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Hi everyone, hope your having a good week! I’m very excited to be reviewing a really unusual product for you today. I was contacted by NukuNuku to see if I would like to try out a Haramaki. Of course I had no idea what a Haramaki was so I looked on the website and was intrigued!

A Haramaki (translated as ‘belly wrap’ in Japanese) is a band of material that you wear around your waist. The wraps are popular in Japan having first been worn by Samurai under their armour. It is claimed that wearing a Haramaki can help to spread warmth through your body from your core, aid digestion and relieve menstrual cramps as well as being a practical piece of clothing useful for avoiding ‘builders bum’ syndrome, keeping you covered while practicing yoga or gardening and of course it would be useful for supporting the belly during pregnancy.

As someone who really feels the cold and suffers from poor circulation I was interested to see if it could help me stay warm.

I was sent a basic blue Haramaki to try out. I received the small size which fitted me comfortably, however I would have preferred it to be a little tighter and more snug so I would chose the XS size in future (for reference I have a 27 inch waist and 33 inch hips)

I wore the Haramaki under my clothing as shown in the images. I wasn’t sure how comfortable it would be but after the first day I was hooked! I wore it every day until I realised I really should wash it!

I found that it made me feel ‘snug’ and nicely supported. It worked especially well under tighter fitting trousers as a layer between them and my skin and gave a nice clean line under my clothing. I’m not sure to what extent it improved my circulation but it really did make me feel snug and warm, even more than if I was wearing a vest top. In fact this would be perfect for wearing instead of a vest to keep warm if you were going out and wearing a strapless top or something with an unusual neckline. It would also act in a similar way to shaping under ware if you got a suitable size that pulled you in!

It did remind me a bit of the ‘girdles’ my Nana used to wear and the infamous ‘Bridget Jones’ pants - but a lot more stylish of course! The website has a range of different colours and sizes of Haramaki in stock. A Haramaki costs £14 and postage within the UK is just £1.

I have to say I was sceptical at first but I have been completely won over. I actually missed wearing it today while it was in the wash! I think £14 is a pretty reasonable cost when you compare it to other good quality under ware and vests, and the cheap shipping is excellent too.

I think these would make really unique and unusual Christmas gifts for someone open minded who suffers from the cold! I also think a Haramaki could be good for people who have  loose skin on their stomach from weight loss or pregnancy – I have some loose skin and I felt really well supported and comfortable.

I know I’ll be wearing this a lot, especially once I start spending more time down the allotment on my knees planting veggies!

Have you ever heard of a Haramaki before? How are you keeping warm in this cold weather?