Ok, lets start this post by saying that my photos of this are terrible but I did my best! And this is a fairly long post. Also, I bought this myself, this is not a sponsored post, nor has any of this been gifted.
By now, you may have seen me moaning about the heat, and I have not been as active during the Summer because the heat really knocked me for 6. In the UK, our houses are built to keep the heat in, not out, and we have no air conditioning, just fans that in the heat we’ve had are pretty ineffective. We just aren’t made for or used to this heat and can’t cope. That’s us Brits in general. Now add Multiple Sclerosis into the mix, with Uhthoff’s Phenomenon and it can be, for lack of a better word, shit.
Tomorrow is my official diagnosis anniversary. It’s the day, 4 years ago, that I got the results of my lumbar puncture confirming that I did, in fact, have Multiple Sclerosis. I learned from Eliz of The Sparkled Life, that you should reward yourself, even in a tiny way, to help get you through what can often be a fairly depressing part of your year. So when Koldtec put up a fantastic deal at the beginning of the month, I jumped on it.
You’ve probably seen this on social media somewhere, either because I have spoken about it or because someone else has. I had seen loads of people raving about it, lots of them having MS or other chronic illnesses, and it seemed like a really good product. I desperately wanted one.
The deal was for a Koldtec Ice Towel bundle, with an ice pack bundle and an extra ice strip on top. That meant I got the scarf with 6, yes 6, ice strips. Plus, I got $14 off. How could I not take advantage of it?!
So, what is the Koldtec Ice Towel? The Koldtec Ice Towel is a breathable and lightweight Cool Dri Mesh. It’s made from bamboo and it’s super soft, moisture wicking, naturally anti-microbial, sustainable and eco-friendly. It has a pocket in that houses the patented FlexIce. The ice strips have a few key ingredients that help keep it cooler for longer, your skin doesn’t get wet and the ice pack never comes into contact with your skin. One FlexIce strip should keep you cool for around 60 minutes, depending on ambient air. It’s 5 times cooler than a regular wet cooling scarf.
It has a sewn in, elastic loop, to give you hands free cooling, so you can get on with whatever you need to and not have to worry about it falling off.
If it sounds a little bit like a sales pitch, that’s because I am super in love with my Koldtec and I definitely know at least a few people that would benefit from it, so yeah, I’m kind of trying to sell it to you.
What do you need to do once you get it?
First things first, you need to soak your FlexIce strips in around an inch of warm water for about 2-3 mins.
Then you need to pat them dry. At this point, you can see that the “ice” sections have puffed up and are now filled with a gel like substance.
Once patted down and completely dry, pop them in your freezer. Yes, I know my freezer is in a complete state, don’t worry, it’s getting sorted soon.
It should take your strips around the same time as ice cubes to be completely frozen (about 3 hours) but on your first freeze leave them in for around 6 hours or overnight.
Once they are frozen, you can then pop it in your towel and do some activities. Once “melted” or defrosted, just pop it back in the freezer. You won’t need to re-soak it for quite a while but if it loses hydration, just pop it back in some warm water for a few minutes.
Right, I apologise for the next few photos, they’re pretty rough, you have been warned.
Here I am, at 5:30am, pre “run” attempt (using NHS CouchTo5k) wearing the Koldtec with a FlexIce strip in it. I am using the loop quite tight here so that the ice is pressed against my neck and being as effective as possible, especially since this “running” situation also frustrates me, leading to stress related heat flare as well as the activity induced heat. And a photo of me after the run, where i’m a bit red, but I survived.
I have worn my Koldtec during 3 “runs” and 2 weights workouts and a few times while sitting at my desk doing nails and it is amazing. I haven’t got to the point where I can’t breathe at all whilst wearing this. It tends Obviously it doesn’t solve all the heat related problems but it definitely makes things way easier and I can’t even describe to you how good it feels to not instantly overheat and feel sick with every movement.
The Koldtec clearly had a hand in my success today, I managed to complete all the run sections of today’s session. Yes, ok, I rest the app back to Week 1, but I am on Day 3 of Week 1 and this is the firs time I have successfully “ran” for all of them. I am super stoked about this teeny tiny progress, because it means I am getting better. Yeah, I’ll probably reset the app again for next week and I’ll keep doing so until I can run all of the runs of everyday in Week 1, but I’ll get there.
While on the run I use the loop, although I am pretty sure I am looping it incorrectly but I’ll work it out, but I prefer to just tuck it into my top during weights. It is so comfortable to wear and most of the time I forget about it.
I know my hair is a mess. I would say I am literally a hot mess, but I’d be lying because, right now anyway, I’m not hot. :]
I forgot to mention, the tube it comes with is an insulated travel tube. The double wall keeps your ice strips cool for up to 3 hours. I have 3 strips in it here.
And it also fits your towel, so you can keep it clean and together with your ice strips. And even better, the travel tube is made from an eco-friendly, bonded paper that makes it the perfect, natural insulator.
If you’ve made it this far, well done. Have I convinced you how good this is and how much you need one in your life? I am super impressed with it, I tend to overheat very easily and quickly and the Kodtec Ice Towel has helped me avoid quite a few flare ups and because lately I have been plagued by heat related flare ups, it has been a much needed break from it all.
There are 2 ways too buy the a Koldtec Ice Towel, you can either buy it with just 2 FlexIce strips for $39 or you can buy the bundle which comes with 5 ice strips for $57. You can it in colours Black, Suba Blue, Bali Blue, Liberty Purple and Stone Grey. Pop here to check them out. (Affiliate link)
Shipping is free if you are in the USA or Canada, $6 to Australia or New Zealand, or $10 to the UK and Europe. And don’t forget to factor in Customs charges based on your countries rules.
If this seems slightly out of your budget, I get it, but it is honestly 110% worth it and you will never ever regret buying it once you’ve used it. Especially if you have an illness where heat is a problem. This will be one of your most used items, I promise.
Have you got a Koldtec or other cooling device? What other day to day aids would you recommend to someone.
:)x
