When the weather is hot and sticky, or you are having to do something that is really strenuous and you can’t beat the heat, would using a Chill-Its be a good solution?
Overview
Chill-Its is a cooling towel that is made from PVA materials. It is said that once the towel has been activated by wetting it, that it feels significantly cooler than the ambient air. It is promoted to be used by people who want to cool themselves down. It is drawing some general interest from those who want to use it in when they are active in high energy entertainment venues, when the weather is hot and humid, and for those who work in hot humid environments.
The Claim
The Company claims you only need to run the Chill-Its towel under cold water for one minute to activate it. They state that it has super evaporation qualities, and that it will provide quick relief for many hours. It’s machine washable and to re-active it’s qualities all you have to do is re-soak it.
The Hype
Most everyone enjoys warm weather but when it becomes humid it creates a hot and sticky feeling. The most common relief for this is to set yourself in front of fan or stay within an air conditioned room. There is no fun in that though as most people want to be enjoying the outdoors. The Company has addressed this issue by providing a product that they say is going to cool you down while you still continue your normal activity. This is a real interest earner. The alternative way that many choose to do this is to simply wet paper towels and put them on the back of their neck, but the marketing materials for the Chill-Its show a much more attractive and longer lasting solution.
The Cost
How much you pay will all depend on where you purchase the Chill-Its from. There are numerous sources for doing this. If you are on the Ergodyne site who is the promoter of this product then when you hit the buy button you will see a list of suppliers and one of these is Amazon. Presently at Amazon you can purchase this item for $10.95. However,if you choose to check out Full Source then you may be able to get it for $7.99
The Commitment
You really aren’t going to have to put a lot of effort into using this product, provided you remember to take it with you if you are going to use it when out and about. If you participate in any type of activity that causes you to heat up like exercising or sports for example, then you may want to pack the Chill-Its in your gym bag so you can use it when the need arises.
Evaluation
It’s obvious that its the PVA material that is what allows for the cooling effect, so we want to take a look at what PVA is. The MSDS is posted on the Ergodyne site for the Chill-It towels and indicates the component is Polyvinyl Acetal. Under its GHS Classification of substance it is categorized as a category 3 for skin irritation which means it could cause mild skin irritation. It is categorized as a category 5 for acute toxicity stating it may be harmful in contact with skin. While this may sound frightening before jumping to conclusions you need to have a full understanding of what the GHS Classifications are. Also, people with sensitive skin often react to many different types of materials including organic materials that most other people never have a problem with.
Final Chill-Its Review
We are going to give the Chill-Its a Try/Buy. Overall it is getting decent feed back from several that have tried it. How effective it is is going to depend on the individual who is using it and the circumstances, so this has to be taken into account when looking at what people have to say about it.
Our Recommendation
We’ve looked at other cooling related products like the Chillow for example. This one was based on using a type of memory foam with water inside it that circulates. So far our viewers have given the Chillow more thumbs down than thumbs up. With the Chill-Its relying on the PVA technology it may be a different story. It is reasonably priced and you just may want to give it a try especially if you are the type of person that really doesn’t handle the heat well.
This kinda sorta works. I didn’t wear it too tight so perhaps I didn’t get the full effects. People asked me why I was wearing an ascot like Fred on Scooby Doo so it made me feel a bit aged. As far as cooling me off, not really that much. To me it was the same as soaking any other strip of fabric in cold water then tying it on til it turned room temp. Maybe my expectations were to high.