Because when you live with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, you become surprisingly passionate about products that help with things most people don’t even have to think about.
I fully recognize that some of these may not earn me any Environmentalist of the Year awards.
But if they save your hands, your energy, or your sanity?
I’m calling that a quality-of-life win.
One of the things people don’t always understand about living with CMT is that it’s often the tiny, repetitive tasks that wear you down.
The things most people don’t have to think twice about.
Opening packages. Take off your makeup at night. Not getting another callus. Wiping your own A$ and holding onto (or, rather, not holding onto) things.
None of the items below are fashionable or trendy.
But all of them have made my day-to-day life a little easier lately, and I want to share my great finds with you.
But first…
Required Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Which means if you buy something through them, I may earn a very small commission at no extra cost to you. In other words, you help pay it forward for countless hours of free research, help keep Trend-Able running, and occasionally support my weekly protein intake via a few Starbucks iced coffees with protein cold foam. ☕️😉
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Okay, what follows are five of my latest Amazon finds that genuinely make life with CMT hands and leg braces easier, less frustrating, and occasionally a little less gross:
1. Disposable Extra-Large Makeup Remover Cloths
If you’ve never struggled to grip a cotton round or pull a makeup remover wipe out of its packaging, this one may seem oddly specific.
But if you have CMT hands, you’re already nodding along.
I’m guessing most people can grab one tiny cotton round, swipe off their makeup, and call it a night.
Meanwhile, I’m over here hunting down the oversized “premium” ones, using what feels like one-third of the package per evening, and still somehow waking up looking like I slept in yesterday’s mascara.
Washcloths are an option, of course. But then you’re doing laundry every time you wash your face, which feels like a lot of commitment for basic hygiene.
Enter these giant biodegradable disposable face cloths I didn’t know I needed.
First of all, they come in an actual cardboard box—not one of those annoying plastic packages that expect you to pull out one wipe at a time using finger strength, patience, and possibly a small miracle.
I keep a stack next to my sink and throw a bunch into a freezer bag (slider closure, obviously) whenever I travel.
You simply grab one, get it wet, and you’re good to go. I usually use mine with my favorite easy pump dispenser face wash with a large easy pump dispenser first and then again with micellar water for a thorough cleanse.
And here’s the best part:
One cloth.
Not 107 cotton rounds.
Not 5,000 makeup wipes.
One.
These things are huge, sturdy, and don’t immediately curl up, tear apart, or disappear into your hands halfway through the process.
Just wash your face and be done with it. The real reward comes the next morning when your pillowcase doesn’t look like it got into a fight with your mascara. 😆
2. Extra-Large Butt Wipes + The Electric Lamborghini of Toileting for CMT Hands
Not exactly glamorous blog content, but here we are.
One of the unofficial rules of disability life is that eventually you stop caring whether something was marketed to you, designed for you, or appears on anyone’s list of “must-have beauty products.”
If it works, it works.
And these work.
If you have CMT hands, you already know that toilet paper can become surprisingly complicated.
It’s thin.
It tears.
It folds over on itself.
And occasionally, it decides to fail at the exact worst possible moment.
I’ll spare you the details.
Dude Wipes XL are larger, sturdier, easier to grab, and require significantly less fine-motor coordination than traditional toilet paper.
That’s all I’m saying.
Actually, that’s not all I’m saying.
I’m also saying I literally order them in bulk from Amazon.
Yes, they add five pounds to my already overpacked suitcases when I travel.
Yes, I still bring them.
Worth every penny.
And while we’re discussing a topic that absolutely nobody expected to read about today, let’s talk dignity.
Personally, I find this whole situation a lot more dignified than some of the alternative solutions out there. You know… the toilet brush-looking devices that require cleaning afterward.
Hard pass.
Gross.
The extra-large size is the key, by the way.
Scented versus unscented is a personal decision.
You do you. 🤣
Just try them.
You’ll never look back.
I promise.
But if you really want a completely hands-free solution to wiping your A$%, and you have the means (eg 💰💰💰), I cannot say enough about what I am now calling the Electric Lamborghini of Toileting.
We were just in Vegas, and the hotel had these Toto toilets with a giant wall-mounted control system that basically delivers the luxury-car-wash version of personal hygiene.
Perfectly Imperfect Friends… I have not been the same since.
This thing cleaned the front.
It cleaned the back.
It dried everything.
The good news is you don’t necessarily need the full spaceship toilet setup.
— you can buy a Toto Washlet seat that installs on many existing toilets and still get the warm-water washing, drying, and “why did I wait this long?” experience.
And honestly? For people with CMT hands, mobility issues, chronic pain, or anyone whose body already works overtime all day long… this stuff isn’t laziness. It’s energy conservation with a side of dignity.
Frankly, I think people with disabilities should get a discount.
In fact, if anyone from Toto is reading this, call me. I have ideas.
Okay. We are officially done discussing bathroom habits for today. You’re welcome. 🤮
3. Pre-Cut Moleskin Pieces You Can Put on Your Skin (And Ones for Your Shoes or AFOS) to Combat Rubbing
If you wear orthotics and/or AFOs, you already know how quickly a comfortable shoe can become a very uncomfortable shoe.
Usually out of nowhere.
But also somehow completely predictable.
It always seems to happen at the worst possible time—walking through an airport, sightseeing on vacation, at a conference, or literally anywhere you don’t have a backup pair of shoes, a Band-Aid, or a reasonable escape plan.
One minute you’re fine.
The next minute, you’re mentally calculating how many more steps you have to take before you can sit down.
Back in the olden days, my mom used to buy giant rolls of moleskin and cut pieces to fit whatever spot was rubbing. It worked, but it also required scissors, patience, and a level of preparation that I don’t always possess.
I recently discovered pre-cut moleskin pieces that are ready to go right out of the package and, most importantly, I can actually get the backing off without wanting to throw them across the room.
That’s a feature nobody talks about enough.
The minute I feel a hot spot developing, I stick one on and usually prevent the blister or callus from becoming a full-blown situation.
I keep some in my car, multiple purses, and packing’cubes.
Recently I’ve also been using these blister-prevention patches that stick directly inside the shoe where the friction happens.
Instead of putting something on your skin every single day, you place the patch where the rubbing occus on your shoe or AFO.
Less friction.
Less rubbing.
Less limping through the airport, wondering why you thought those shoes were a good idea.
Neither product is particularly exciting.
They’re basically the disability equivalent of keeping an umbrella in your car.
Most of the time, you don’t think about them.
But when you need them?
You’re very, very glad they’re there. 😉
4. The Tiny Box Cutter That Saves My Hands (And Possibly My Sanity)
If Amazon ever released a loyalty program based solely on the number of packages delivered, I’d definitely qualify for Diamond status.
Which means I also spend a ridiculous amount of time attempting to open:\
Boxes.
Plastic packaging.
Heat-sealed bags.
Basically anything designed by people with functioning grip strength.
For years, I used scissors, my keys, a pen, and occasionally my teeth.
And if you have CMT hands, you already know that having gel or acrylic nail tips are not just a beauty choice. They’re survival equipment.
I use mine to:
Pick things up.
Peel things apart.
Open packaging.
Separate impossible little stickers.
Function as temporary fingertips.
The problem?
I’m constantly breaking them.
Or worse… partially breaking them.
You know when a nail is hanging on by a microscopic thread and every accidental bump sends a lightning bolt through your entire nervous system?
That level of trauma.
And honestly? More often than not, the culprit is an Amazon box.
Then I discovered the Slice Safety Cutter.
And Perfectly Imperfect Friends… this tiny little thing has saved both my nails and my sanity.
It’s tiny, lightweight, ergonomic & easy to hold.
It glides through tape, plastic packaging, and those aggressively sealed Amazon boxes without requiring Hulk-level hand strength — and unlike regular box cutters, it’s designed to be much safer to use.
Which is important when your grip strength and coordination occasionally like to keep life exciting.
The best part?
Unlike traditional box cutters, it doesn’t feel like one wrong move could land me in the emergency room trying to explain how I injured myself opening a package of compression socks.
Progress. 😂
And if there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that another package will be arriving tomorrow.
Possibly today.
Possibly while I’m writing this. 📦😉
5. An At-Home Laser Hair Removal Device
Can we discuss the fact that nobody warns women that with age and hormones, chin hairs apparently begin multiplying overnight for absolutely no reason other than to humble you.
And if they turn white or gray? Congratulations. Those little suckers are basically permanent. Catch them before the hair follicle loses pigment, because once they go gray, laser treatments don’t work well on them anymore.
At 55 years old, I know professional laser hair removal works great for a lot of people. But between the cost, scheduling appointments, driving there, getting dressed, undressed, and somehow needing to appear fully groomed before someone lasers your body… it started feeling like a second career.
And honestly? With CMT hands, shaving alone already feels like enough of an Olympic event.
That’s why I started researching at-home IPL devices that were actually easy to hold and use with fine-motor weakness.
I read an absurd number of reviews — both good and bad — and eventually decided to give Braun’s at-home IPL laser hair removal device a shot. (Also, reminder: Amazon gives you 30 days to return things, which definitely lowered my commitment anxiety.)
The important thing to know is this:
You HAVE to be consistent.
Just like professional laser hair removal, you can’t use it twice, disappear for three months, then act shocked when you suddenly resemble a tiny woodland creature again.
But if you stick with it, it absolutely works.
After about six months:
- My underarm hair is completely gone.
- My bikini area and facial hair have been dramatically reduced to just one or two rogue hairs on occasion.
Next up: I’m emotionally preparing to take on my legs.
It’s a big job. Pray for me.
Final Thoughts
Living with CMT often means becoming unexpectedly passionate about products nobody else would ever get excited about.
Makeup Remover Cloths.
Toilet Paper Alternatives.
Moleskin.
Random shoe stickers.
At Home hair removal devices.
Because every bit of hand strength, energy, and patience gets spent somewhere.
I’d rather save mine for the things that actually matter.
Like Facetiming with my kids. Traveling. Laughing with friends. Keeping my body and brain strong.
Finding cute shoes that fit AFOs
Botox. You know… the important stuff 🤣 .
If you’ve found a random product that’s made life with CMT hands easier, tell me in the comments below.
Because if there’s one thing our community excels at, it’s finding creative solutions that nobody else would ever think of.
And honestly?
Those tips are usually better than anything you’ll find on Amazon anyway. ❤️
Xo
Lainie