Relieve Your Pain with Slime!

Being the young, spritely woman that I am, I don't suffer from many chronic pains. Instead I contain years of cynicism that no chemical can get rid of. My parents on the other hand are in fantastic pain all the time. Whether it be mental anguish over their cynical daughter or physical aches and pains from getting older, they are always aching. Thus they are the perfect candidates to try out a new topical pain relief gel, Freeze It.


I caught them at the right time, my father had just come back from backbreaking labour (read: lawnmowing) and was all set to try out another topical pain relief product from CVS. He did a great test using both Freeze It and the generic CVS Icy Hot cream. His findings, presented in his typical scientific way:


"Smeared about 2 grams onto the affected area. Immediately could smell the distinct penetrating odor of the menthol and camphor. The affected area quickly felt cool and the pain subsided after a few minutes, lasting for about 30 minutes.

Notes: Freeze It contains 0.2% camphor, and 3.5% menthol for its effect. Compare it to products such as Icy Hot or CVS’ version of Icy Hot – “extra strength pain relief.” The latter has 7.6% menthol and 29% methyl salicylate, an aspirin-like chemical. The test subject reported that the CVS product applied that same day to the same area alleviated the pain quicker and for a longer period than Freeze It did."

Yes, it's seems a little official doesn't it? Well, he used to be a chemist, so presenting a personal view means turning it into a science experiment for him. Silly wording aside, it was interesting to note that the generic form of Icy Hot worked better than Freeze It.

Also amusing is the colour of Freeze It, which starts out as a bright green reminiscent of gak or slime from Nickelodeon. Which can be a great draw for kids or anyone who's nostalgic for some old school Nickelodeon sliming.



When rubbed in though, the slime colour disappears completely,


So while my father found that Freeze It lasted for about 30 minutes, my mother had a different experience with it. She also used it on her back (which is far less hairy then my father's, thankfully) where she suffers from severe pain. She says that the pain went away almost immediately and an hour and a half later she's feeling good. Another interesting side benefit is that the menthol smell was reminiscent of Vick's Vapour Rub and helped clear her sinuses. I'm not quite sure if the makers of FFreeze It intended for that to happen, but it does seem useful.

Two different experiences, two different genders, two different kinds of pain but in the same area. This is quite interesting. I'm not entirely sure how long my dad's back pain had been going on, but I believe it came about after he put stress on it while my mother's pain is a constant. My father may have gotten better results from the CVS brand, but his pain was a bit more acute I believe.

Experiences vary based on type of pain, but it's certainly worth trying Freeze It out. Price wise you can easily make a decision, as a short price check of name brand Icy Hot goes for about $5 for a 1.25oz cream, whereas Freeze It goes for $10 for a 4 oz tube of gel. Also featured is a handy roll-on version of Freeze-it, which Icy Hot kind of has but sells for around $6.50 for 1.75oz.

Freeze It can be found online or in stores, like CVS, WalMart, and RiteAid. However, if buying from CVS be sure that you don't get the Freeze It hairspray instead, or you'll end up still in pain, but now a bit sticky and your body hair frozen in place for 24 hours. Ew.