Good Housekeeping: Summer Products

June 29, 2004 -- While summer can be a time to relax and have fun, oppressive temperatures and wild hair can often get in the way of a good time.

Ellen Levine, editor-in-chief of Good Housekeeping magazine, shared some of the most-wanted summer tools for combating summer heat and what it can do to hair, as reviewed by researchers from the Good Housekeeping Institute.

Check out the fans, bottled coffee drinks, hair removal products and anti-frizz hair tools reviewed for Good Housekeeping magazine.

Cool Fans

The Good Housekeeping Institute tested 32 fans (prices from $9.99 to $110) and came up with four winners, one for each category.The Institute's Engineers tested the fans based on four factors: ease of use; features; performance; and safety and appearance. They had staffers who were not engineers rate the importance of each category while taking into consideration the price to determine Best Overall winner.

Best Desk/Table Fan: Honeywell HFT-114B ($14.99):It's energy efficient (consumed only 20 watts of power at its highest setting). It's also inexpensive, small, quiet and light. The fan passed Good Houskeeping's safety test and there's no assembly required.

Best Box/Floor Fan: Honeywell HF-810 ($29.99): This fan does a great job of creating wind flow, with breezes detected as far as 60 feet away from the unit. It can circulate gusts of air in hallways and basements and also works well when angled to blow air up a staircase. Staffers praised the appearance. Note to parents: as with all box/floor fans the Institute tested, the Honeywell HF-810's large grates are not kid-safe for children under 3. No assembly required. No remote control.