Am I really this sweaty?

EagleSpirit started this discussion · 11/9/2010

My TG Xpole arrived last week and I was so excited! Now, I'm so frustrated and disheartened. I have hyperhidrosis, but this didn't really affect me when I was using the homemade galvanized pole in the garage or even the basement support jack. My hands were damp and clammy like they always are, but I never felt like I was going to fly off the pole in a swoop or fireman spin. My titanium pole surprised me because I didn't expect it to be so smooth. The galvanized pole, even sanded smooth, is matt and rough in comparison, and maybe that was absorbing the wetness. I can't even swoop on my new Xpole because I'm terrified I'm going to fly into the wall...my hands are that wet on this pole. I thought the pole was sweating, but I think it's just me. Hubby has no issues with the pole, and it stays dry for him. We've cleaned it over and over with rubbing alcohol and methyl hydrate. My hands feel dry after I wipe them, the pole feels dry, but if I put my hand on the pole and start to walk around it, the pole gets wet after just a couple of steps! I take my hand away and you can see wet streaks! Is this me? Am I really this sweaty? Does this happen to anyone else? I can literally hold my hand on the pole for a couple seconds and both the pole and my hand become wet. I tried Drysol last night before bed (works on my waterfall-armpits) but it must have worn off because my hands were clammy by the time I was ready to dance. Needless to say, I can't do a thing on this pole without landing on my butt. 😢

12 replies

hookedonpole · 11/9/2010
Honestly, I am confused regarding TG also. Even though my body gets more "beat up" and pole can feel harsh on my body, I still struggle with slippery grip. I have been able to do more practicing and accomplish more than on ss, but still have frustrating practices when a reverse grab spin can send me across the room or difficulty with other tricks practice. I sometimes thought I should have gotten chrome, but wonder how much slippery it would have been. You and I were the same with being undecisive as to what kind of pole to get, it was a hard decision for me. I still use Dry Hands for assistance, wipe it down, I also ordered a pair of Mighty Grip gloves with tack for help. I also realize the weather, which is getting cold here now, still affects the pole. I hope it gets better for you. Keep trying it. I was scared I made a huge mistake, but I need to keep at it after spending the money, etc.
Tabbycat · 11/9/2010
That sounds awesully sweaty 🙁 My hands sweat alot when I practice, and I'm in love with the product "dry hands". I usually buy a few bottles at a time. It keeps my hands from getting too sweaty and slipping off the pole. I love it! 🥂
Svarri · 11/9/2010
I find the titanium grip a no-no for me when I'm sweaty. For me, the sweat seems to stay on the titanium and I slide dangerously. I don't have that problem with chrome!
amy · 11/9/2010
what is the environment like where you pole? if youre poling in a basement, or garage, it's likely that it's damp and cool- which is horrible if you're a sweaty poler. if you can dehumidify and heat your space, it will help a lot! also- try tite grip. it's an antipersperant that you put on a couple hours before you pole. it makes a huge difference. good luck!!
Jenn · 11/9/2010
I don't think it's the pole or the environment, if your husband can use it with no problems, then it's probably the moisture in your hands causing all the wet feel. I have super sweaty hands myself and have struggled with this for 3 yrs. I started on a chrome pole, then bought a TG pole, eventually ending with brass. Although the situation got better which each pole, I still have issues with my sweaty hands. I tried Tite Grip, Dry Hands, iTac, Firm Grip and Grrip. My best bet is to apply the Tite Grip first and then layer Dry Hands on top. There are still days when I just can't grip well enough to do a RG. You might have to experiment with different grip aides until you find one or two that work for you. Good luck!
amy · 11/9/2010
I don't think it's the pole or the environment, if your husband can use it with no problems, then it's probably the moisture in your hands causing all the wet feel. I have super sweaty hands myself and have struggled with this for 3 yrs. I started on a chrome pole, then bought a TG pole, eventually ending with brass. Although the situation got better which each pole, I still have issues with my sweaty hands. I tried Tite Grip, Dry Hands, iTac, Firm Grip and Grrip. My best bet is to apply the Tite Grip first and then layer Dry Hands on top. There are still days when I just can't grip well enough to do a RG. You might have to experiment with different grip aides until you find one or two that work for you. Good luck! jenn- i have super sweaty hands too =) i actually get botox for it, because nothing else helped. that being said-- i have a few students who have super sweaty hands also, and it's always worse for them in the studio when it's cold and damp then the girls who don't have sweaty hands. sweaty hands are aggravated by these conditions because it's when condensation is more likely to form, and warm sweaty hands + cold metal pole is what creates it-- just like cold air hitting a moist warm window. if you have dry hands to begin with, you won't notice the fluctuations in conditions as much as someone who is hindered by it.
EagleSpirit · 11/9/2010
You guys are wonderful, thank you so much for the replies! I'm definately going to buy some grip aides to try out. Hookedonpole, do your hands sweat less on your stainless steel? I worried about chrome being really slick for me, too, which is why I chose TG. Amyxshi, you brought up some good points! My poling environment: upstairs in our living room. The temperature is from 68-72 degrees F. It is also humid in here as a result of my beautiful 76 gallon goldfish tank in the same room. The humidity is usually around 60-70%; I didn't even think about my poling environment! I can definately see how a cold pole + a humid room + warm sweaty hands = condensation the moment I contact the pole. My hubby has very dry, very callused hands so that's probably why he didn't notice any slippage, even after my sweaty hands had slimed up a section of the pole. I closed the open top of my goldfish tank to help stop evaporation. I should have done this ages ago; I only opened it because my monster filter heats up my babies' water and I was worried about overheating during the summer. The temperature remained stable but I just got so used to leaving the top open that I forgot about it. This should help bring the humidity down and also stop the tank from evaporating so quickly between water changes! I'll see if it helps my poling. Should I also warm up the room? What's a good temperature to pole at? I read that some people prefer cleaning the pole with Windex instead of alcohol. I bought some and tried it today...what a difference! Edit: It got the grime off better than alcohol for me and made the pole grippier, it still only takes a split second for the pole to go from dry to wet/slimy under my hands.
monica kay · 11/10/2010
i found that the grip aids work best on my ultra sweaty hands if i apply them a full hour before poling. 🙂 which, i know, sounds extreme, but it works for me. before that, i could do only one trick before having to wipe the pole and reapply grip aid. 😈
hookedonpole · 11/10/2010
Eaglespirit, I had same slippery problem with stainless steel, however, I used it for over two years. Right now I struggle because not only do I still slip, now my body gets beat up at the same time. With ss even though it was slippery, my body didn't get so beat up. I had been getting decent practices with the TG, but now that the weather has changed to colder, it's slippery. I just got out my little room heater that I used with ss, I will try that, it helped with ss. I used to turn it on before poling to warm up the room. I'm also tempted to get a dehumidifier. Sometimes I think about putting ss back up and see what major difference is. Again, I like the fact that the xpert is usable from top to bottom, to where my ss has the aduster at the top and a big part of the pole is not usable. I'm seriously thinking about chrome; if I slip/slide, maybe my body won't get beat up. There is a studio few hours away that sells xpert and she said I could try chrome to see. What saves me from really having a hissy fit is I hear that many polers have problems on every kind of pole. And I do see a big difference now that the weather is colder and the room is too. I'm not that good, so I need all the help I can get. I also still need to try Tite Grip way before, with Dry Hands. I used them separately and right when poling.
hannahpc · 11/10/2010
Sweaty hands is a huge issue for me. Its worse on mums titanium pole as it gets slick when i sweat. For some reason i find my chrome one better. It gets me down because it means i cant dance or freestyle with out stopping between every move. This is why my videos are always edited. While dry hands works ok, i have to keep reapplying after every few moves because i just sweat it off 🙁 I also have mild hyperhidrosis. I always use driclor solution under my arms. I recently read you can use it on your hands and feet also. Im thinking i might try it on my hands and feet. See if that improves things.
Journey · 11/10/2010
I have super sweaty hands, and I know a lot of it is mental - even thinking about pole makes my hands start sweating more. 😲 However, I also have no idea how to reverse it! And it's just my hands, it's not like I overly sweat on the other areas of my body. I've used several grip aids and nothing helps - I sweat right through Tite Grip and Dry Hands. I ended up getting a pair of gloves, and that's the only thing that works for me (except I've sweat enough to soak through the gloves on a couple occasions). So yeah, I can relate. It sucks... 😐
EagleSpirit · 11/14/2010
All your replies have been really helpful, and it's nice to now that I'm not alone. I've been trying to track down grip aides, but no one sells any locally so I'll have to order them. My hubby felt bad for me because I'm shying away from moves on my pole, or aborting moves halfway through because of my super wet hands. He bought me a pair of gloves that breathe on top and have a soft suede on the palm. He cut off the fingers and I tried them last night. What a miracle! I was actually able to make some progress in teaching myself. I can spin with them, but they do slow me down a bit so I'm going to get some gloves with more slip. I'll still try some grip aides, but I'm worried I'll sweat right through them. The sweat went right through my gloves! By the time I put away my pole the gloves were wet. And my fingers were sweating and leaving streaks all over the pole. I really am sweatier than I thought! 😲