How to Keep Your Fingers When It's Really F'ing Cold
This is the current view down our road, just so you know that I understand cold.
Image by @theblindsquirl
The temperature this morning was 9 degrees F (about -13C).
This image also by @theblindsquirl
If you spend any time outside in conditions like these, it doesn't take long at all before frost bite can occur.
FYI, this was one of the least graphic images I could find of frostbite.
Image Source
The Solution
Chemical hand warmers; you've probably seen them, maybe you've even used them.
Clicking on the image will take you to Amazon.
But keep reading because you've probably been using them wrong, or at least, inefficiently.
Most people who use these simply put them in their pockets, which works, if you' don't need to take your hands out of your pockets.
But, if you keep them held against the inside of your wrists, where the radial artery is close to the skin, you apply additional warmth where it's needed the most.
Image & wrist of @theblindsquirl
And, you can still use your hands.
These are called Crazy Thermal Bands and I bought them about 15 years ago.
Image by @theblindsquirl
The handwarmers fit into the fleece pouches and are secured to your wrists by a velcro strap.
Like most things that work, I can't find them anywhere now.
But, I've found a decent alternative.
It's also available on Amazon.
A simple way to think of body heat loss is to consider the heating system in your house.
The further away from the furnace or boiler (your core), the less heat there is available.
That's why the rooms furthest away from your heat source (or, your hands & feet) have the least amount of heat.
Adding supplemental heat where you need it most, frees up more energy for the core.
I have at least one set of these in each car, along with 5 pairs of the chemical handwarmers.
They work amazingly well.
Hm, those would be SUPER easy to sew....you’ve given me an idea for my Etsy shop, thanks! :)
My pleasure.
It was frustrating to not be able to find the commercial ones again, not even on Amazon.
Wow! Totally makes sense! The reason during WW2 soldiers were advised to keep their necks warm!
I've gotten some surplus kidney warmers that came from European countries that I'm trying to decide whether or not to add handwarmer pockets to.
They're basically a piece of fabric that ties around your waist that acts like a blanket to keep your kidneys warm.
I like the low-technology answers.
Sometimes the simplest things work the best. And having this kind of knowledge is always useful.
Haha I love this post! I'm in Nebraska and holy baby jesus it's retardedly cold. During that last cold front we had it was -10 with a "feels like" of -35. We're right along the Platte River so the humidity with the wind chill...I'm sure you can relate in Michigan. I took my dog out to the bathroom with nothing covering my face. I was out maybe two minutes and my nose was on fire! This is a great post though. A lot of people don't know these little secrets!
Thanks, hopefully it can keep someone from losing a finger or two.
Haha hell yea! I wasn't thinking about it and I went outside to grad an aluminum ladder out of my hubby's truck real quick and MAN it was ice. My fingers were burning for a couple minutes but it went away. The next morning I had all these crazy white patches all over my hands. Super scary and definitely learned my lesson haha.
Lucky we don't need them here (New Zealand), ever -)
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I never knew that.
Have you considered making and selling those wrist warmers?
It's difficult to make them at a lower cost than they can be purchased for.