DIY - Herbal Heart Heating Pad

Now that its fall, cooler temps are coming and I’ve been thinking of ways to stay warm these next few months.  Ok, so it’s still in the 90’s here in AZ, but we are all pretending its fall around here.  I came up with a fun little project for you to try this weekend!  Make your own herbal heart heating pad!  I bought an herbal rice heating pack many years ago in a shoulder shape and was always twisting it around trying to get the shape just right for where I wanted it, on a sore leg muscle or tummy.  Then quite a few years ago a friend showed me how to make them myself using flaxseed instead of rice.  Flax is much softer and because it is a flower seed, not a grain like rice, it has much more oil and will hold the heat a lot longer.  I made some for my boys (not heart shaped) for Christmas about 6 years ago and they still use them all the time.

What you need:

3 ½ cups of flaxseed (I found this in the bins at Sprouts for $1.19 per pound)

Dried herbs (I use lavender, chamomile and spearmint - also found at Sprouts for around 69 cents an ounce, you don’t need much, a couple tablespoons per herb depending on your preference)

2 - 10” squares of fabric (I often use flannel, but found some soft pink sweatshirt material I loved for this tutorial, cotton is just fine as well, fleece is too thick)

Matching thread

Sewing machine

Scissors 

Pins

How to make an Herbal Heart Heating Pad:

1.        Cut a heart shape out of your fabric (fold the fabric in ½ so both sides of your heart will match)

2.       Pin inside out

3.       Sew inside out with a ¼” seam around the edges leaving about a 2” opening

4.       Turn right side out

5.       Fill with flaxseed and add herbs to your liking

6.       Finish sewing the opening

Microwave 1-2 minutes depending on the size of your heating pad and the power of your microwave.  Don’t burn yourself!  If it’s too hot, let it cool before putting it on your body.

You can also put your heart in a bag and stick it in the freezer for a couple of hours and use it as a cold pack!

You can make any shape you want, shoulder pads, eye pillows, squares, tubes, small hearts or squares for pocket warmers.  Sew many possibilities. :)

If you don’t have access to a sewing machine or don’t want to attempt this, you can buy an herbal heart heating pack from me here -  Creative Wave Studios.  I’ll also take custom orders for any other shape, eye pillows, shoulder pads, etc.  These make great gifts!

Send an e-mail to creativewavestudios@gmail.com or contact me through my shop on Etsy for custom orders.

If you make a herbal heating pad send me a photo!  I would love to see what you make :)

 

DIY - Magnesium Oil Spray

 

Recently I have learned about the benefits of Magnesium supplementation.  Better sleep, decreased muscle pain, flexibility, bone/teeth strength, hydration, relaxation and more!  A few weeks ago I began taking Magnesium Glycinate, after a recommendation from my Dr., and have already noticed a decrease in my muscle pain!  Then some people in my fabulous online fibromyalgia support group started talking about using Magnesium Oil Spray (which is not really oil at all).  You can spray it on your skin after a shower/bath, or anytime, directly onto sore aching muscles for relief.  That sounded great.  Even better, someone mentioned making your own!  I found a tutorial from cheekslave.com and I HAD to try it!

What you will need:

 

       1.  Magnesium Chloride bath flakes

     2.  Filtered or distilled water

     3.  Spray bottle

     4.  Essential oils (optional)

How to make Magnesium Oil Spray:

 

1.       Pour 1 Cup of water into a pot

2.       Stir in 1 cup of magnesium flakes

3.       Turn the heat on low/medium

4.       Stir occasionally until flakes are dissolved

5.       Add a few drops of essential oils (optional)

6.       Cool to room temperature

7.       Pour into bottle

How to use Magnesium Oil Spray:

Spray 4-5 sprays directly on sore muscles as needed, or onto your torso, massage in.

8 sprays of Magnesium oil equals about 100mg of Magnesium being absorbed into your skin.

It may tingle or sting when you first spray it on, that should stop after a minute or two. (Do not use right after you have shaved, ouch!)

You can dilute it even more if you have skin irritation.

You can also use Epsom Salt (Magnesium Sulfate) but you may need to use less water to experience the same effects.  Epsom Salt vs Magnesium Chloride 

 

To get even more benefit, I added a few drops of an aroma therapy oil blend I had called “release” for stress and sore muscles.  I can’t tell you the brand because they are no longer in business, but I will list the ingredients for you as inspiration for your own creations.

cinnamon oil, cornmint oil, cinnamon oil, coconut oil, grapefruit oil, lavandin oil, peppermint oil, rosemary oil, menthol, camphor,  and white ginger extract. 

For more information on essential oils for muscle pain visit:

experience-essential-oils.com

Cost:

I spent just under $10 (including shipping) on a 1.64lb bag of Magnesium Bath Flakes.  This works out to 24.6 cents per oz.  Less than 50 cents for a 2oz bottle!  And under $2 for an 8oz bottle!  That’s a HUGE savings considering Magnesium Oil Spray can run anywhere from $6 to almost $30 for an 8oz bottle depending on the brand!

I had a lot of fun making this myself and wanted to share with family and friends so I doubled the recipe and got a handful of 2oz bottles in the travel section of the drugstore so I could share.  I even got an extra bottle for just water, my little helper wanted his own!

 

If you have a combination of these symptoms, check with your doctor to see if you are deficient in Magnesium and could benefit from supplements including Magnesium Oil Spray.