delightful

[ashewoman]

am typing this with one hand while my paraffin dries on the other.  it is amazing how no matter how much i think i remember enjoying this paraffin treatment by the time i get to di ut again it shocked all over by how great it feels.  now that i have my own home one maybe i wont forget by tomorrow lol  gg

[Cheryl]

Gg,
Maybe you will remember to indulge regularly!  I have never done a parafin treatment, but it does sound luxurious.
Cheryl

[MissyLouWho?]

You got it already?  Yay!  So happy you have that little luxury .  They are awesome! And to have it at your fingertips (hehe I'm so funny,  ) anytime you want it is heaven.

[Ohiocat]

okay i just don't know about these things.    what is a parafin?

[MissyLouWho?]

It's a warmer (like a crock pot) that you put big chunks of paraffin wax in.  It looks like candle wax but is a little different.  I think maybe it might melt at lower temps so you don't get burned because I could never imagine using candle wax for this!   After it melts, you dip your hands in and the hot wax and it soothes your aching joints. 

I never used it for therapy but it sure was fun to make monster hands when we were kids

[WildThing]

Sounds like I need to sit in a bucket of paraffin my tailbone is still sore

[MissyLouWho?]

LOL @ Wildthing!  Hope your tailbone heals soon, such a tender area to hurt!

[WildThing]

Yes it's taking its sweet time to heal 

[ashewoman]

Wildthing-- I don't want to alarm you but I broke my tailbone 15 years ago and it still gives me fits.  They say there is a surgery you can get but I had a friend who had it and she said it was actually worse to heal up from it than it was to put up with it.  She wished she'd just left hers alone.  However, she did stop having trouble.  I just can't imagine it after her detailed horror story.  Meanwhile, I baby mine as much as possible. 

Oh I dipped my feet in last night and OMG its so great.  I may not dip them every day because it is messier, but I do love the sensation.  It also feels hotter on my feet.  But my feet do bother me more than my hands.  GG

[WildThing]

You haven't alarmed me I have long suspected I might have broken it.  When I saw the doc about it he said 'they don't do much for broken tailbones these days' so I figured he was asking me to just put up with it.  I'm guessing they probably 'don't do much for broken tailbones' because it does more harm than good...like it did with your friend.

Glad the paraffin is helping it must be a relief to find something that actually works.  Do you get swollen ankles at all?  f so do you find it helps with that?

[Sooki]

What happens to the paraffin when you're done?  Does it go down the drain?  (My septic tank is feeling sensitive these days.)

[MissyLouWho?]

We used to peel it off and put it back in the warmer so we never ran out   Wax is very bad for any drain.  I guess you could throw it away?

[ashewoman]

I put it back in the vat which has a cover to keep it clean.  But it is solid when it is cold.  The instructions suggest digging it out carefully every few months and putting in fresh.  I don't recall it specifying what to do with the semi-solid wax... its more like slush than candle wax.  But I'd think the garbage would be best.  You should replenish it no matter how careful you are to keep it clean according to the instructions because the oils from your skin get in as well as other little debris over time and there are certain organisms that can thrive at high temperatures.  The wax refills are not expensive and you can get scented ones.  I will next time. 

I've also heard you can add a few drops of any essential oil that is okay to put directly on your skin for scent and the warming process can make for aromatherapy on top of your skin and joint therapy.     I ordered sweet orange because it is safe and smells clean and soothing to me.  Be sure to double check before you put any essential oil on your skin that it is safe.  They are medicine and you can over do it if you use them without consulting their intended use.

[eyeamdry]

I have a foot-bath warmer and have only used it one time.  Wonder if I could use it for that.  It would warm the parrafin, but I'm not sure hot enough.  I could put clean water in it and see how warm it gets.  It is very clean because the one use didn't dirty it at all.  Lucy

[sktaylor]

I also have a parrafin wax warmer. It was a Christmas gift from my daughter. Best thing ever!! Not only does it help your joints, but also with the terrible dry skin on my hands. I don't know about you, but my fingertips dry out and crack and the hangnails are the worst. I love mine.