Handana: Love At First Wipe

This post is a bit of a departure from my usual tales of what happens when a very overweight,  sedentary person decides to take control of her life and become a fit athlete who tries to inspire others with her own tale of woe.  My blog entry this time is a product review of something called a Handana, which was created by a woman who – well, inspires others with her own tale of woe.

When Katie Niemeyer was a teenager, she developed a severe reaction to some prescription medication she was taking.  The reaction caused blisters so severe that they turned into 2^nd and 3^rd degree burns from head to toe.  This reaction is called Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), and the blisters and burns also form on the internal organs. 

Katie fought back and survived, but her eyes have remained extremely sensitive.  While training for a marathon, Katie had had it with sweat dripping into her eyes and burning them, and Handanas were born.

Handanas are sweatbands that you wear on your hand.  Inspired by Katie’s story, I emailed her to ask if I could try out a Handana and review it on my blog.  That was one of the smartest emails I have ever sent.

When you order a Handana from their website, www.myhandana.com, you have 17 color combinations to choose from.  Since I was trading a Handana for a review, I told Katie to send any color she wanted.  I received one that per their website is Riviera blue with black trim.

I was excited to try out my Handana, and quickly slipped it on.  As it comes in 5 sizes, I was pretty sure that the small that I asked for would fit, and it did.  When I run, I often wear wristbands to wipe sweat from my eyes.  You know the kind I’m talking about: those tight, circulation constricting things that don’t look half as cool on you as they did on Michael Jordan back in the 1990s.  The first thing I liked about the Handana is that you wear it on your hand instead of your wrist, making it much more comfortable.  Also, I wear a watch on one wrist and an ID band on the other; I didn’t have any wrists left.

With my new Handana, I set off on a 7 mile run.  Though it’s October and should be a bit crisp and chilly here in the North East, it’s been unseasonably warm and I started sweating immediately. I tried out the Handana, and I have to say that it was love at first wipe.  It absorbs sweat, doesn’t scratch, and looks oh so much better than those tacky wristbands.

My run took over an hour (and no comments from all you speedy runners out there, please), and that Handana held up.  Being bigger than a wristband, there was more surface to use to wipe my face and head, and it never felt “soaked”.  I was worried about the black trim being uncomfortable or scratching my face, but the material is soft and worked out fine.  It is a little snug on the outside where it overlaps itself, but it was still very comfortable.

This is a product review, so I’m supposed to discuss both the positive and negative.  I guess the biggest problem with it is that I only have one and have to wait until I get to my laundry before I can use it again.  Bottom line: Handanas are a comfortable, smart solution to keeping sweat from dripping into your eyes and ruining your work out. 

Handanas are available from www.myhandana.com, and Katie’s incredible story of her battle with SJS can be found here: http://www.womenyoushouldknow.net/handana-sjs-survivor-puts-the-power-of-perseverance-on-your-hand/