TikTok's Viral Cooling Blanket Sounds Too Good To Be True (So We Tried It)

Undoubtedly, you've heard of worthwhile heated electric blankets, but rarely do we see a blanket that does the opposite. When I came across a TikTok of the viral cooling blanket, I knew I wanted to try it out. As a nomad living in a mini camper, it would have been convenient to have this type of affordable cooling technology during these past few summer months in Tennessee. That said, if it works, next year's experience could be more comfortable.

The Homefin Cooling Blanket can be found on Amazon in a variety of different colors and sizes. They come in black, gray, blue, green, pink, purple, and yellow as a king, queen, twin, or throw. I opted to test out of the black throw, which has a list price of $46 — I did receive it at a 13% discount for $40, though. Each next larger size goes up nearly $10. However, if the blanket does what it's supposed to, I'll be sitting chilly during the next Tennessee heat wave.

This blanket, along with other cooling blankets on the market, has what is called a Q-max rating. It is a measurement of how cool or warm a fabric feels and what the heat transfer rate is. The higher the number, the cooler the fabric will feel against your skin, and based on research, the better you will sleep due to your body regulating its temperature.

SGS, or Société Générale de Surveillance, is the world's leading provider of independent laboratory testing. This cooling blanket I'm reviewing has a Q-max of 0.4. To put that into perspective, according to SGS studies, cotton has a 0.11, silk has a 0.19, and cool silk has a 0.36 — all of which are still lower than this blanket. With numbers like that, I had high hopes for this blanket.

Taking the blanket out of the box, the first thing I noticed was the fabric. The blanket's tag said its surface was made out of 60% nylon and 40% polyethylene while the back side was 100% nylon. However, the Amazon product description said it is polyester, so honestly, I wasn't too sure exactly what the fabric was.

That said, it had an incredibly silky feel to it, and there was a bit of weight as well. It wasn't nearly as heavy as a weighted blanket, but as thin as it was, the weight was noticeable. To the touch, it definitely felt cooler than the standard fleece blankets I tend to wrap myself in. Considering I opened the box outside in 85-degree temperatures at noon sun, the blanket was off to a promising start.

When I first saw this blanket on TikTok, a heat gun was being used to show the temperature difference between a fleece blanket and this cooling blanket while in Texas heat. I wanted to test that same situation for myself. I placed both blankets in the sun for about 10 minutes then scanned both blankets to see if there was a difference. The fleece registered between 106-110 degrees Fahrenheit. The outside of the cooling blanket read 99.3 degrees while the inside read 88.7 degrees. Not a huge difference, but there was one.

However, I knew I couldn't take these temperature readings at face value because I was not actually in the blanket. The point of this blanket was to help keep me cool by transferring my body heat and allowing me to regulate my own temperature. After using the temperature gun, I sat down in the sun and wrapped myself in the fleece blanket for a couple of minutes and did the same with the cooling blanket, and I could feel a difference.

I also took the liberty of using the temperature gun on the blanket indoors as well. The indoor temperature was 70 degrees, and when I checked the blanket's temperature, it was the same. So the outside does seem to hold the same temperature as its surroundings. Additionally, physically using the blanket on my person, I noticed a drastic difference in chilliness compared to outside. It would no doubt give me a cool night of sleep.

In my opinion, the price is a bit steep for what the blanket is, especially since the ever-popular queen size is $66 retail. Additionally, it is a bit difficult to keep folded since it is a very slick blanket. I'd suggest being careful sitting on the edge of a leather couch or wearing silk pajamas while wrapped in the blanket because there's a chance you'll slide. However, other than that, I didn't see much in the way of negatives. The blanket works, especially in a regulated environment.

It is a fairly sensitive blanket, so some care needs to go into washing it. You can wash it either by hand wash or with a washing machine — however, any way to do it, the water needs to be on the cooler side. The instructions say 30 degrees Celsius, which translates to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. It also recommends using a laundry bag to prevent it from getting tangled or ripping, especially if you're using a top-load washing machine with an agitator. Furthermore, do not dry it in a dryer. Instead, hang it up in the shade to dry.

There are a few very similar cooling blankets on the Amazon market. However, the Homfine Cooling Blanket has a 4.6 out of five star rating from over 2,700 users. Furthermore, over 100 shoppers have purchased this blanket in the past month, so it is a widely popular option. I will also say that my thoughts on the blanket, both positive and negative, are fairly similar to other users' written reviews.

Of the written reviews, one consumer compared the blanket to consistently feeling like the cool side of a pillow. They also made the point that if you start to feel like you've acclimated to the blanket, simply moving a bit will instantly return the cooling sensation. As I read through more of the reviews, many of them were of the same positive nature.

Looking at the more negative reviews, one person stated that they toss and turn frequently when they sleep, and because of the blanket's silky texture, it keeps falling to the floor or being pushed toward the bottom of the bed. Another reviewer who loved the blanket also mentioned that if you don't file your toenails down, they can snag on the fabric, which can end up creating pulls.

Reviewing this blanket turned into an emotional rollercoaster. I had high hopes in the beginning and then the initial temperature gun test put me off a bit. However, I'm glad I took the testing further and physically used the blanket both outdoors in the sun and indoors. In the end, it did a good job at keeping me cool, and it is definitely a blanket I would keep in my must-have camping supplies during warmer months.

However, every person's body is different. Some people produce more body heat than others while other people may have difficulty keeping warm, such as those with iron deficiency anemia. I wasn't able to test this blanket using other body types or health spectrums outside my own, so it's important to keep that in mind if you're using this review to determine if this is the right blanket for your cooling needs.