When the scarf first arrive it didn't look for all the world that it was going to do much of anything. It was a flat piece of cloth that had a few beads of something inside the fabric. The package was covered in Chinese writting...so the instructions weren't much help. Anyway, I soaked the scarf in cold water for about 15 minutes and was surprised when it got swollen up! It's been a couple of days since I first hydrated it and it's still partially swollen and cold! The Cooling Scarf will come in handy for working out side or outdoor concerts!