Walk to work, but make it cute.
I love strolling to work from my house – it’s a quick 12 minute stroll. The only issue? There’s no shade. So even in 12 minutes, I get to work with flat sweaty hair and an unintentional dewy complexion. This is why it’s become my personal mission to test as many cooling products as possible. I admit, some are mehhhh, but others CAN “beat the heat”, if just for a moment…
My top five cooling products that actually work:
NECK FAN
This was my OG cooling product that I purchased in Bangkok.
If you think Hawaii is humid, try Thailand. The heat is thick and grueling even at 11p at night! So everyone carries a hand fan or rocks these fans around their necks. It’s easy to charge and throw in your bag for those extra long walks around Ala Moana Beach or on vacay when you’re climbing to the top of London towers.
These cute cat ear ones aren’t available on Amazon but we’ve heard (and seen!) these and they’re highly rated.
“I really wanted an automatic fan in Korea but since we were out all day, my mom said I should get a manual hand one so I could control how much air I got. After we got the manual one, I saw the cutest paw print one and ended up with two! She plugged it in to her external battery pack and it stayed charged for hours!”
COOLING WIPES
A friend gifted me a pack of these menthol Gatsby wipes from Japan and I was shocked at how cool and tingly it made me feel after a brisk walk. Feeling sweaty and sticky? Wipe wipe wipe and you’ll be cool cool cool. You can find these at any Don Quijote in Hawaii, but it’s half the price in Japan. I load up there! My go to scents are mint and lemon. Gatsby is the strongest brand of cooling wipes I’ve tried!
Get similar ones on Amazon here!
The Gatsby brand made a cooling spray and knowing the strength of the menthol wipes, you know the spray is powerful. I spritz it on my arms and legs before I head out the door and it keeps my body temperature nice and chill for at least 30 minutes.
COOLING SPRAY AND POWDER
Another popular cooling brand from Thailand (the land of heat!) is this Prickly Snake Brand. Both their cooling powder and sprays leave you feeling minty all over! Powder can be used after you shower and the spray is perfect for on the go refreshers. Available only in Thailand, which also makes it the perfect souvenir.
CLOTHING SPRAY
This is a new product I tried in Japan this summer. It’s a cooling spray used on fabrics, instead of your skin. I for sure thought this was a scam until I sprayed myself vigorously in Hands in Tokyo. One minute later, my top and pants felt like they just popped out of the fridge! I don’t know what the magic potion is in this spray, but it definitely chilled me out.
Here’s an option available on Amazon!
ICE NECK COOLER
I saw all the ladies sporting these neck ice coolers in Tokyo so I picked one up on my last day of vacation. It’s basically an ice pack, for your neck! Keep it in the freezer overnight and hang it around your neck when you go out. I’ve worn it to and from work several times and I’ll admit, you have a solid 10 minutes of North Pole cold until it turns lukewarm, but those ten minutes? They are pure bliss.
Here’s a similar one on Amazon.
Stay cool, cool cats!