Tested: Mineral Ice Pain Relieving Gel

Want to soothe your sore, aching muscles for just $7, with no effort required?

It’s possible, and the secret lies in a small jar of blue gel known as Therapeutic Mineral Ice pain relieving gel.

I rarely see Mineral Ice being used or talked about amongst cyclists, but it’s a common item in most locker rooms. It’s simple - you rub the gel onto your muscles and joints and they feel better.

The key to Mineral Ice is the active ingredient - menthol. Menthol is used in a variety of salves and balms, and the 2% menthol content of Mineral Ice works well to relieve the pain in your muscles and joints, whether it’s from a nagging sports injury or arthritis.

Just apply Mineral Ice to your body and in seconds you will feel the tingle. It feels great!

While Mineral Ice feels pretty strong, it smells stronger. If you use it all over your body, the entire room will smell in no time! I think it smells pretty good, though, and there’s the added benefit that it will unclog your sinuses!

How I Use Mineral Ice

Check out my sweet tan line!

Mineral Ice is more than a simple pain reliever. Here are all the ways I use it…

Pain Relief. If I am sore from a long ride, or if an injury (such as a torn ACL) is acting up, I’ll rub Mineral Ice on it to ease the pain.

Easy Massage. The tingling sensation from Mineral Ice working its way into your muscles is similar to a massage. If I ever feel like getting a massage, but don’t actually want to get a massage, I can just rub Mineral Ice on my body. It does all the work!

Rest & Recovery Days. You know how your legs are always extra stiff after taking a day off? You can solve that by rubbing Mineral Ice on them on off days for “active recovery.” This keeps your legs loose so they aren’t as sore when you ride the next day.

Pre-Race Warmup. Especially on cold days, it can take a long time to get your legs warmed-up and ready for peak performance. Just spread Mineral Ice on your legs before jumping on your bike and the tingling sensation will warm you up. (I only do this for some training rides since the tingle is a bit unusual if you’re not used to it, but some people do use it before races.)

Quick Tip: Running vs Riding
The tingle of Mineral Ice on my quads when cycling makes it feel like I’m not putting out as much power as I normally would. I’m not sure why, it’s just a weird feeling. However, using Mineral Ice before running is great. It might be the impact on my legs overriding the tingling sensation, but whatever it is, using Mineral Ice before running feels great for me.

Cure Headaches. This one I’ve never tried, but some people use Mineral Ice on their forehead, temples, and the back of the neck to cure headaches.

My final verdict is…

Mineral Ice has become a staple on my medical shelf, right up there with chamois cream! I couldn’t ride well (and recover) without it.

It works great for pain relief and even better for keeping my muscles loose, so it helps me get the most out of each training ride. Plus, it’s cheaper than specialty balms, creams, and gels - just about $7.50 for an 8 ounce jar - and it lasts for months.

Buy online: at Amazon.com