7 cool products to beat the heat this summer
No, none of them are ACs or fans
If you had the DeLorean time-travelling machine from Back To The Future, what period in your life would you relive? I would go back to my 8th-grade summer vacation. I was staying at my grandparent’s house for a few weeks. Every morning I would drag my grandfather’s rocking chair out onto the balcony and rock away while sipping on my nani’s famous RoohAfza sharbat (check out these RoohAfza recipes that will blow your mind). I can picture it all like it was a few hours ago. The bustle of the neighbours, cooing of the pigeons, kids playing in the building compound, a pressure cooker going off somewhere in the distance. This is the most relaxed I remember being.
They say things change when you’re an adult. They’re right, but no one tells us the full truth. Probably because they don’t want to scare us off. As comfortable and familiar as it is, I don’t have time anymore to sit in that chair and just zone out. The concept of summers has changed. What was once a few months of eating raspberry duets and playing hide-and-seek all day long has turned into running from pillar to post in the scorching heat like a sunburnt headless chicken. Summers have been crapped all over by two big bullies: adulting and global warming.
Every day, I pray to whichever God is listening to protect me from melting like my ice cream does every night. Slowly dripping and painfully turning into a hot, sticky mess. That’s us all, isn’t it? No matter often we stand in front of the fridge with its door open, until our mother shouts at us to close it.
A few days ago, utterly fed up with the heat, I started looking up ways that I could find some relief. From one website to another, I created a summer survival kit. This list will remind you that Indians are blessed with a talent: jugaad. From stainless steel ice cubes that don’t melt to a reusable cooling gel eye mask, these products will have you finally looking forward to summer again.
Products to keep you cool as a cucumber this summer
Ice-Wrap Cooling Towel
This isn’t your ordinary towel. Nor is it your ordinary ice pack. It’s a combination of the two that even I didn’t know I needed until I chanced upon it. It’s the fastest way to cool down after a day of surviving this apocalyptic heat.
All you need to do is immerse it in water, wring it out, and wrap it around yourself. The towel stays cool for several hours. Its moisture-wicking fabric keeps the sweat away from your skin and provides a cooling effect. Whether you’ve just completed a workout or have just come home after a long day at work, this towel will be your new bestie. It works for when you’re having a hot flash, a heatstroke, and even when you’re running a high fever.
Because you can love ice cream without melting like it.
Headway White bottle
You can eat all the ice cream you want, but when you’re on the move, and your water is warm, all the mehnat you did you keep yourself cool just evaporates. However, this Headway bottle has got you and your cold water covered. It can keep liquids cold (or hot) for up to eight hours and is spill-proof. The lip has a locking feature that prevents accidental spills, and it also has a carry strap that makes it easy for you to lug around.
Having a good insulated bottle during summer is like having a good Senapati when you’re going to war. And isn’t this a war against the scorching weather?
Ice Gola and Slush Maker
I am aware that this gola and slushie maker looks like a toy you give your child to distract them so they don’t bring the roof down. But appearances can be deceiving. This little machine is to summers what crocin is to a fever. The gola maker comes with bowls, a cup, and some sticks.
All you have to do is remove the lid, fill it with a small ice block or some ice cubes, put the bowl underneath and turn the nozzle to get crushing. It’s one way of making up for the arm workout you skipped. Once all the ice is nice and crushed fill the cup, put a stick in it and whichever sharbat you want. Now, you don’t need to go to your golawala to get your thanda thanda fix. Become your own golawala.
Skippi Ice Pops
Do you know what is better than homemade gola? A gola that you didn’t have to work for. If you’re the kind of person that subscribes to the why-make-when-you-can-buy philosophy, we’ve got you covered too.
If you’re a ShartTank India follower (The best business tips we learned from SharkTank India) then this brand is not a stranger to you. Skippi Ice Pops is the answer to every I-am-feeling-so-hot-I-could-melt groan. They don’t just come in the conventional gola flavours. This all-flavour box has Raspberry, Orange, Mango Twist, Bubblegum, Cola and Lemon.
Even though I pledged my allegiance to kala khatta a long time ago, I can’t wait to get my hands on Raspberry. Maybe Cola too. Talk about a rainbow treat.
To get your ice pops to freeze perfectly, freeze them at least 2 hours before you want to eat them. Then, slurp away.
Stainless Steel Reusable Ice Cubes
Sure, these reusable ice cubes are called whiskey rocks. But why should that fact stop you from also using them to chill your lemonade on that hotter-than-hell Sunday afternoon?
Filling the ice tray is a messy task, guaranteed to spill water everywhere. And to empty the tray, you need to whack it like an MMA fighter until the ice cubes pop out. But these rocks go straight from the freezer into your glass. There is no extra kich-kich-much-much. The cherry on top of this comfortably cool cake is that your drink, alcoholic or otherwise, will never be more diluted than it needs to be. You can enjoy your cold beverage in this hot weather without worrying about the ice melting.
These stainless steel ice cubes are made from materials that are safe and don’t add any smell or taste to your beverage. They are durable, easy to wash, and also make for a great gift.
Icicle Cold Brewer
Are you the don’t-talk-to-me-before-I’ve-had-my-coffee kind of person? Do you give death stares to your co-workers when they chirpily wish you ‘good morning’ before you’ve gotten your caffeine fix? And is this affliction worse in the summers, when you can’t enjoy scalding coffee while it’s hot enough to cook an omelette on the pavement? We have the solution you didn’t know you were looking for: The Timemore Icicle Cold Brewer.
Essentially a super-sleek coffee machine, the icicle cold brewer exclusively makes iced coffee. It’s so incredibly easy to use that it is practically stupid-proof. First, you remove the coffee filter and the inner cover, then using a funnel you pour the ground coffee into the filter. Then you insert the inner cover and filter back into the container. After you’ve done this, remove the small metal lid, pour in cold water, put the lid back on and refrigerate for 7-8 hours. Let it brew. Once it’s ready to drink, remove the filter and pour the coffee over a few ice cubes. On the days you’re feeling a little extra you can add some vanilla essence or a pinch of cinnamon.
Epyz Reusable Cool Gel Eye Mask
Picture this. You’ve had a long day at work. Maybe you had a fight with a client. Maybe Powerpoint decided to spontaneously delete the presentation your boss asked for. All you want to do is crawl into bed and escape the day you’ve had by taking a trip to dreamland. Plot twist: you can’t fall asleep. Despite your exhaustion, all you can think of is how hot you feel because your partner insists on having the fan off while the AC is on.
That is where eye masks come in as your knight-in-‘jelly’-armour. An ice pack for your face that acts as a lullaby. The one from Epyz is easy to use and is made with breathable, non-toxic material so it doesn’t react with your skin. Each morning, once you’re done using it, all you have to do is place the eye mask in the freezer until you are ready to use it again. As a bonus, these cooling gel eye masks help with dark circles (can you ever get rid of dark circles?), and puffy eyes and relieve stress better than a squishy ball.
As the mercury soars, you can still keep your cool. And if all else fails, there’s always a last resort from our childhoods: a water balloon war in the building compound. The ultimate jugaadu hack.
