KOOL 'N' SOOTHE (Kobayashi Healthcare Kool 'n' Soothe)

Member Name: moog27

Product:	Kobayashi Healthcare Kool 'n' Soothe
Date:	20/05/08 (120 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: simple to use, effective when used on children, can be placed anywhere on body

Disadvantages: doesnt help at all with my migraines, quite pricey, doesnt last for the time it says on the box

WHAT ARE THEY?
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Kool 'n' soothe are gel sheets designed to provide cooling relief on your forehead during a headache or migraine. They can be used for children and adults and contain no medicine. The strips do not need to be kept in a fridge or cooled down in anyway so they are ready to use as soon as a headache or temperature strikes.


HOW DO THEY DO IT?
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The gel in the cool and soothe strip contains mainly water which evapourates from the hot temperate of the skin which causes a cooling effect on the skin underneath the strip.


WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE?
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Each individual strip is approximately 4 and a half inches long and 2 and a half inched wide. The strips consist of a rectangular piece of soft white material which has a large rectangular patch of blue coloured sticky gel in the middle. The gel is the part of the strip that does the cooling and the white material bit is sticky on the side of the gel so that it can be easily stuck to your head. I would not recommend walking round with one of these on your head though as my dad thought i had a panty liner stuck to my head (yes it does actually look like that!)


HOW DO YOU USE THEM?
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These are very simple to use as you just open the box, tear open the top of the packet, peel off the clear backing strip from the gel side and place it where you want to be cooled (not on a hairy area as it wont stick!!) The strip easily sticks as both the gel and sheet are sticky but they do not leave a sticky residue when removed and do not cause any pain which is always a good thing! The box says that the strips will stay in place for 6 hours but i havent kept one on that long so i dont know whether they do. The gel on the strips is soft and squidgy so are quite comfortable to have on your head. The strips can also be cut to a smaller size if required. Each sheet should only be used once (up to 6 hours). It is also important to remember to fold over the top of the packet so that the other strip doesnt dry out.


WHAT DO THEY FEEL LIKE?
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When i first place the strip on my head it feels immediately quite cool which is nice. After a few minutes the gel has a strange feeling of coldness but it feels....artificial! (thats the best way i can try and descrbe it!) To me this felt a bit annoying as my head was feeling slightly odd and the strip didnt seem to have the same effect as a cold flannel would have had. The strip itself was perfectly comfortable but it was the sensation that felt a bit odd.


HOW EFFECTIVE ARE THEY?
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I found that the initial cooling feeling provided quite nice relief but after that i didnt really feel anymore benefit from the it.. The strips were more effective with normal headaches but didnt help at all with my migraines. I think that the strips would be most useful in young infants who had a temperature to keep them comfortable.


WHAT DO THEY COME IN?
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Inside the box there are two packets, each packet has two strips in, so there are four strips per box. The box costs £2.99 in Boots and a similar price in tesco. Therefore each strip costs around 50p so it is not something you would want to use on a daily basis!!


WHERE ARE THEY FROM?
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MANUFACTURED IN:- Japan
MANUFACTURED BY:- Kobayashi Healthcare Europe Ltd
SOLD IN:- Boots, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury, Safeway, Morrisons, Lloyds, Moss Pharmacies and Independent pharmacies.
DISTRIBUTED BY:- Jenks Sales Brokers


SO....WOULD I RECOMMEND THEM??
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The cool 'n' soothe strips are convenient as they need no prior cooling and are easy to carry in a bag. They are also easy and comfortable to use (although slightly embarassing to wear!!). The strips are particularly useful for children who wriggle around and would not be able to hold a cold flannel still on their head for a period of time! and they are also comfy to wear whilst sleeping. I think the cool 'n' soothe strips are a very good idea as a more convenient replacement for a cold flannel or ice pack and do soothe the hot headedness of a headache but i do not think they are much use for intense migraines (although this may just be me!). I myself wasnt to keen on the sensation of the strips but i know other people who find them really useful. The strips are quite expensive considering they can only be used once, although the fact that they last 6 hours is quite good! I think i would definately recommend these for use on children and for anyone with a bog standard headache but i doubt they would give much relief to migraine sufferers!

Summary: useful to have in the first aid box