We’re regularly asked questions about Raynaud’s, symptoms, products, treatments, and more. These get answered one by one in emails and social media replies. Recently it occurred to us that sharing these inquiries and our replies might be of interest to fellow Frosties, so we created a new column called “RA Q&A.” Hope you’ll find it helpful!
Here are some recent questions we’ve responded to:
I am looking for snug glove liners (that I can also wear just around the house) and some sort of sock liners?
You say you want something “snug.” One option is The Writer’s Glove® (come in pairs, but the name is singular). These are a thin, stretchy combination of polyester and spandex, with a hint of copper (known to help regulate blood flow and boost circulation). They were designed for use indoors, offering enough dexterity for typing (after a few minutes to adjust to them), but they would make a good liner for gloves or mittens.
Another option for both hands and feet are Infracare Glove Liners and Socks. These are made by a Canadian company that specializes in products sold through the medical community that address cold hands and feet (Raynaud’s, diabetes, vascular disease, etc.). Both products are thin, lightweight, stretchy and quite comfortable to wear. Each can be used on their own in-between seasons, or as liners during colder weather.
The links above will take you to our product reviews on both brands, along with links to the manufacturers’ websites and our member discount codes.
Also, you might be interested in reading these two blog posts on our site for more product ideas:
What’s the Best Glove (or Mitten) for Raynaud’s Sufferers?
What’s the Best Warm Toe Solution for Raynaud’s Sufferers?
Hope the above information is helpful.
Do you have any recommendations for heated gloves? I’ve been fooled by sites claiming to be endorsed by people with Raynaud’s. I need gloves that allow my fingers to still function independently while staying VERY warm in 20 – 30 degree weather. Many thanks!
Thanks for your question. We’ve been pretty disappointed with most heated gloves we’ve tested. The ones that offered the best combination of good quality, reputable manufacturer, excellent heat down to the fingertips and fairly good dexterity were the heated fleece gloves from Gerbing. I received mine many years ago when Gerbing was a Sponsor for our organization. I’m not sure how the glove design has changed over the years, but this style tends to sell out quite early in the season. Gerbing is primarily known for their heated products serving the motorcycle community.
Another quality brand is Volt, as the team came out of Gerbing. The founder started the company to develop heated slippers for his mother with Raynaud’s, and the slippers are awesome! However, I’ve had limited experience with their glove products. The ones I most recently tested are their Frostie Gloves (they borrowed the name from us!). The model I have has been updated with a thinner, more lightweight battery, so I suspect my experience wasn’t optimal for their current product. But I found the fabric was too thick to feel the heat at the fingertips, and installing the thick batteries was an effort. While these are superior to the cheaper products from overseas you’ll find on Amazon, I can’t fully recommend them.
One pair of new heated mitts I just tested are those from Chaval. While they do also have heated gloves, the model we tested is what they call mitts – the forefinger is separate, but the other 3 fingers are together like in a mitten. I have to say these gloves really performed: They heat up instantly, have the thinnest and lightest battery I’ve ever tested, they are all leather and it’s buttery soft and pliable with a plush inner fabric lining. It have a simple one-button control that’s easy to access (raised), and you don’t need to remove the batteries for charging (amen!).
The reason they only have a single button with one setting is that Chaval’s technology is self-adjusting: It regulates the production of heat for each individual finger. I wasn’t aware of it functioning, as it seems pretty subtle. I have tested other high-tech gloves that claim to be self-regulating using apps, settings, etc. and they were just too much trouble. Plus, you’re aware of one glove heating up while the other one isn’t, which only left my other hand feeling “needy.”
There are some other good features for these gloves/mitts, but they are also quite expensive – $425. We’re discussing a Sponsor arrangement whereby our members would receive a discount, but I can’t say at this time what the discount might be. I was very impressed with the company’s product. (Editor’s note: Chaval member discount is 10% with code MEMBER 10.)
If you’d like to discuss any of the products further, please feel free to call or email.
Can you wear nail polish strips or nail polish with Raynaud’s?
Thanks for your inquiry. While we’re not aware of any clinical information on fingernails, fingernail polish and Raynaud’s, we’ve seen data that suggests Raynaud’s can potentially slow nail growth (Nail Growth and Raynaud’s) and can be caused/aggravated by the ingredients found in nail polish (Raynaud’s Risk From Solvent Use By Lab Technicians), but there are not specific guidelines on the use of polish or how long it can be worn, sorry!
The only other information I’ve come across is that we did hear from one Raynaud’s sufferer who had problems with nail extensions. Her fingers became severely painful when she was cold. Her Raynaud’s is rather mild, and I have no idea if the two are linked.
Wish I could provide more information, but it’s just not been studied.
Hope the Raynaud’s community will find this new RA Q&A column helpful. Have questions for us? We’re not medical professionals or the Good Housekeeping Lab when it comes to testing products, but we’ll do our best to provide fellow Frosties with answers. Write to us at info@raynauds.org.
