The Crazy Girl Warming Heart Massager is a fantastic innovation! Based on the basic principle of the old-school hand warmer packs that are used mostly by hunters and used for camping out, these hot packs are in the basic shape of a heart. They are large enough to cover the palm portion of even a larger man's hand.

The heart-shaped packets are filled with a combination of vinegar, salt, and water in a non-edible combination known as Sodium Acetate Trihydrate. It's neither harmful nor staining, but the chemical reaction that the combination creates can cause irritation if it comes into contact with the skin due to a puncture in the outer covering. The covering is fairly thick, so it isn't something that's going to happen easily. Tossing it into a drawer is still perfectly acceptable due to this fact, because even throwing a few random things on top, it's not going to pop very easy. It has a wide, thick seal around the edge, as well, and it'll take a good amount of pressure in order to cause a puncture point in the pouch. It also won't easily come apart because the seal is wide enough and solidly sealed to avoid this issue.

The specific ratio of the ingredients causes an exothermic reaction (heating). Sodium Acetate supercools at higher temperatures, so what you're experiencing is the freezing of the ingredients with a spark-like action caused by the metal disc that's inside the pouch. What you're seeing as the pack heats up and becomes frosty is the freezing point reaction as the temperature reaches 130ºF instead of the conventional freezing point of 32ºF. The metal disc contained inside each heart is curved and acts much like a flint without the spark, which is the kick-starter for the freezing process as it flexes and begins the heating process immediately. Occasionally, this disc may need to be clicked several times, especially if you happen to have cold hands, if it's a particularly chilly day, or if the pack is cooler than average room temperature.

The crystallizing reaction occurs in just seconds, starting from the reaction point and working its way outward to the edges of the heart heating pack from the "spark" where it was introduced. Our hearts take approximately 20 seconds to completely cyrstallize and become plump, while it takes another 10-15 seconds to completely solidify.

Because of the freezing (heating) process of the reaction, the crystallization process begins immediately. It literally plumps up right before your eyes and once the packet reaches 130ºF, it becomes completely solid in a matter of seconds, but keeps the temperature for quite some time. The smaller version of the heart packs that we have tend to last around a half-hour, while our larger heart packet lasts around 45 minutes to an hour, dependent on how warm or cool the house is at the time. It provides great heat therapy for me, no matter where I am, what I'm doing, or what time of the day or night it is. I'm able to toss it in my purse or an overnight bag and unless the disc is depressed (which is still hard to do just throwing it in a bag full of assorted "stuff"), it stays in its liquid form until I use it!

Personally, I've tossed mine into a duffel bag full of goodies for a trip, where it's reached the bottom, been jostled around, and it was even thrown a few times by attendants while traveling by airplane - and I've never once had a single instance of the packs accidentally activating the freezing reaction.

The crazy little packets are 100% reusable, as well! You can boil them to further heat them and it will "melt" the "ice" back into its liquid state! Doing this isn't all that tricky, you just boil water for a few minutes in a pot or pan that's larger than the packet you're re-melting. Make sure there's enough water that the pack is completely submerged, and put the pack in the already-boiling water. You'll watch as the packets crystals melt back into liquid form. I generally hold the pack under the surface of the water using a wooden cook spoon or silicone-coated tongs for a few minutes. It takes around 3 minutes for the smaller pack to be completely liquefied again, and around 5 minutes for the larger packet to liquefy and re-dissolve the salt around the metal disc - then you're ready to go again!

I suffer from Fibromyalgia, and in times where I'm experiencing a lot of pain, my household keeps several of these heart packs in rotation at all times. It's an enjoyable relief when they're solid to knead out knots, then after boiling and waiting til it's not quite boiling hot - we wrap in a kitchen towel and use it until it's completely cool again, only to turn around and click the button again once it's cooled again and start the heating process all over again!

Sometimes, I use these for just a simple, straight-up massage as well. They work even better if you use some lotion on the skin and then glide the hot pack across, massaging the cream in while soothing your partner. It also works great to make little circles with just a little pressure on sore and tender points. They work great when you're switching back and forth doing hot/cold therapy because it's the perfect time to swap back to a cold pack once your hot heart starts cooling down!