How to Make a Rice Heating Pad – Natural Pain Relief

Let’s talk about why something as simple as a DIY rice heating pad deserves its own spotlight! It embodies everything at-home treatments should be: affordable, simple, and effective. A rice sock heating pad provides excellent, natural pain relief for a wide variety of ailments. In this post I’ll walk you through the easiest way to make your own homemade rice heating pads, no sewing machine required! Your family will love having their new heating pads for stiff muscles after a long day, warm comfort on cold nights, or a multitude of other uses! 

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please read my full disclosure policy here.

What is a rice Sock heating pad?

A rice sock heating pad is a sock, filled with dry rice, tied off, and warmed to desired temperature.

benefits of a Rice Heating Pad

• Relief for sore muscle aches – Heat helps increase blood flow to sore muscles, causing quick, soothing relief for muscle pain.
• Headache / tension relief – I use the heating pad in 3 different areas for headaches. 1.Back of skull 2.Across shoulders 3.Over eyes as a soothing warm compress
• Cold / flu aches and pains – during a cold or flu, a warm rice heating pad can be such a relief for any aches and pains.
• Post dental / surgery procedure – I’m one of those people who gets so swollen and achy after any dental procedure. A warm rice sock is the perfect quick solution for any dental pain.
• Menstrual pain relief – My sisters and I have found one of the most effective remedies to ease menstrual cramps and back pains is heat therapy. This heating pad is so easy to keep re-warming as needed for quick relief.
• Swollen lymph / glands – Heat causes the lymph system to circulate. Causing hard, swollen glands to soften and get moving. You’ll find quick relief by using the warm rice sock as a heat compress.
• Bed warmer – A warm rice sock can be such a welcome addition to your bed at night! It’s especially nice to give kids, knowing it’s a comfort to them, but also not worrying about something like cords or shock.
• Hand warmer – Perfect for those fun winter outings. Think sledding, caroling, or looking for the perfect Christmas tree!
• Pregnancy / labor pain – recovery From lower back pain to round ligament pain from your growing belly, to a warm compress on the hips during active labor, to soothing natural relief after birth.
• Growing pains – Occasionally, our daughter has growing pains at night. I’ve found a warm rice-filled heating pad to bring her relief and help her get back to sleep quickly. 

Materials you Will Need:

1. A cotton sock ( length 8″ to 16″ or whatever length you want the heating pad to be)
2. Multiple cups of uncooked rice (any type of rice will do rice jasmine rice, white rice, brown rice etc.)
3. A cotton string (If you can’t tie the sock by itself)
4. Wide mouth funnel ( to avoid a big mess)

How to make a Rice sock heating pad

Let’s make this rice sock heating pad in under 5 minutes!

Insert the wide mouth funnel into the open end of the sock. 

Hold over a bowl and fill the sock 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full with rice.

Tie off the sock with it’s own cuff, or if the cuff is too short, tightly tie the cotton string around the top of the sock.

There you have it, a ready-to-use rice sock heating pad.

How to Heat your Rice sock heating pad

Microwave instructions:

• Heat your rice filled heating pad in the microwave for 1-2 minutes then heat in short intervals (up to 3 minutes). All microwave settings vary, so experiment. Do not exceed 3 minutes rice can actually burn in the microwave, which will make the heating pad smell burnt!
• Try 1 minute at first, and go up to 3 minutes until desired temp is achieved.
• Warning: due to the freshness of the rice, your pack may be quite streamy. This moist heat can burn bare skin. Use caution at first and let the heat pack cool as needed.

Oven Instructions:

• Place the rice sock heating pad inside a glass baking dish or on a cookie sheet and put in your oven preheated to 200°. Warm for approximately 15 minutes or until desired temperature is reached. 

Use your Rice Sock as an ice pack

Place your rice sock inside the freezer for several hours to create a soothing cold pack.

Will a rice sock heating pad burn?

If your rice sock looks or smells at all burnt it has been heated too long. Safety precautions: You should never heat it longer than 3 minutes at a time in the microwave and 15 minutes in the oven. 

How often can you reheat your heating pad?

You can reheat your ice sock heating pad as often as you desire. If you add whole flax seed to your rice they may work as a heat retaining agent helping you heating pad to stay warm longer.

How long will your Rice Sock heating pad last?

Your heating pad can last for years if stored properly in a dry location. If you add essential oils after heating, they may shorten the life of your heating pad. If there is any smell or discoloration that’s a good indication that it’s time to make a new rice heat pack.

Rice Heating Pad variations

• One of the amazing things about making your homemade heat pack is that there are so many variations to choose from, and you can use it in so many different ways! You can use an old sock or a new sock, you can make it different sizes by adding different amounts of rice, you can make aromatherapy rice bags, you can use it hot or iced. It’s totally customizable and up to your own personal preference. The only problem you may find, is that soon you’ll need to make all of your family members their own rice heating pad. 
• Shirt Sleeve heating pad – For a longer heat pack, you can cut the sleeve off of an old shirt and tie off both ends.
• Pillow case heating pad – Cut a pillowcase in half in a straight line. Use the side with the bottom seam and fill with a couple of cups of rice. Sew a line all the way across to create a sealed tube, then repeat with another couple of cups of rice. Repeat until desired length and seam the end to create a finished rice pack with several tubes full of rice.
• Aromatherapy heating pad – If you have any favorite calming essential oils you can add a few drops to your heating pad AFTER warming it up. (example : a few drops of lavender essential oil for a lavender heating pad) Be cautious about which oils you use around children and pets.
• Use different grains – If you don’t have rice available, you can use corn, oatmeal, or beans as great substitute filler for your heating pad.
• Heat retaining agent – If you add whole flax seeds to your rice they may work as a heat retaining agent helping you heating pad to stay warm longer.

Does your Rice Sock need to be Cotton?

Organic cotton is my personal choice but not necessary for the function of the heating pad. I have found that polyester has a weird smell to it when heated.

Cotton is a natural material that allows breathability, is non allergenic, and doesn’t release microplastics. Cotton also has many other health benefits.

There are been many articles written about the negative effects of Polyester/synthetic materials. https://goodmakertales.com/is-polyester-bad-for-you/ this is a very good article on the subject.

Have you ever used a rice heating pad before?

Let me know if the comments below your favorite use of your own homemade heating pads!

Want to know more about my health journey? Find my story here: https://donveyfarms.com/about/

Disclaimer: I am not a medical expert. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Do not disregard professional medical advice because of something you have read on this Website. Any application of the material provided is at the reader’s discretion and is his or her sole responsibility. Effective as of 12/10/2024

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please read my full disclosure policy here.