subject: Silicone Wristbands, The Hot New Trend In Town [print this page] Silicone is a semi-inorganic polymer that is heat stable, water resistant and flexible. All of these great qualities are the reason that Silicone is used for a wide range of products. Silicone Wristbands are an inexpensive jewellery item that can be customized with your own personal message or logo, in virtually any color or color combination you desire. In addition they are comfortable to wear, easy to clean and long-lasting.
Wristbands are encircling strips worn on the wrist, made of any of a variety of materials depending on the purpose. A common type of wristband is the loops of silicone that are placed around the wrist. In the early to mid 2000s, these bracelets made of silicone became popular. They are worn to demonstrate the wearer's support of a cause or charitable organization, similar to awareness ribbons. Such wristbands are sometimes called awareness bracelets to distinguish them from other types of wristbands.
Silicone wristbands gained in popularity in 2004 when the Lance Armstrong Foundation introduced its trademark yellow silicone Livestrong wristband to raise support for cancer research. By early 2005, silicone wristbands became popular with many charities, such as Make Poverty History and the BBC's Beat Bullying campaign. Other wristbands include wristbands for kidney donation (green), breast cancer (pink), diabetes (blue), multiple sclerosis (orange), epilepsy (half blue, half red), Hurricane Katrina (ocean blue mixed with white), and AIDS (red, made only in Africa). In general, the color of the band describes its cause, and the colors are often the same as the colors of awareness ribbons.
These silicone wristbands can also be used for identification purposes. They are to be worn around the wrist demonstrating the wearer's authorization to be at a venue.
Today silicone wristbands have gone one step ahead of supporting charitable causes and many organizations are harnessing the power of the now very popular and diverse silicone wristbands for promotional purposes. Not only can silicone wristbands be molded with a debossed or embossed design, they can also be printed upon, made in individual or multiple colors; seamlessly blending colors for a unique effect. They can even be made to glow in the dark; they can be scented or intertwined for that unique effect. The latest trend in the silicone wristband segment is the USB wristband. This wristband has a USB port at its end and can be used perfectly as a portable pen drive. This wristband is slowly catching on and industry watchers predict that it will be big bestseller among the technologically inclined geeks and nerds.
Wristbands are also used to good effect in hospitals, these days. Hospital wristbands are a commonly used safety device for identifying patients undergoing medical care. Available in a variety of sizes to accommodate patients as small as newborns and as large as obese adults, hospital wristbands can be handwritten, embossed, laser-printed or thermal-imaged with names, pictures, medical record numbers, barcodes and other personal identifiers.
