Cute Heat Bags

It has all of a sudden turned into winter. Those bright sunny days where you could feel the heat pulsating off the pavement to warm your legs have turned into the deceptive 'bright sunny days' when the sun smiles at you mockingly as the dry icy cold wind rushes under your clothes and drapes its itself all over you. Leaving you with that deep chilled to the bone feeling. It has not necessarily been a wet one so far, (which is a boo for water levels) but yes, there has been rain. Oh, and lets not forget about that freak storm on 22 March 2010. What freak storm am I talking about you ask? Have a looksee here.

Anyways, I realised that like all other years I will have to take out the quilt and rug up on layers upon layers to keep me warm because heaters are a no go for me. Heaters just leave my mouth and throat dry. Eventually you get a dry throat which ultimately leads to the sore throat and well, we all know what happens then. You are dragging your feet into the pharmacy to get those trusty strepsils, and making yourself honey and lemon teas before you know it. All because you just wanted to stay warm.

I then remembered an old friend of mine letting me borrow her heat bag. I remember thinking that the heat bag was a only weird sack of 'stuff' which she would put in a microwave and go to sleep with. It never dawned on me then, but it rang so loud now that I could not, not look for one for myself. (double negatives... ew... I apologise). So I googled "heat + bags" and found that they are quite popular for not only keeping one warm, but for rehabilitative purposes from injuries. Physiotherapists use them and some pharmacies sell them. So why have I not heard about them before?! Another neato thing about these heat bags is that the insides are not synthetic or manufactured material, but are comprised of various dried plant products varying from of wheat, lupin, barley to buckwheat.

There are a few sites that are good sources for purchasing heat bags, all of which have various colours, shapes and sizes to cater for where you would like to place the heat bag, such as around your ankle, neck and shoulders and your back. You can try Heat Bags Plus, Wheat Bags Australia or Heat Wheat Products. 

Amore Gifts Heat Bags

For me, I really just wanted something to keep me warm and to cuddle a bit in bed. I then decided to try my luck at Ebay to see what I could find there. There are A LOT to choose from, but I ended up placing my bets on a new Ebay Seller called Amore Gifts. She provided handmade heat bags that were so cute and funky in colour and at such an affordable price. I ended up purchasing two bags at $10 AUD each!

Amore Gifts is based in Tasmania and so I was able to receive my bags within a few days of the purchase! Such a smooth transaction and the seller was so generous in offering to post my bags by express post at the standard post rate!

The two bags I purchased are the ones pictured. They weigh approximately 1kg each and are approximately 21x24cm, a good hugging size. I can easily place one in my front hoodie pocket and walk around the house keeping my hands and torso all warm! I bought two so that I could place one bag at the foot of my bed, warming up my feet, and the other one at the middle part of my bed to warm up everything else. They have truly made my winter so so toasty. Not to mention that they are so adorably cute! Amore Gifts do have other designs which are more toned down and masculine for the fellas, but like I mentioned earlier, Amore Gifts is a relatively new seller and will hopefully have more products and have her own website set up in the near future.

Benefits of Heat Bags

1. They can keep you warm all night without making your room overly hot and leaving your mouth and throat dry, by simply placing them in the microwave for approximately 1 minute (though it is recommended you reheat 30 seconds at a time.) 
2. They can be used as cold bags too! Just put your bag into a plastic bag and into the freezer. The recommended cooling time is 30-60 minutes.
3. The bags keep you warm and cool using very little electricity. Bonus points for being ECO-FRIENDLY!!!
4. Being able to be heat and cold bags and being malleable to fit around your body allows them to be great for treating injuries such as, well BAD ankles. Though if you were to use them solely for ankles or shoulders I would suggest to look into getting one that is made specifically for that area. Ankle heat/cold bags are a lot smaller and usually has a strap that wraps around the ankle and holds the heat/cold bag in place.