgery causes scabbing and “crusting”, and if not removed, can cause a lot of pain and discomfort. I bought a Navage system soon after surgery to help with cleaning out my nose/sinuses. Dr suggested I flush it out twice a day. While it works very well, it didn’t really remove scabs and crusting, just more of loose mucus. Sorry to be graphic, those who have experienced any kind of nose surgery I'm sure can relate. After some intense research, buying this steamer was a game changer. I didn’t think it was doing much when first used. Barely any steam came out. But the truth is it’s just enough. I steam for about 10-15 mins a couple of times a week and then flush with my navage system (using warm water) immediately after. HUGE difference! This steamer loosens up a lot and the Navage system pushes it out. Together both worth every penny.

This steam inhaler has been amazing for our whole family. Whenever we feel congested, we use it right away — it only takes water, and you can feel the warm vapor going through your nose and lungs. It’s like a personal shower steam but so much easier and quicker. Very practical — just turn it on, and the steam starts flowing. The best natural way to stay healthy during cold and allergy season. Pros: • Natural and effective relief using only water • Instantly clears congestion and opens airways • Easy to use — great for the whole family • Perfect during colds and allergy season Cons: • Water evaporates quickly, so it needs refilling after a usage or two • It gets very hot, so must be very careful around children. Overall, this is a simple, natural, and reliable way to breathe better and feel relief fast.

This thing is pretty decent. I developed a sinus infection which turned into an ear infection. I wanted some relief and this does that. I did not experience a bad smell like reviewers state. However, I wish it did produce more steam.

Probably one of the best things I've ever bought. I've used it for colds/flu, as well as during pregnancy when I was coughing from bad reflux. Easy to use and worth every penny.

I often have sinus issues and have been trying to find the best home remedies to get some relief and came across this steam inhaler with good reviews. Not sure if I got a bad unit, but based on some other reviews it is not uncommon for this item to essentially be useless. Mine had two major issues. First, it barely creates any steam to inhale. Of course I was not expecting a huge plume of steam since this is meant to just create some steam to breathe in and not actually boil the water, but this thing barely creates even a few wisps of steam. There is a vent that you can adjust to let out more or less steam, and even on the widest opening there is barely anything to breathe in, defeating the entire purpose of this item. Second, my unit did not disperse steam evenly, at all. I don't know if the heating element in mine was not heating the water evenly or what, but the right side of the inhaler basically had no steam coming up, and any steam that was produced only went to the left side... The inhaler is a mostly enclosed item, so it's not like any sort of wind/air would be moving the steam to one side. Plus, I was using the unit in an indoor room by myself so there was absolute not sort of air movement that would affect where the steam went. The only explanation is that the steamer does not heat up the water evenly or the venting system was not made properly to disperse the steam evenly... Might be low tech, but honestly you're better off boiling some water and pouring it into a thermos or a thick cup to retain as much heat as possible, and try to breathe in the steam coming from your thermos/cup. It works 100x better than this inhaler and costs nothing. If I am looking for a more consistent source of steam for a longer period of time, I have considered buying a small induction burner to heat up water in a small pot and doing the towel-over-head method, plus an induction burner doubles as a cooking appliance. Needless to say, I would not buy this, and I returned my unit for a refund.

Initial Review 1 Dec 2023: I have no idea if the device functions or how well it works yet, I'm writing this initial review on the experience (I will update the review after first usage). First, this is considered a "medical device" since its FSA/HSA capable. To that end, certain precautions should be taken for anything that contacts skin or is inhaled. In this instance, they use a rubber, semi-pliable mask to make an adequate seal on customer faces (expected and so it can be discarded when needed). Since this covers a mouth and nose, this would usually be individually wrap sealed so there's confidence in the sterilization process, or the entire device and mask is sterile wrapped together (think of handling germs/dirt/etc during manufacturing/storage/transport). The one I received was not, it just sat on the top of the device covered by the same bag that covered the base (tied into a loose knot with the cord outside the bag). I thought this was odd but figured I'd wipe it out and sterilize it myself. Upon further inspection, it was pretty dirty and looked to have fingerprints on the outside. Still not a deal breaker since I am cleaning it anyway since it wasn't sterile wrapped (having to clean this is my initial complaint, it should be sterile wrapped). The manufacturer box it arrived in did not contain a packing seal sticker so it could be opened by whomever and you'd be none the wiser. This I don't like but considering the device and usage, I'm not worried about ingesting something "put" in it by some nefarious person (do not buy this if you have a high concern for germs). After reading the instructions for usage, it's intended to sit on a flat surface and not be moved or lifted while in use. Be aware it is also not rated to use with any type of extension cord so it's expected to be plugged directly into an outlet. The cord looks to be about 6' in length. Based off that, you'd need to have at least a small table, or like a TV tray, and open access to an outlet (they're like 20 min sessions so you'd want to sit) to use it as directed (not a deal breaker for me but your milage may vary). The base seems very sturdy but it is made of plastic with internal circuitry so dropping it will likely break it. As I said at the beginning, this initial review is for experience to identify what's potential "issues" that some people may not accept (hopefully this catches those before purchase and this doesn't waste your time for something you find unacceptable). Will follow-up with a combined review of experience and usage in a day or two.

The steam from the sinus inhaler works well, to help with better breathing, when I have sinus congestion. However, I need to place it on the top of a turned over, large, 10" deep pot, to make it high enough, and sturdy enough, so that I don't have to hurt my back, by leaning over the steam mask, to get close enough to inhale the steam. This solved the problem nicely. The instructions say to put 2.5 Table spoons of water in it. I found the 3 T are still 1/4" below the fill mark on the heat element. Also, the steam lasts about 15 to 18 minutes on the high steam setting, when I do this. I use distilled water instead of tap water, which I hope will prolong the life of the sinus inhaler.