I've seen other skaters talk about the need to use colored tissues while skating, so that if you drop a Kleenex on the ice, it doesn't vanish. Well, I've got a major problem with my nose running when I skate. I don't know if it's the cold, or the activity, or what, but I have to stop every 10 minutes or so to blow my nose while I'm in class, and every 5 minutes when I'm practicing. (I go longer in class because I know I'm wasting valuable time to blow my nose when I could be learning something, so I'm typically miserable for several minutes until I finally interrupt the session to stop and blow my nose.) I've tried taking decongestants, I've tried allergy pills, I've tried nose spray. . . . Nothing works. I'm doomed to a perpetually dripping nose when I skate.
At any rate, I tried Kleenex, but I got tired of the fuzzy dust sticking to the tip of my nose. Besides, I was going through a ton of them, and I didn't want to have to carry around a whole packet of tissues in my pocket while skating. And I didn't want a pocket full of used tissues, either. My solution? I have a large, soft, white men's handkerchief that belonged to my late grandfather. It works perfectly! I keep it in my pocket and pull it out whenever I need to blow my nose. It doesn't waste dozens of tissues, it doesn't leave dust on my nose, and it's soft enough that it's comfortable to use. When I get home, I toss it in the laundry (in a lingerie bag, usually with my skating tights) and hang it up to dry. It doesn't need ironing, thank goodness, but if it did, it would only take a few seconds.
Now, the trick is finding new ones. This is a vintage handkerchief. You can buy lace-trimmed or embroidered "vintage style" handkerchiefs on eBay, but I worry that they'll be too thin and too small. No way of knowing for sure without buying one. I bought a pack of men's handkerchiefs at Wal-Mart, but they were very stiff and brightly colored, very masculine-looking, so I didn't care for them at all. I've considered sewing my own, but I haven't had the time. Probably my best bet will be to find men's vintage handkerchiefs on eBay. Meanwhile, I'll just keep using my grandfather's handkerchief.
What do you do for your runny nose when you skate? Is it even a problem? Have you found anything that helps? Would a handkerchief work for you or does the idea gross you out?