As temperatures soar — with the heatwave forecast to continue into early July — we heat-averse Brits will resort to extreme measures to keep ourselves cool.
This month’s ‘Iberian plume’ — hot air blasting northwards from Spain — and an accompanying ‘pollen bomb’, a thick haze of grass pollen caused by prolonged dry conditions, are making the hot weather feel more unbearable than ever.
Whether it’s freezing our bedsheets, hanging blankets in the windows to keep out the sun or putting bowls of ice beside constantly whirring fans, we’ve tried every hack out there to stave off the sweat.
But if you still find yourself perspiring through the days and tossing and turning at night, help is at hand — in the form of nifty new cooling gadgets that claim to heatwave-proof your life once and for all.
From ingenious jackets with in-built fans to portable air con, refrigerated slippers and pillows that wick heat from your head as you sleep, SARAH RAINEY rounds up the cleverest devices to help you keep your cool…
What a scorcher! Sarah struggles to keep cool in the summer sunshine
Neck fan that’s a TikTok sensation
Blaupunkt Cordless Neck Fan, £12, bmstores.co.uk
This cordless, bladeless neck fan is the ultimate hands-free way to beat the heat.
Perfect for wearing at your desk, around the house or during a workout, it’s battery-operated and has several speed settings. The fan, which comes in neutral grey and white, is flying off shelves at stores nationwide and has racked up something of a viral fan club online, with millions of fans on TikTok.
Cool Factor: Far from fashionable, but stops you getting hot under the collar. 3/5
This cordless, bladeless neck fan is the ultimate hands-free way to beat the heat
High-tech pillow for chilled out nights
Choshome Cooling Pillow Cases, £9.99 for two, amazon.co.uk
This is a high-tech, cooling pillowcase, made from Japanese-designed ‘Q-Max’ cooling fibres, which are said to have a silk-like texture that sucks in heat and dissipates it.
Q-Max refers to the heat absorbed when the body comes into contact with a particular fabric. While most materials average a Q-Max of 0.3, the Choshome pillow has a value of 0.45, meaning it can reduce body temperature by up to 4c.
Cool Factor: A must for sweaty sleepers on hot nights. 5/5
Bracelet for hot flush relief
Embr Wave 2 Bracelet, £299.95, no7beauty.co.uk
Designed for women going through the menopause, this wristband — which comes in chic rose gold — gives immediate, ice-cold relief on the sensitive skin of your inner wrist at the press of a button.
It’s backed by clinical research and can be calibrated to your body temperature and preferences, so you can trigger rushes of cold in an instant — ideal for those restless nights. There’s also a men’s version, designed with prostate cancer patients in mind.
Cool Factor: The ultimate in cooling relief. 5/5
Gel slippers for hot, swollen feet
Rapid Relief Gel Slippers, £16.29, amazon.co.uk
Uncomfortable, swollen feet are a common heatwave gripe. As your skin heats up, its blood supply increases, pulling fluid out of blood vessels and into the surrounding tissue — and gravity means the excess fluid tends to pool in your feet.
The pads of these slippers are filled with a temperature-changing liquid and, when placed in the freezer for 60 minutes before use, are guaranteed to keep your feet cool for hours.
Cool Factor: Refreshing for hot feet, but you can’t walk around in them. 1/5
The pads of these slippers are filled with a temperature-changing liquid which keeps your feet cool for hours
Mattress topper with a fresh twist
Pod Cooling Cover, £2,295 for a king-size topper, eightsleep.com/uk
Turn your bed into a heatwave haven with Eight Sleep’s ‘Pod’, a cooling mattress topper with an in-built smart ‘grid’ that continuously monitors you and your partner’s body temperature. There’s an upright bedside unit called the ‘Hub’, which funnels water to and from the mattress to regulate heat, and you can connect to a smartphone app that monitors your sleep habits.
It’s high-tech, highly innovative — and uber-expensive.
Cool Factor: Ingenious, but too big an investment for most people. 3/5
Looking cool with a fan vest
Cooling Vest With Fans, £79.99, bertschat.co.uk
The ultimate in wearable cooling technology, this vest contains two electric fans, powered by a portable power bank, offering reprieve from the heat for up to four hours.
It’s made from light, breathable polyester, with three speed settings, and you simply recharge the power bank when you’re done.
If whirring fans on your torso prove too bulky, there’s also a vest with in-built ice-packs (£119.99) that provides up to eight hours of cool-down as low as 15c.
Cool Factor: A great idea but not practical for every-day use. 3/5
This vest contains two electric fans, powered by a portable power bank, offering reprieve from the heat for up to four hours
Ice Towel to wick away sweat
Microfibre Ice Towel, £14.99, amazon.co.uk
Brave the sweatiest of sports with this ‘ice’ towel, made from super-absorbent microfibre weave fabric that retains cold water while wicking sweat from your body.
Simply soak the towel in cold water, wring it dry and shake five times to remove excess liquid before applying to your neck, forehead and underarms.
Cool Factor: Clever, but an iced facecloth does the same job. 2/5
Get ahead with a keep-cool cap
Cooling Hat Pro, £34.99, bertschat.co.uk
It’s good practice to wear a hat in the sun, but this one does more than protect your scalp. Made with patented cooling fabrics on the inside, outside and brim, you need to ‘activate’ the material by pouring 100ml water over the hat, gently wring it out — and then put it on your head.
The makers guarantee eight hours of feeling refreshed, and the clever design wicks water away from your scalp, so you won’t get wet hair.
Cool Factor: Keep a cool head, without ruining your hairdo. 5/5
The makers guarantee eight hours of feeling refreshed, and the clever design wicks water away from your scalp
Your very own portable air con
Evalight Plus Portable Air Cooler, £203.30, loveandjoy.co.uk
Forget noisy whirring fans or clunky air conditioning devices.
This small, sleek gadget cools and humidifies the air, catches dust particles — and you’ll feel its breeze from around 5ft away.
Designed for camping trips in hot countries, it’s the perfect portable air-con unit and doubles as an LED light and sleep timer. It can be powered by USB, your laptop or a car battery, and uses 100 times less energy than traditional air con.
Cool Factor: A clever cube that’s light enough to carry in a backpack. 4/5
Car seat to make driving a breeze
Car Seat Ventilation Cushion, £31, lightinthebox.com
Hate the feeling of getting into a hot car that’s been sitting in the sun all day? This comfortable cushion is fitted with a quiet fan that draws air in through a vent under your legs, providing a constant breeze that blows through permeable pads on the base and back.
Made from leather, it’s anti-slip and easy to clean with a damp cloth.
You fit it to your regular car seat with an elastic belt, and can change the fan speed from low to high as required.
Cool Factor: You’ll still need your car’s air con blasting on hot days. 3/5
A nice, icy frozen necklace
Nano Ice Necklace, £106, ninelife.uk
Made from a string of interlocking plastic beads, filled with a high-tech, water-based liquid that will stay frozen for up to two hours (far longer than a regular ice cube), all you have to do is put the necklace in the freezer, take it out when needed and clasp it round your neck. It also comes as a black, grey or purple scarf (£69.80).
Cool Factor: Instant relief that lasts on scorching days. 4/5
This necklace will stay frozen for up to two hours (far longer than a regular ice cube)
No more sizzling under a hot duvet
Dangtop Cooling Blanket, from £54.84, amazon.co.uk
If you thought blankets were only for the winter, think again.
Made from breathable bamboo, a material known for its cooling properties, this large blanket comes in an array of neutral colours and comprises a porous structure that the makers claim is five times better at wicking sweat than cotton. It’s got more than 13,000 five-star reviews online, with users declaring it ‘simply amazing’.
Cool Factor: Thin but silky-smooth, make this your summer duvet. 5/5
Barmy? No, this brolly’s brilliant
Fan Umbrella, £29.99, umbrellaheaven.com
Like no parasol you’ve seen before, not only is this umbrella sunproof — it has an inner UV-protective layer — but it’s got an in-built, super-charged fan, designed to blast you with cold air while the sun is blazing overhead.
It’s battery-operated, with a layer of protective netting to stop the fan getting caught in your hair, and it collapses down when you close the brolly (which has a canopy of 3ft 6in).
Cool Factor: Why has no one invented one of these before? 4/5
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