Changing Channels — Hot products outside of food, drug and mass
NEW YORK — Sagging, the practice of letting one’s pants hang slightly below the waist in a way that exposes the underwear, is a fashion trend that has inspired heated debate of a sort unseen since the mink stole, pitting supporters of free expression against those who see it as indecent exposure. Like fur, it likely will stick around for some time, so inventor Andrew Lewis has taken the pragmatic route with Subs, launched by Hatch Ventures. Subs work like suspenders or garters, holding pants up so that they don’t fall down too low and inhibit wearers’ ability to walk and climb stairs. Subs retail for around $34.95, and products also come packaged in kits.
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — It may be stay- indoors season now, but spring will arrive in a few months, bringing Americans out for camping, fishing and other outdoor activities. United Spirit of America has unveiled Basic Edition, a line of personal care products designed for outdoor enthusiasts, military and law-enforcement personnel. The products make personal care easy while delivering protection against sun exposure, insects and germs. Products include a combination shampoo, body wash and shaving lather; a sunscreen spray that also acts as an insect repellant; anti-fungal foot powder; and anti-bacterial gel. Prices range from $1.99 for the antibacterial gel to $8.99 for the foot powder.
SAN ANTONIO — It’s common for parents washing babies’ cloth diapers to end up with an un- pleasant ammo- nia smell, but Texas-based Rockin’ Green has created a way to get rid of the scent. Funk Rock is designed to eliminate the ammonia smell that emanates from cloth diapers in half an hour or less. The product uses a natural ammonia-busting compound that eliminates odors with a few tablespoons. Funk Rock also works on odors from pets’ urine. It is available in 9-oz., one-month supplies for $12.95.
NEW YORK — It’s hard to convince most small children that medicine will help them when it tastes positively vile, but one doctor who encountered this dilemma with his two small children created Sippy Sure, a sippy cup that mixes medicine with more palatable beverages. The cup, launched by Iatrical Innovations, works by keeping the medicine and the beverage separate, but mixing them together when a child drinks from it in a way that will administer the medicine without the child detecting it. The cup retails for $8.99.