Originally Posted: January 2022
Updated: December 2023
It seems that a universal constant of all winter outings is the annoying drippy nose. We all get one and are forced to continually wipe our nose on our gloves or mittens. Some gloves and mittens provide a little patch of fuzzy material on the thumb to use as a nose wipe, but many don’t, so we end up wiping on cold, slippery, non-absorbent leather or nylon fabric. Even the gloves and mittens that do provide a nose-wipe patch are oftentimes not readily machine-washable, so the patch never really gets properly cleaned. None of these situations are very appealing, are they?
Fortunately, there is a simple, inexpensive, effective, and hygienic solution. Take a women’s headband and give it a double wrap around the wrist of your glove or mitten. To do this, slide a band over your wrist, give it one twist underneath, and pull the loop back over the top of your wrist. I find that a double loop gives a nice, snug fit. For either-hand convenience, take two bands and wrap one around each glove or mitten. On a particularly “drippy” trip, the wrist band can be rotated or reversed to expose a fresh, dry surface. At the end of a trip, simply pull off the bands and toss them in a washing machine with the rest of your outdoor clothing. I keep every one of my winter gloves and mittens preloaded with a clean wrist wipe before each trip.
A five-pack of Scunci-brand Headwraps can be purchased from most drug stores or on-line for less than $10. Each pack has five different colors, with available combinations ranging from neutral to neon. If you want matching colors on each hand (like I do, being a slave to symmetry), then buy two identical five-packs. The fabric is nose-friendly—very soft and absorbent—and machine-washable.
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Affiliate Disclosure: The preceding text may contain affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something I’ve linked to, I might get a small commission at no additional cost to you. Be assured, though, that I mention only items that I currently use or would recommend to a friend.
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