Cooling scarf might be the answer to Florida heat

TAMPA (FOX 13) - You don't need to consult a thermometer to know it's downright hot. How do you stay cool outside and still do the things you want?

FOX 13 Consumer Reporter Sorboni Banerjee discovered a new scarf you wear in summer that promises to give you the chills.

Nano Ice Cooling Necklace creator Sam White says his product is the solution. He gave us a batch to try and we found some willing testers.

Tester number one is Kelly Hutchinson. She has lived with multiple sclerosis for 17 years. Heat can bring on her symptoms, which start with numbing and tingling in her extremities.

Tester number two is Scott Mallard, a hotel bartender who works outside all day.

“Kids might accidentally splash me and parents are like, ‘Oh no, no!’ and I’m like, ‘Yes, yes, splash me! Push me into the pool if you like!’”

And tester number three is Anne Adams, who had only two words: “Hot flashes,” she said while fanning herself with the instructions.

“I'm literally sitting there perfectly fine and within less than a minute, I’m covered in sweat,” Adams said.

Our volunteers tried it for two days. The instructions say, for best results, place your Nano Ice Cooling Necklace in the freezer overnight. Tie your necklace around your neck for hours of relief. The cooling time should lengthen after several freezing cycles.

White came up with the idea while helping dairy farmers chill their milk in India. The secret is an organic liquid, discovered by his company, that stays frozen longer than water.

“When this liquid forms, it freezes in a very interlocked way so you're compacting a lot more ice in a smaller space,” White explained.

He decided to try putting the liquid into hollow balls, and then making a necklace to help his fiancée, Jess deal with the heat there. The next day, Jess came back and said his creation kept her cool for hours.

So how was the cooling effect for our testers? When we went back, Kelly didn't want to give it back.

“It worked beautifully! I love it! Just big enough, I can tilt. [It] doesn’t get in the way and impeded, and right up around the arteries that deliver the blood flow, everywhere,” she said waving her hands around her neck and head. “The only thing I didn't like about this product was the wrapping it comes in. That did not breathe well for me. I want it on my skin surface so I just took the outer coating off.”

Scott wasn’t quite as enthusiastic. He didn't think it lasted long enough.

“First hour and a half, it was great. After that it kind of went away. It was nice and cool [but] a little awkward [and it] gets a little heavy after a while,” he said.

Anne was a fan.

I actually like it... I told you before, I used ice packs. They tend to make me wet during the day. This stays cold and I’m totally dry and it stayed cold about seven hours,” she said.

White had a few parting thoughts based on the testers’ comments.

“It really depends on so many variables: How hot you are, how active you are,” he said.

The Nano Ice Cooling Necklace costs $49, but the maker says for those struggling with multiple sclerosis, he offers discounts.

If you have a new innovation or service you want Sorboni to look into, or feature, like her Facebook page for consumer casting calls and be a part of our trials.