With cold weather and the dreaded “Big Dark” making its way to our university, it’s important to remember the little things in life. Like prohibiting the arrival of cold hands. Truly, such an event can ruin the passing period between classes, and make the whole day even more dreary. Fear not, however. I have done the excruciating event of ranking the most common hand-warming techniques. If I missed one of your favorite methods, feel free to seek me out on campus and slip a strongly worded letter into the front pouch of my backpack. I’ll be sure to take your advice to heart.
10. Blowing into your hands and rubbing them
Overrated, to the highest extreme. Do I look like a little cartoon character to you? Sure, the action may seem whimsical and fun, but it doesn’t even work! You blow into your cupped hands, do the little rubbing motion like a devious house fly, and boom! The moisture from your breath gets all over, and now you’re colder than you were before. No good, don’t recommend.
9. Hands in the armpits
Now, this method can actually work- sometimes. You gotta make sure your core is warm, or you’re just gonna make the rest of your body cold. You can’t really have a raincoat on because the heat won’t travel to your hands. And then, your hands are stuck so you can’t carry anything or even open doors. There are far too many prerequisites for the “hands in the armpits” technique to be of any value. The only time I see this method working is when you’re indoors, no raincoat, warm core, and don’t need to hold anything. Think watching a movie or kinda following along to a Zoom class.
8. Hands under the thighs
Whether you’re in a car (not driving!), in a class, on the bus, or working, sitting on your hands always seems to do the trick. I like this technique better than the armpit one because of the higher rate of hand-warming. The only downside is the numbness that follows. But hey, you can’t feel cold if your hands are numb, so maybe it’s a win.
7. Stretching your sleeves over your hands
Although you may only stretch your sleeves if your sleeves are, one, long enough to be stretched, and two, stretchy enough to stretch, the usefulness and pure ingenuity can not be understated. I’m also pretty sure this is where the idea of thumb holes came from. It’s warm, it’s simple, and it gets the job done. Maybe next time though, just grab a pair of mittens.
6. Instant heat packs
I’ll be truthful here- I’ve never purchased one of these. However, a friend in high school once lended one to me, and let me tell you, it was a life-changing experience. No longer was I depending on my own body to produce heat, oh no, I had the power of external chemistry on my side! Points off because these really work best if you have a pocket to stick them in.
5. General exercise
Turns out, your hands are part of your body, so if you warm up the rest of your body, you’ll warm up your hands. Who knew?
4. Pockets
A classic, for sure, and the one thing I always look for when I’m shopping for new pants. The pocket is versatile, and it can be paired with other hand-warming techniques to achieve ultimate cozy handness.
3. Mittens
When it comes to warming your hands, mittens > gloves every day, every time. Sure, gloves are more practical, since you can use your phone when you wear them, but since they separate the fingers, you won’t be able to efficiently warm up. Plus, mittens are just cute. Even the name is cute. Mittens.
2. Holding a warm drink
Coffee, tea, hot chocolate- it doesn’t matter. Wrapping your hands around a toasty special treat is a top-notch method of getting warm. Not only are your hands heating up, but so is the rest of your body as you take sips (or gulps). An all-around mood and heat booster.
1. Hand holding
Come on, you saw this coming. Pair hand-holding with mittens, gloves, pockets, or a shared heat pack, and you got yourself a 10/10 hand-warming experience.
Stay warm, Huskies!