Sorry to be starting another thread on a health and beauty product, but selling such stuff is what I do these day (sort of) and I find I’m not quite as clued into such products as I thought I was.
Today’s question is about “body cooling cloths” by such venerable companies as Ban (known best for their deodorant and antiperspirant). The marketing is definitely aimed at women, and while nowhere does it say “use these for menopausal hot flashes” that’s the vibe I’m getting. It’s also the vibe a lot of customers are getting because I get ladies coming in asking for the “hot flash cloths”.
OK, I don’t quite get this. Maybe it’s because I have (so far) escaped the hot flash symptom during my Change of Life. This seems like marketing creating a need where there isn’t necessarily one to begin with. What do these things give that a damp washcloth and a bottle of baby powder don’t?
Oh, I get the convenience factor - sure, if you’re traveling, maybe keep some at work… but some of these ladies are definite stay-at-home types, retired, whatever and are (from what they’ve told me) keeping them by their beds at night.
Maybe it’s because I’m so strapped for money myself that this seems like a silly luxury on a certain level (although I have nothing against people enjoying whatever luxuries they can afford). On the other hand, maybe this is a godsend for people.
So… anyone use these or some variant of them? What do you think?
Also, I think they’re missing a marketing opportunity by ignoring men - lot’s of men work out, they sweat in hot weather and might want a quick clean up when they get to work, etc. The advertising copy and packing would probably have to be different, but that would hardly be the only item on our shelves that come in male and female versions.
Looking at Amazon reviews, it seems like these are used for hot flashes, but they also have a following for people using them after a workout or some other situation where they get sweaty and then have to go back to work.
That makes some sense to me-- there are definitely times in the summer at work where I’ll get sweaty walking between offices or to lunch, and might appreciate a discrete refresh before any important meetings. I’d guess any baby-wipe clothe type cloth would do the trick a bit cheaper, though. These do seem to leave some kind of light powdery finish, which may be appealing.
I’m not sure why you’d use one at home, unless you just really like the scent and finish.
Lots of marketing of feminine products fixes a problem that doesn’t exist. Vaginal deodorant? If your hoochie smells bad, and a shower won’t fix it, you need a doctor, not a douche. Though it could be argued there’s not always a difference.
Don’t know if it’s the same thing but I bought a thing for a friend of mine. It was more like a snake than like a cloth and it felt cool and moist, although it wasn’t actually moist. I don’t know how it worked. My friend was having lots of hot flashes, and she doesn’t like being hot in the first place.
But anyway, I bought this thing at a truck stop. Where apparently it is marketed mostly to truckers. Who are mostly not the right sex for hot flashes.
Anyway, it seemed to work for my friend. At no point did I ever touch the thing where it did not feel cool.
But the advantage over a wet washcloth is that it isn’t ever wet, therefore it can’t dry out. Can’t leave wet stains on your clothing. Doesn’t need to be wetted down for it to work.
They make vests out of similar material that are designed to be wetted and worn under motorcycle leathers in hot weather, so there’s at least some (not exclusively) male market for the stuff!
When I first read the OT, I thought of the hand towel I would soak in water and drape around my neck when I went on a patrol. But that sort of thing doesn’t seem to be what this thread is about.
We have them in Japan, literally called “sweat-wiping sheets”, that are marketed to both men and women. They are especially useful in the hot and muggy summer seasons to wipe away that sticky feeling from heavy perspiration. A damp washcloth might suffice, but using water only will dry out the skin. The ones for women are scented and can double as an anti-deodorant. Using talcum powder when you’re sweating will turn to sludge. There’s a guy at work who bikes to the office every day and he uses them in lieu of a shower.
Was it something similar to this? They have some kind of crystals in them that absorb water and let it evaporate slowly, which is why they feel cool and moist. My husband is a contractor and swears by them during the summer.
Makes sense to me. Wake up with the night sweats, and when it passes you could get up out of bed, walk to the bathroom, ho bath with a washcloth, dry yourself with a towel, and then put on a little powder and go back to bed, all the time trying not to disturb anyone else with your movement or noise or the bathroom light. Alternatively, you could grab one of these things off the nightstand, wipe yourself off, and roll back over. The second option strikes me as being substantially less disruptive to getting a half-way decent night’s sleep. I mean, yeah, people don’t need it, but we don’t need tv remotes or heated car seats or dishwashers or tumble dryers or a million other things you think nothing about ordinary folks having.
Not a goddamn thing. Some of those body cooling cloths may have menthol or similar in them so you feel cooler, but I don’t think that will help with hot flashes.
Personally, I’ve found that a juice popsicle and a desk fan do more good than a washcloth if I have a hot flash. YMMV.
Luckily, since starting HRT I haven’t had any hot flashes. This is great! Except that now I have to heat my apartment in the winter. The first year the hot flashes started, I was my own furnace.
