If you have a painful and chronic condition like osteoarthritis, then you may use topical ointments to help soothe your discomfort. Most of these creams contain counterirritants. A counterirritant is a substance that is meant to create slight irritation across the surface of the skin. This irritation creates a hot or cold sensation that overpowers the pain sensations that are felt by the joints. The result is a soothing feeling. While most counterirritant creams are purchased online or at your local pharmacy, you can actually make your own at home. Keep reading to learn about how to make a natural arthritis cream for yourself.
Gather Your Ingredients
Before you begin mixing up your concoction, you will need to decide if you want your counterirritant to produce a warm or cool sensation. Creams that contain warm counterirritants can also deplete the body of chemical neurotransmitters that create pain sensations. This helps to reduce pain as you feel the warmth or burn of the cream on your body. If you like the warm sensation and want to stop your body from creating as many pain signals as possible, then gather some cayenne powder, red pepper flakes, chili powder, or turmeric.
If you want to use your arthritis cream in the summer, then you may prefer a cooling sensation instead. You will need to gather a substance that contains menthol to create the cooling effect. Gather some mint or peppermint oil. You can also use camphor or eucalyptus oil if you prefer. You will also need some grapeseed or olive oil, some beeswax, and a small container.
Make Your Cream
Once you have all the ingredients that you need, place about one-half cup of the olive or grapeseed oil in a pot. If you want a hot cream, then place about two tablespoons of your desired powder in the pot. For a cool cream, add 15 drops of the oil. Place the pot on your stove over medium heat and stir the mixture every few minutes. Use a cheese grater to grate about one-quarter cup of beeswax and add the wax to the pot. Allow the wax to melt and immediately remove the pot from the stove.
Pour your mixture into a glass container and place it in your refrigerator to cool. Once the cream cools, you can use it on your body to reduce arthritis discomfort. Since your cream will not contain any preservatives, make sure to store it in the refrigerator when you are not using it. The mixture should store well for several months before a new batch of cream needs to be created.
Contact a company like Icon Health to learn more.
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