How to Make a Homemade Gel Pack for Pain and Swelling

I don't know about you, but this time of year I have a lot of aches and pains.  Pulling weeds in the garden, bending and stretching to pick beans and other veggies, trimming shrubs, just all the work that goes with the approaching harvest and the end of summer.
By the end of the day, my shoulders and knees are hurting and need some relief, so I wanted to try cold gel packs to help reduce the swelling and pain.  However, they are kinda pricey at $20 to $50 each for the reusable kind, and I really did not want to pay that much, not knowing if they would help.  I did some research and found that they are ridiculously easy and cheap to make.

I have always preferred gel packs to ice packs, to me they are just easier to deal with. If it's too cold just wrap it in a towel, when it melts and warms up, just toss it back in the freezer and let it refreeze.  Making a gel pack is easy to do and I bet you have the materials to make them in your house right now!

• Two resealable plastic bags
• 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
• 1 and 1/2 cups of water

Put the bags inside each other, and fill the inside with the water and alcohol.
Seal both bags and shake to mix.
Put in the freezer; it will get slushy in a couple hours but it will not freeze completely.

If you want a bigger bag, just keep the ratio of 1 part alcohol to 3 parts water and you can make it as large as you want without a problem.

These gel packs actually do help the swelling and pain and I use them frequently.  They are good for any kind of swelling and so much easier to use than an ice bag.  If your bag springs a leak, just replace it, using the same alcohol and water.  Inexpensive and effective.....perfect!

Have a great weekend,

Jade    :)

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