Bandana Cooler – Air Conditioning for Runners

The last 2 days I ran later in the day than usual and boy my head felt like it was being melted in an oven. So today I decided to try the Bandana Cooler. It worked great! Here’s how to make one yourself. (Read all the way through to the end of the article for a funny anecdote.)

How to Make a Bandana Cooler

1. Wet a baseball hat.

2. Take a bandana or any piece of cloth. I used an old cut-up t-shirt.

3. Place 3 ice cubes inside in the center on the lower edge.

4. Roll up the ice cubes in the bandana.

5. Wet the bandana.

6. Wrap the bandana around the wet baseball hat on your head. (The visor keeps the bandana from falling down and the wet hat keeps your whole head cool.)

7. Tie in the back.

8. Enjoy your run!

How the Bandana Cooler Works

As you run, your body heats up and so does your blood. As your heated blood passes by the ice cubes in the bandana cooler, that blood becomes cooled. As that cooled blood circulates back through your body, your entire body becomes cooled. Pretty cool huh?

Tips for Using the Bandana Cooler

1. Don’t worry about the cool feeling at the beginning of your run. Once you heat up, your head temperature will equalize from the hot blood circulating to your head.
2. Adjust the level of cold:
   1.  You can skip wetting your hat for a less cold experience.
   2. For more cold you can add more ice cubes.
3. Adjust the level of cold while running.
   1. Move the hat from side to side if needed.
   2. Move the brim of the hat up and down if needed.
4. If more comfortable you can move the bandana to around your neck instead.

Fancier Bandana Cooler Supplies

If you want you can get supplies made specifically for this bandana coolers. Here are a few:

Bandanas

Reusable Ice Inserts

Reusable Cooling Headband

Bandana Cooler Funny Anecdote

When I told my 8 year old son about the bandana cooler, his response was, “Mom, why don’t you just put on a ninja suit and fill it with ice cubes. You can be the Ice Ninja.” I don’t know about you, but that one had me rolling. So for those of you who think that might be a good idea, I found this Ice Vest on Amazon!! 🙂  …..actually this might not be a bad idea on super hot days! If anyone tries it, let me know!

Please Share!

Please let me know if this works for you and if you have any tips to share or questions to ask! Comment below! Thank you!

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