With just a little scrap fabric and some rice, you can make your own homemade heating pads in under 30 minutes! These pain relieving heating pads are filled with dried lavender and essential oil for the ultimate treat!
Homemade Heating Pad with Rice & Lavender Essential Oil
If you’ve ever experienced terrible cramps or severe muscle pain, chances are you’ve reached for a heating pad. Heat helps relax muscles and can be effective in easing cramps or sore muscles.
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These homemade rice heating pads are infused with dried lavender and essential oil which make them incredibly soothing and relaxing.
Using a rice heating pad is the perfect all natural treatment for tense shoulders or stiff muscles! Popping your homemade heating pad in the microwave before bed will become one of your favorite bed time rituals!
I am excited to share that the last Tuesday of every month will feature a new series called “Reduce, Reuse, Refashion”! This is in collaboration with my friends: Farmhouse on Boone, Rocky Hedge Farm, She Holds Dearly, and Prodigal Pieces!
Each month, we will share creative sewing ideas to repurpose scrap fabric or thrift store finds into something new and beautiful! I am excited to share these homemade rice heating pads as my first project, I hope you enjoy them! Be sure to head over to my friends’ blogs to check out their projects!
For this project, I used leftover linen that I had from the DIY Beeswax Wraps I shared earlier this month! If you’re looking for linen by the yard, this table cloth is great for projects like this! For around $20, you get a great amount of linen to work with!
Essential Oils
I love using essential oils in my everyday life. I am a member of Young Living which allows me to get 24% off of all YL products (including the infamous Thieves cleaning products). If you’d like to join so you can receive 24% off too, just click here!
Homemade Rice Heating Pad How To
Homemade Rice Heating Pad
Equipment
- Sewing machine
Materials
- scrap fabric
- 3-4 cups rice depending on size of heating pad
- essential oil optional, I used 10 drops lavender
- 1/2 cup dried lavender optional
Instructions
- Start with a scrap piece of fabric measuring about 15” x 30”. The size of scrap fabric depends on the size heating pad you’d like to make – this can really be any size.
- Fold the piece of fabric in half, wrong sides together. Stitch along two of the three open sides, leaving one of the side open – we will refer to the open side as the “top” (creating a pillowcase-like shape).
- Turn the fabric right side out. Create small pockets so that the rice is distributed evenly throughout the heating pad. Do this by straight stitching a few lines vertically sewing the front and back of the heating pad together. Leave 1-2” unstitched at the top and bottom of the heating pad. (see photo below)
- In a large bowl, stir dried lavender into the rice. Add 10 drops of lavender essential oil and sitr. Use a small funnel to fill the heating pad with the rice mixture, leave about 1” of head space to allow room for sewing the top closed.
- Once filled, fold in the top to create about a 1/2 inch hem and top stitch over to seal the heating pad.
- To use the rice heating pad, warm in the microwave in 60 second increments until the desired heat is reached. Drape over shoulders, knees, neck, back, or other are of the body that needs a little R&R. Enjoy!
Notes
I just adore these. Not only is it a natural heat, but fun to make as gifts too. We make them for our friends and family and they are by far one of the best received gifts. Thank you for the tutorial. ♡
Hi Chloe I love these ideas! The rice heating pad sounds very soothing and I just love "totes ma goats" !!!! Have a great day!
Janet – thank you so much!! Fun and easy ideas :) Happy summertime!!!
These would make such good gifts! Hmm, I want to make one for my mom now! So simple and sweet.
Thank you so much! Yes – the perfect gift! Love your pillow tutorial!! xo
how long does dried lavender scent in heat pack rice last?
It really depends on the type of lavender and how fresh it is. I have found about 1 year, but could very well be shorter or longer than that. :)
Making these from vintage pillowcases, and they are so cozy! Thanks for sharing this :)
Can any essential oils go in there? Was thinking spearmint and eucalyptus. How about dried mint. Any knowledge of how those would do in the microwave?
Sounds lovely! I use mine in the microwave all of the time! Any essential oil will work. Enjoy!
Can these be used around pets without harm to them?