Imagine yourself in an interview, and the interviewer offers his hand for a handshake. You smile but silently curse as you wipe your palm on your pants before meeting his outstretched hand. Or, during exams you write furiously in hopes of beating the clock, but before you know it, your exam sheet is totally drenched in your palm sweat and some words are smudged. Or when you're playing your guitar, you leave watery streaks on the bridge. You know what is happening and your heart sinks just a little bit.
Before you say I'm just jabbering, I want to remind you that these situations are real. At least for those of us who suffer from palmar hyperhidrosis. Usually people with this issue suffer from another problem as well - sweaty feet. I've been through some horrendous moments in my life thus far involving social faux pas and personal problems caused by this medical condition. Even though it is nothing life-threatening, it is super annoying, troublesome and downright embarrassing.
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| Inspired by Carpe Diem - Seize the Moment! |
So when I chanced upon this little tube that claims to work wonders on people like me, I immediately contacted the founders of
Carpe to request for a tube for review. But knowing it probably wouldn't arrive on time, I went ahead and bought myself a tube from
Amazon, because it will be at least 24 hours of flight for me and I want to prevent cold, sticky hands (and feet!) during the whole journey. And I was so happy that it works! I was sweat-free for the whole flight, and remained so even after I landed in Malaysia.
But in the name of science, I decided to test it for a little longer to see how well it works in different situations. But first, let me share how to use this little tube of magic:
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| This is the texture of the lotion. Rather viscous. |
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Initially it's gonna leave you with a weird feeling as the lotion absorbs into your skin.
But after that, you can't see or technically feel any trace of it. |
What I like about Carpe is that the anti-perspiration power stays even though you wash your hands after applying the lotion. Just a small pea-size will be enough. Take note not to slather on too much lotion because the excess lotion is going to make your palms sticky.
I used Carpe in various different settings at different times of a day.
1. At work (8.45am-5.45pm)
I slather on a thin layer of Carpe on my palms and feet before going to work. It works well, no sweating at all. I have a feeling if it works on my palms, it works on my feet. No shame in admitting that.
2. Sports (6-7pm)
Usually, I will put Carpe on my palms and feet. My palms and feet are sweat-free even after exercise. No smelly socks, yay!
3. Playing musical instruments (8-9pm)
I find this one to be more of a hit-and-miss. Perhaps my fingers get a bit overworked sometimes, or maybe it's just my brain stressing. But even when I do sweat while playing piano or guitar, it's dramatically less than what I used to have. No more water puddles on piano keys or guitar bridges, just a slight moisture on my palms.
4. Social settings (random time, usually on weekends)
This one is also a bit of a hit-and-miss, though most of the times it works perfectly. If I sweat, it's real little though my palms will still feel a little cold and clammy.
I have a feeling that how well Carpe works depends on my emotional state. If I'm super hyped, I might start to sweat a little even with Carpe, but when I'm in a relaxed state of mind, it works perfectly fine. Nonetheless, it's a really great product when you need to be sweat-free instantly.
I'd say Carpe is a good investment for long-term victims of palmar hyperhidrosis since a tube of 40ml / $14.95 can last you for 1.5 months (44 days) with regular daily use. That's only approximately $0.35 daily. It also claims to be able to stop sweating completely with constant use, I tried to experiment it in short-term usage, like putting it on Day 1 and stop on Day 2 to see the results. And even though no Carpe is applied on Day 2, my palms are still sweat free. But Kasper clarified that sweat-free situation can only be achieved with long-term usage, if you stop using it completely sweating will probably return to normal levels within a week or two. The main active ingredient in Carpe is Aluminum Sesquichlorohydrate (15%). Rest assured that it is used commonly in anti-antiperspirants products and is shown to be highly useful without any harmful side effects.
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| I'm happy to know that Kasper is from Utah! Call it Utahn pride! |
Thanks to Kasper Kubica from Carpe for providing me with a tube of this life-saving lotion for this review! I'm very glad I bought a tube earlier on Amazon Prime (it's not available in Malaysia!) because I'm going to be needing it very much (though to my displeasure Amazon sent me one that expires in October 2016 so I only have 3 months left to use it). Mark my words I'm gonna make sure every drop counts.
WHERE TO BUY
- The official Carpe website (They ship worldwide, exact charges please refer below*)
- Amazon (US only, 2-day free shipping with Amazon Prime)
*Shipping to Malaysia for 1 tube of Carpe:
*Shipping within US for 1 tube of Carpe:
Update by Kasper 07/04/2016: You noticed that 10/2016 expiration date on the tube - that's actually an extremely conservative estimate, since we were only able to get a very small amount of expiration date testing done before we produced that batch of Carpe. While I can't legally guarantee an expiration date beyond that, I can tell you from personal experience that the tube will easily last at least another year without any noticeable changes - especially if you give it a shake before using.
