I bought these with a lot of skepticism in my mind. After reading other reviews on Amazon about this product I was hesitant, but hopeful, that these bandanas would deliver what they claimed.
They really do help to keep you cool in hot weather conditions!! I gave one to my boys' godmother (who easily wilts in the sun) for her trip to Cancun. She gave it a thumbs up for helping her to tolerate the hot, tropical sun.
My 12 year old son used one during our regular volunteer experience where he is in the blazing, Michigan noon-time, summer sun for almost 3 hours. He was excited to report that he thought the cooling bandana was one of the greatest inventions in history!
Before using the bandana, put it into a large bowl of ice water and let it sit and get totally saturated. The bandana will expand in size as the gel beads that are sewn into it absorb the water and hold the moisture. Gently squeeze out any excess water so that the bandana isn't dripping wet and drape it around your neck and tie the long ends. It will stay cool for several hours.
At first, I was concerned about the dark green color fabric being wet and possibly bleeding color onto a lighter color garment. As a precaution, for the initial cold water soaking I used salted ice water to help "set" the fabric dye. I then let the bandana dry completely before soaking again in ice water and storing the re-hydrated bandana in a ziploc bag in the refrigerator.
Be sure to let the bandana dry out completely when you are done using it for the season or for long term storage (more than a couple months). I found this simple to do by tying an end of the bandana to a hanger and letting it hang over a rarely used sink in the basement. In a few days it was bone dry and ready to store away without risk of mold/mildew growth.