Lava Sand Vs Flax Seed: Which Is The Better Heating Pad?

Heating pads can be a very important part of your arsenal for being comfortable.

So it is important to know which of the heating pads would probably be the best for you and your family.

When comparing lava sand to flax seeds, lava sand wins out in most, but not all categories.  Lava sand heating pads have a better cost scale, they are more durable, and the insides won't decay as long as you take care of the cover.

Read on to find out our reasoning for lava sand.

Cost

Cost becomes a very important part in deciding what heating pad you are going to purchase.

This is because some heating pads you might have to purchase a few times based upon how long they might last before they go bad.

So if you are purchasing multiple heating pads, you have to take time to figure out if the price is worth it.

Finding a heating pad with flax seed, you have a wide variety of heating pads that you can choose from.

First, you can find a flax seed heating pad that is specifically made to go around your next and shoulders here,

At the time of posting, that heating pad goes for around $30.

You can also find a heating pad used for putting on your stomach or other parts of your body that might be cramps for around $25 here.

You can also get a heating pad with flax seed that is in the shape of a pillow and can be microwaved for around $25 here.

So you have a few different options that you can pick from, allowing you to pick the size and shape that you want, depending on what you think your situation might be.

Depending on how long those heating pads last, you might find you are purchasing a new flax seed heating pad every few months.

But we will cover why you might purchase the same heating pad multiple times later in this article.

For lava sand heating pads, you have a few different options.

First, you have the original size heating pad, which should be perfect for any adult looking for comfort and warmth, and that can be found here at around $60 at time of posting.

And if you are looking for a heating pad for your child, you can purchase a kid size heating pad here for around $50 at the time of this posting.

You can also find a lava sand heating pad wrap here at around $60 if you want to be able to cover your neck and shoulders.

You can also purchase covers for your lava sand heating pad as well.

These are nice because if you get the cover dirty, all you have to do is take the cover off and wash that instead of washing the whole heating pad, which can sometimes be cumbersome, but not impossible.

So for this category, the lava sand heating pad wins because you can purchase different covers and you will probably only have to purchase your lava sand heating pad once.

Advantage: lava sand

Durability

When it comes to your heating pad, you want it to be able to last.

This means that you can either heat it up or cool it down and no matter what you do with it, it is going to last.

Sometimes when you have a heating pad with rice in it, it quickly wears out if you are heating it up and then cooling it down.

It can also get ruined if you put it in the microwave for too long, trying to get the heat relief going.

But is it the same for flax seed?

Flax seed is a little bit different than rice or other food that you might see in a heating pad.

This is because the flax seed is seed and it contains oils in it that can be heated over and over again.

Something like rice is going to be dependent on moisture to heat up, and eventually that moisture can end up being cooked out of the rice.

And this leads to the rice burning in the heating pad.

With flax seed, because it contains oils, it takes a lot longer for the oil to be burned out.

So the flax seed ends up lasting a bit longer than rice in your heating pad.

But while it does end up lasting longer, this doesn't mean that it can't burn.

It will burn eventually, and this means that the flax seed will go bad and can no longer be used.

The lava sand heating pad, on the other hand, doesn't contain food products of any kind.

And this means that the inside can last significantly longer than those with rice or flax seed on the inside.

The sand won't go bad on you and you don't have to worry about the smell of the lava sand heating pad when you are heating it up.

You also cannot wash your flax seed heating pad.

The flax seed is going to be especially susceptible to water, so if you try to wash your flax seed heating pad, you are going to ruin it.

It is recommended that you do a spot clean on the heating pad or you can undo the seam on the heating pad, pour out the flax seed on the inside, and then wash the heating pad.

Once it has been washed, then you can put the flax seed back on the inside and redo the seam.

The lava sand heating pad can be washed all you want.

It is recommended that you throw the heating pad in your dishwasher and let it get cleaned that way or you can run water over it and wash it with a dish rag.

Once you are done washing it, put your oven on at 200 degrees and place the lava sand heating pad on a drying rack.

Then place it in the oven for a few hours until it is completely dry.

Then you are all done washing your heating pad.

So overall, the lava sand heating pad is going to have better durability than the flax seed.

Advantage: lava sand

Heat

More important than most topics, the amount of heat your heating pad is gives off is very important.

The last thing you want is to get the heat to a place where you feel nice and comfortable and then the heat goes away.

In that case, you have to get up again to go heat up the heating pad.

Which you won't want to do.

So keeping the heat is important when considering a heating pad.

For flax seed heating pads, it is recommended that you heat it up for at least 45 seconds to one minute. You can add another 30 seconds a few times until you feel like it is heated up enough.

You shouldn't heat it up for more than 3 minutes, otherwise you might end up ruining the flax seed inside the heating pad.

And then you could end up having to buy a new flax seed heating pad.

After that, the heat for the heating pad should last around an hour if you keep the heating pad under the covers.

If the heating pad is over the covers, then you will get anywhere between 30 to 60 minutes.

The lava sand heating pad will give you around the same amount of heat for the same amount of time.

The difference being that you can heat up the lava sand heating pad for more than 3 minutes without having to worry about ruining it.

But heating it up more than 3 minutes is probably not going to give you more hat overall.

So 3 minutes should probably be the most.

And when you have heated it up for 3 minutes, be careful taking the heating pad out of the microwave, as it might be too hot to hold in your hands.

So for the amount of heat you are going to get off of the heating pad, there is a tie between lava sand and flax seed.

Advantage: tie

Decay factor

If your heating pad has a decay factor, that means you will end up having to purchase a new one after a certain amount of time.

We've already covered this a little bit previously in this article.

Suffice is to say that the flax seed will eventually decay in your heating pad.

While the flax seed does have some natural oils in it, which will help it last longer, it is much like rice and wheat.

This means that eventually they were wear out and decay.

And then you will have to purchase a new heating pad.

This isn't true with the lava sand heating pad.

Sand will not decay on you and it will not be replaced.

The only thing you have to worry about is the fabric for your heating pad.

And if you take care of the fabric, then the heating pad will last you a long time.

So if your lava sand heating pad gets wet, then you need to make sure it gets dried.

And as we've discussed before, this means putting the oven on and then let the heating pad slowly dry out in the oven.

Otherwise, there is very little to worry about.

You can put it in the freezer or in the microwave, and you won't have to worry about if the insides are decaying.

So the lava sand heating pad wins this category.

Advantage: lava sand

Comfort

Both flax seeds and lava sand are very small in contract to something like cherry pits.

And so comfort doesn't have as much to play in this category.

Because depending on the kind of heating pad you get, either should be able to conform to the shape you need it to.

Advantage: Tie

Smell

Some people like heating pads that give off a good smell.

And this helps them to relax while they are using the heating pad.

Lavender is a good scent to have that gives you a calming feeling while you have the heating pad on you.

The only problems with smells is that they sometimes can cover smells that could be a signal of other problems with your heating pads.

For example, if the flax seeds in your heating pad have gone bad, then the smell of lavender might cover up the decay smell from the flax seeds.

The nice thing is that flax seeds and lava sand on their own will not give off a smell.

So if you don't add essential oils to your heating pad, then you can easily monitor if something has gone bad.

Advantage: tie

Summary

Flax seed and lava sand heating pads are great options for your heat needs.

These two types of heating pads are similar in a variety of ways.

And that includes the smell that flax seed gives off, as long as you don't add any essential oils.

But overall, the lava sand heating pad is a better choice.

You will find you don't need to buy lava sand heating pads as often as flax seed.

And the lava sand heating pad won't decay on you, so you won't need to purchase new heating pads as often.

So consider a lava sand heating pad for your heat needs.