Hot Flash Remedies: We Road Test 3 Chill Products That Promise to Help

Menopause didn’t sneak up on me, the way grey hairs did. No, my menopause had a scheduled day of arrival—February 13, 2013, when I was 45. That’s when, bowing to certain health concerns, I had my ovaries and fallopian tubes surgically removed. Soon after, I began to experience a side effect my physician had neglected to mention: Hot flashes.

Sure, I had heard of them before, the way you hear certain bummer terms—root canal, tax audit—without truly grasping how much they suck, at least not until you experience them for yourself. Same with hot flashes: There’s a world of steamy misery sandwiched between those two words. It starts with warmth across my cheeks, then a clammy dampness as perspiration gathers at my neck, making my hair frizz. Within seconds, it’s as though I’m in a no-exit sauna. During the worst flare-ups, my whole body will feel as if I’m trudging through the Saharan Desert wearing a North Face puffer jacket.

I’m always looking for relief—something more elegant than my go-to solution of nestling a cold soda can in my cleavage. There seem to be plenty of options on the market these days, but which ones really work? To find out, I put three hot-flash-busting products to the test.