HEX YES: Cleaning My Running Clothes With Hex Performance Products #GIVEAWAY

One of the important aspects that people grossly underestimate when they take up running is the attire. Not for looks, per se. But it's really important to make sure you are wearing the right type of clothing when working out. Why? Athletic wear allows for movement and helps your body to breathe. Certain materials cause sweat to "wick" up to the surface, keeping moisture off your body so you stay cool while you work out.

I run in all kind of weather. And whether it's freezing or 100 degrees, I sweat. Which is why I'm amazed by the wicking technology of athletic clothing. But I quickly learned something about this kind of workout gear: when the material wicks your sweat off your skin, it hangs out on your clothes. All of the stinky, grimy, bacteria-ridden sweat gets embedded into the fibers of your clothing.

So you can imagine what happens next, right?

Friends: let this be a cautionary tale.

After a few months of regularly using my workout clothes, I noticed a...smell. Now I regularly washed my clothes, and never wore them for more than one run or workout at a time. But after a while, even after washing them they smelled unfresh. I didn't let it bother me much. I mean, they are workout clothes after all.

But then it got worse.

I was on a run with some of my friends bright early one hot and humid summer morning. I threw on my running clothes, making sure to wear my favorite sports bra (which we all have. You know the one - it supports you the most efficiently, neither painfully squishing your boobs or leaving them out to hang) since it was going to be a 10 mile run.

Mid-way through the run I kept coming across a gross stench. Something cheesy, maybe a little earthy. At first, I assumed it was one of my running buddies, so I let it go. But then I noticed it even when I broke away from the group in short spurts. I looked around. Was it something in the environment? I didn't notice anything, and if it was part of the landscape, it was surely following me over the miles. The sweat was starting to pour into my eyes, so I quick lifted my shirt to wipe away the drops when the stench overwhelmed me.

And I realized that the stench was me.

Or, rather, my sports bra.

My most-beloved sports bra had gone with me over many runs and still kept my chest supported. I had been so good about washing it diligently after ever run. But the sweat bacteria built up over time, wicking up the stinky moisture and trapping into the material with each run. No amount of regular washing took care of it. After a few attempts with various cleaning agents, I had to surrender the bra to the trash because it was just too far gone.

If only I'd known about HEX Performance then.

Since I learned about HEX performance products, I've been in love. HEX performance is not your ordinary laundry detergent. HEX Performance has developed the first and only system designed specifically to clean and protect today’s performance gear and apparel.

And this is where the geek in me gets all giddy.

They broke down the science behind sweat and created the first high performance detergent with a long-lasting odor eliminating technology, all while staying gentle on fabric and skin. Even better? HEX Power+ Laundry Detergent is also free of dyes, perfumes, and optical brighteners. My skin can be sensitive sometimes, so the freedom of those additives means a lot to me.

Now that it is summer (read: HOT AS HADES), my clothes have been pretty rank. But they have been NO MATCH for HEX. I've been using the HEX Performance laundry detergent in combination with the HEX Enhance+ Performance Booster to not only clean the crap out of my clothes (literally), but to leave them smelling fresh (as well as soft without compromising their wicking ability). (Note: the Enhance+ Performance Booster is not a stand alone detergent. You use it in conjunction with the HEX Performance laundry detergent. The instructions directed me to put it where I would normally put my fabric softener, and it works like a charm!)

So, as an avid runner, I am sold. No more cautionary tales. No more throwing away unsalvageable sports bras. No more being the stinky running buddy that everyone is embarrassed for.

Ready to give HEX a spin? Use this link to download a HEX Performance coupon for $2 off any HEX product exclusively from Wegmans!!

GIVEAWAY TIME!

The good people of HEX Performance want to give ten (10!!) of my lucky readers a coupon for a free HEX product. To enter, fill out the rafflecopter below. The giveaway will run until next Tuesday, 6/23.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck and happy winning!