I have the mind of a 19 year old and the body of a 40 year old and I sometimes forget that, even though my mind thinks I can still leap buildings in a singe bound, my body often doesn’t feel like limping to the couch let alone leaping.

I workout quite a bit and also have some bulging discs in my neck so aches and pains have become quite routine for me. I have tried almost all the common over the counter topical creams and ointments to sooth the aches I often get from working out or when my neck flares up and all worked to a degree. None really took away the pain or actually lasted very long. None, that is, until I found Biofreeze.

I had seen this product in huge containers when I went for physical therapy for my neck but didn’t pay much attention to what it was for. It wasn’t until I was on a website looking for a stability ball that I saw Biofreeze again. Since I was making an order on the site anyway, I added the 4-ounce tube of Biofreeze to it. Wow! That is really all I can say to sum up how good this gel works.

What It Does

Biofreeze comes in assorted sizes, including the huge containers I saw at my PT’s office and will probably order next time around. According to the official Biofreeze website: www.biofreeze.com, “BIOFREEZE contains ILEX, an herbal extract from a South American holly shrub. ILEX is used around the world in various health & wellness formulations. BIOFREEZE® does not use waxes, oils, aloe or petroleum. The result is a fast-acting, deep penetrating, long lasting pain reliever.”

I am used to using hot packs or heating pads for my aches and especially for my neck pain. I am not a fan of cold packs or ice and never use them. Along came Biofreeze and made a believer out of me. Cold therapy certainly works for me.

The gel is sea green and not sticky or oily. You massage a small amount right onto the achey muscle or sore area and let it go to work. The first thing I noticed was that it had a very strong menthol smell – like Vicks Vaprorub but several times stronger. I didn’t like that at all. I don’t want to smell like a medicine cabinet all day. However, the odor just about vanishes within a minute or two. You feel a cool sensation and then an almost hot/cold combo sensation working deeply into the joints and muscles. Within about 10 minutes, the intensity of the “tingle” wears off but the pain relief doesn’t. I have been pain free for hours after applying Biofreeze to my neck and that is a huge relief to me since nothing topical or ingested (pain medication) works to relieve the type of pain I get when I aggravate my neck injury.

The gel doesn’t stain clothing and is greaseless as I mentioned so, after a moment or two, you can get dressed in your best clothes and not worry about any staining or oily residue.

The Many Uses of BioFreeze

According to www.biofreeze.com, the gel can help ease pain from a number of ailments including: sore muscles and muscle sprains, back, shoulder, and neck pain, arthritis, painful ankle, knee, hip, and elbow joints, and muscular strains. It can also be used for pre and post workout stretching to preemptively avoid pain that comes with cold muscles working too hard.

This product can be used on children as young as two years old. You shouldn’t apply it more than four times daily and, usually, you won’t even need to use it that often.

Of course, if your pain worsens or is undiagnosed, a visit to your doctor is needed. Any pain that is persistent and seems to get worse needs to be checked out. No topical ointment can repair serious injuries. But for those who engage in sports or who have painful known conditions of the muscles or sore joints, Biofreeze can be a real Godsend.

Pregnant or nursing women should always consult their doctors before using any product like this. Also, if you have an open wound, keep the Biofreeze away from it. It isn't meant to treat wounds like that. It is for those aches and pains that are within the muscles and joints.

One more reminder. Always wash your hands after applying the gel. The menthol in it can irritate the eyes if you get it near or in them. This happened to me and I was tearing up for quite a while. No damage was done but still, better safe than sorry with your eyes!

Ingredients

The active ingredients are: Menthol 3.5% and Camphor 0.2%

Other ingredients include: Water, Isopropyl Alcohol, Herbal Extract (ILEX Paraguariensis), Carbomer, Triethanolamine, Silicon Dioxide, Methylparaben, FD&C Yellow #5, FD&C Blue #1

Sizes and Contact Info

Biofreeze comes in a 4 oz. tube (like the one I purchased), a 3 oz. Roll-on and 5 gram packets for home use. For heavy-duty users or for professional use, it comes in 16 oz., 32 oz. and gallon sizes.

The official website of Biofreeze is www.biofreeze.com.

Their contact number is 1-800-246-3733

You can also email the makers at:
usa@biofreeze.com inside The USA.
and
international@biofreeze.com outside The USA.

Biofreeze is not sold in retail stores. Several websites do sell it and you would be wise to comparison shop as I have seen prices vary as much as $6.00 for the tube that I bought. I paid $6.76 for mine which, apparently, is a great price. The 16 oz pump bottle can be purchased for as little as $21.00 and as much as $42.00 so take the time to find the lowest prices and save yourself some money.

The Bottom Line

The smell is a turn off at first but know that it almost completely disappears in moments after application. This greaseless, non staining, powerful pain relieving gel has done what no other creams or gels have been able to do – relieve my pain and keep it at bay for hours. A little goes a very long way and, at first, I was using too much. Not only does that waste the product but my sore area was cold like ice for about 15 or 20 minutes. When I cut back on how much I used and rubbed it in well, it worked like a dream.

I have to give this product 5 stars because it delivers on its promises. It works! If you have painful muscle conditions or just have an overactive body (or an underactive one that gets all mad when you move around too much), try Biofreeze. It’s like taking a Tylenol with codeine as compared to a baby aspirin when you have a toothache to give you an idea of the difference I feel when using Biofreeze versus other topical pain relievers. There just is no comparing the results of the others with this product as far as I am concerned.

Those, like myself, who are used to hot packs, heating pads, and other forms of heat therapy, may need a little time to adjust to “cold therapy” as Biofreeze calls it. Once you feel the relief, you’ll be hooked on the “freeze”!


Recommended: Yes