ThermaCare HeatWrap - Product Review

ThermaCare HeatWraps by Procter & Gamble boast "Powerful pain relief, and deep muscle relaxation." That hardly says it all. These little works of wonder not only help me with pain, they just feel great and they're so affordable.

All styles of ThermaCare HeatWraps are ultra portable. They're made of a cloth-like material with enclosed black pieces (heat cells) not much bigger than the size of a quarter; but they are super thin. The best source to describe the way they work is the manufacturer. From the P&G website; "The heat cells are the part of ThermaCare that provides warmth. These cells contain a mixture of ingredients (activated carbon, iron powder, sodium chloride, sodium thiosulfate, sodium polyacrylate and water) that react with air to provide low-level heat. The chemical reaction is called iron oxidation, which occurs naturally in the environment." Thus, the reason the package clearly says "DO NOT Open Until Ready to Use." Unlike messy topical pain rubs, they're clean and odorless. I can easily get away with wearing one anywhere such as hiking with my husband, doing housework and even to the office. Best part is...noone is the wiser.

While I've tried every style of ThermaCare HeatWraps made by Procter & Gamble, I'm completely partial to the 'Neck, Shoulder and Wrist' Style. See, I wear my ThermaCare under my clothes and on my lower back just above my tailbone and below my belt loops. The wrap is held on my skin by the small adhesive patch ThermaCare puts on each side. I won't say that while removing the wrap at the end of the day, that a couple of hairs won't be sacrificed, because they will. However, I'm personally willing to trade the two seconds of discomfort for the 7 hours of pain relief. Actually, I've dabbed some water back there prior to removal and that seems to help.

Why do I rebel and use the product in a way not written on the box? Simply, the other styles of ThermaCare, I've found are not as user friendly. The style made for the back and hips rode up on me and I felt like people could see it. The menstrual style I could see working great for someone with cramps but my problem usually lies with my back. I've even tried to use the 12-hour relief style but that just didn't get hot enough for me. I enjoy the toasty burst of happiness I get when I sit up straight, or sit back in my chair. I can only get that with the neck style.

Luckily, you can't beat the price of TC Wraps. I pay just under $7 for a three pack, making it under $2.35 for eight hours of contentment. I've paid more than that to watch a bad movie for 2 hours. Tell a friend, I have. I've even given one to a friend and told her my story. I think she's hooked now too.