When better to put a so-called ‘cooling gel’ to the test than on some of the hottest days of the year so far? Arnicare… you’re up against it!
I’m a big believer in the herbal remedy Arnica… but only recently.
I had umpteen women telling me to make sure I packed some Arnica-related products in my hospital bag when I was preparing to give birth to L. They all said that it would help ease bruising…. “down there”.
I didn’t listen. I couldn’t even bear the thought of bruising “down there”…. la la la la, “Can’t hear you!”. Was convinced baby L would emerge into this world a little bit like this (infact, it was my mantra in the last few weeks):
Push
Push
Pain
PUSH
Pop.
Clearly, I’m a moron… but not spending my precious Boots points on tubes of Arnica was probably for the best. There ended up being no ‘pushing’ involved and Mr. L struggled under the weight of my damn hospital bag anyway.
However, after some recent surgery and tremendous abdominal bruising, I remembered this ‘Arnica’ stuff and shuffled down to my local Boots to pick myself up a tube of Nelsons Arnica Cream. I only applied it to the major bruise, which was roughly 6x worse than the other incidental bruises…. would you believe it? The major one ended up fading more rapidly than the rest! That’s me sold on the power of the herb.
I’m rambling really badly….
I was invited to sample Nelson’s Arnicare Arnica Cooling Gel. I’ll let them tell you why we’d need it shall I?:
Nelsons Arnicare Arnica Cooling Gel combines the benefits of arnica with the refreshing sensation of natural grapefruit oil and menthol to cool and soothe the skin. Ideal for rubbing into aching muscles following physical exertion or to revive tired, heavy legs after being on your feet all day
On last Saturday, the hottest day of my LIFE (melodramatic pause) I pulled out the Arnicare Arnica Cooling Gel and applied. Lots.
It didn’t cool me down AT ALL!
Gutted. Maybe there isn’t enough of the whole ‘cooling’ properties to make a difference in this kind of heat. I wanted it to feel like an Arctic breeze fluttering around my calves. It didn’t.
So I only did one leg… remember, I was really hot. I could barely be bothered to breathe let alone bend over and massage ineffectual cooling gel into my legs.
Fast forward 9 hours… it’s 11.30pm and I’m sat there blogging. Under my desk, one of my legs feels bizarrely fresh… fresh like I’ve just woken up. I only noticed it ‘cos my other leg felt like it needed amputating after a day spent running around after a 14 month old. What a strange feeling!
Arnicare Arnica Cooling Gel? I think I like you. You might not give me instant cooling relief, but I reckon if I’d massaged you into both legs I’d at least have been able to walk myself to bed. As it was, Mr. L had to roll me.
I’m keeping this in the fridge from now on though.
Arnicare Arnica Cooling Gel is priced at £4.65 and available from pharmacies and health food stores nationwide.
I heard that Arnica gel was really good for lightening dark circles under eyes but as I thankfully don’t suffer from that, I’ve never really used it and funnily enough, I don’t really get bruised (despite being super clumsy) BUT my feet do kill me when I get home from work so I may give this a whirl.
How interesting, I’ve never heard of it!
Hi Charlotte, Arnica is amazing, im super clumsy and this is a life saver. Its cooling and really does help with bruising & aching muscels. I buy mine in Super sizes (SBC) from QVC, they do really good prices too! take a look-
http://search.qvcuk.com/QVCUK/Search.ff?query=arnica&cm_re=PAGE-_-SEARCH-_-SEARCH&cm_scid=SEARCH, I can also hightly recommend their Collagen Gel (to die for) and Propolis Gel too…
Hope this helps.
Kim http://beautifullyflourished.blogspot.com/
I saw Jo mention this on her blog, and looked for it in Tesco’s but to no avail…I thought it would be good for my swollen ankles etc during these last few weeks of pregnancy, and like you, I’ve had loads of people tell me to take Arnica or something for help during the birth! xxx
I love your reviews, they are always interesting and always make me smile.
I used Arnica homeopathic remedies and creams for all my daughter’s bumps and bruises and it was always very effective, so I always keep the remedies and cream in the house for emergencies.
Int-errrr-esting! 😀 I bruise like a peach, this stuff could come in vair handy…
Hmmmm! I must look for this in Canada, it sounds lovely. And I’ll try not to forget the tip about keeping it in the fridge 😛
Oh well thats interesting about your foot- do wonder if it’s any different in effect from any cooling foot gel on the market though? As far as regular Arnica goes, I bought some for my hospital bag, never used it once, as I didn’t get bruised, I got ripped to shreds! (Sorry, too gory for some)
Arnica is amazing! I discovered it when my friend recommended it for bruising as I bruise so easily! She confided in me that when she had a major surgery (breast augmentation! Ouch!), her plastic surgeon recommended it to her. I use it quite often and picked up the Bioron Arnicare Cream for my undereye circles. Awesome!!