Handana review

Anyone who has ever run with me knows that I'm the snot rocket queen.  My nose is like a faucet -- winter, spring, summer and fall.  And while I've perfected the art of blowing the well-flung snot rocket, I still need to wipe my nose.  Plus there are circumstances where blowing a snot rocket is probably not a good idea.  (I know! Hard to believe, huh?) I've taken to wearing a sweat band around my wrist, but since my huge Garmin goes on my left wrist I have to wear the sweatband on my right wrist and I'm often holding a bottle in that hand.  It works, but after awhile it gets a bit awkard to wipe you nose with a bottle in your hand.  In the winter, there's gloves and they definitely work to counteract the drips.  But it doesn't take long for the gloves to get really ewwwww.  And who wants to wash their gloves after every run?

Image from the Handana website

So when I heard about the Handana I knew I had to try it.  I contacted the company and they offered to send one to me to test out.  (So yes, I received a free product for this review, but my opinions are all my own!)  First thing, I threw it in the washer and then the dryer.  I didn't notice any washing instructions on the packaging, but its a rare clothing item that I don't put in regular wash and dry.  I'm careful with some of my compression wear, but generally, if it can't hold up to a regular wash/dry, it's no use to me.  I'm happy to report that the Handana came through quite well.  It's made out of a soft performance material and didn't shrink when I put it in the dryer (although I'm not certain they would recommend that.)

I was hoping to give the Handana a try on a dry day and as luck would have it, my next run was the Operation Jack Northwest 6 Hour, which was yesterday.  And we were blessed with a mostly dry race. (I'll write a race report in another post).  It was a little chilly at the start, so I started out with mittens.  But within an hour the sun came out, so I dropped my mittens (easy to do on this one mile loop) and put the Handana on my left hand - the same side as my Garmin on my wrist. Out of habit I had worn my sweat band on my right wrist.  I noticed that it was a lot easier to wipe my nose with the Handana than it was on the sweatband.  The cloth is really soft.  And as it started to cool again, I noticed that the hand wearing the Handana was not getting as chilled.  Later the clouds came in and it got a lot colder again. I put my mittens on over the Handana, but I could have as easily worn it over my mittens or gloves.

The Handana would be good for sweat too, but I usually wear a buff or cap that takes care of that issue. I don't find myself wiping sweat too often, but I'm all about managing the snot and nose drips!

So I guess this is a glowing review!  The Handana costs $15 and without trying it and being the frugal person I am, I probably would think that was a little high.  But having had the chance to try it out, I will definitely buy one when this one wears out (which I think will be a long time), or when I decide I want one in a cool color other than gray.  Or maybe if I want to wear one on each hands. Yep, I think its worth the money.

So if you're interested, check out the website.  They come in different sizes and colors.  And I really like that it's a woman owned business, started to fulfill a specific need.  You can purchase it on their website: http://www.myhandana.com/. They also have a Facebook page and Twitter feed where they post specials and deals.  Check them out!

And in case anyone is wondering if this blog is going to become a product review blog, the answer is a resounding no.  But if there's a product out there that looks like it will fulfull a specific need of mine, I'd be happy to try and review it.