Review: Baltic Amber Necklace

I first heard about "teething necklaces", as amber necklaces are often called, when my older girls were just past the teething stage. When Little Bit was born, I considered a teething necklace, but decided to play it by ear, and she never was really bothered by teething (neither were the older girls). So while I've been intrigued by amber for several years, I never had an "excuse" to get an amber necklace.

Teething necklaces are made from amber beads. Amber, while it looks like any other stone bead, is actually fossilized tree resin. When baltic amber is worn against the skin, your body heat warms the beads and releases trace amounts of healing oils from the amber. These oils are natural pain relievers. So, when a baby or toddler wears an amber teething necklace, the oils help to relieve the pain from teething.


Then I read about someone wearing an amber necklace to prevent, or relieve headaches. While I don't get headaches often, when I *do* get them, they are severe, and I have been unsuccessful in finding a natural way to at least dull the pain enough to function as a mommy when I have a headache. Sometimes advil will help enough so that I can function, but sometimes I have to call my husband and ask him to come home. Now that the older girls are older, I can usually just ask them to take over the care of Little Bit while I doze in the recliner. Still, not ideal. So, I was very interested in the idea of wearing an amber necklace to prevent headaches! Inspired by Finn is a site that I've heard great things about ever since I first heard about teething necklaces, so that's where I went to see about getting a necklace for headaches.

As I read more about it, I learned that the unpolished, lighter colored amber contains higher levels of the succinic acid that provides the pain relieving properties.  So, I chose an unpolished, light colored (lemonade) necklace.

I also learned that succinic acid, in addition to providing pain relief, will help improve our immune systems, a wonderful benefit as we go into cold and flu season!

Since I don't get headaches on a regular basis, it can be hard to determine if the necklace is "working" or not. However, the morning after I received it, and before I had put it on, I felt a headache coming on mid-morning. It was a full day so I couldn't risk JUST trying the necklace as a cure, typically, once I feel a headache coming on, nothing I do will get rid of it completely, but Advil will keep it to a level that I can function normally. So, I put the necklace on, and also took Advil. I didn't think too much about it, but realized a little while later that, instead of just being at a "manageable level" of pain, the headache was COMPLETELY GONE!! While I can't say with certainty, that it was the necklace, I do feel that was what moved the headache from "dull roar", as it typically is after Advil, to GONE. I've been wearing the necklace most days since then and despite a very busy couple of weeks, which is when headaches are most likely to show up, my body's way of forcing me to recharge no doubt, I haven't had any headaches. I'm sold!

Inspired by Finn's necklaces are knotted between each bead, unless otherwise noted, so that if the necklace does break, the beads don't all fall off, just the bead closest to the break. They fasten with a screw clasp. I had never used a screw clasp before and find I have a love-hate relationship with them. I find them "fiddly" to put on or take off, especially taking them off, because you have to "find" the clasp. But I love that I don't have to worry about the necklace shifting as I wear it, and needing to keep a clasp hidden at the back of my neck. So, for me, this works well. I typically only take it off/put it on in the morning when I take a shower, and I'm fine with the extra "fiddle" of the clasp then, to not have to worry about it during the day.  I do question how I would like this with a wiggly baby or toddler however? Inspired by Finn also offers magnetic clasps, for those preferring to not have the screw clasp.

Be sure to check out the Inspired by Finn site for more information about baltic amber and it's benefits!

As a final note, Inspired by Finn has a great program for bloggers, that allowed me to obtain my necklace at a discount in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was received, and my opinions are all my own.