Let’s face it, some of us have sensitive hands and need a little help maintaining our grip. This is especially true when it comes to a practice like hot yoga where your hands are extra slippy. Fortunately, yoga gloves both offer exceptional grip and they add the benefit of an extra wrist support which can help anyone who suffers from wrist pain during yoga.
All gloves aren’t the same though. Some can wear on the inside of the glove creating chafing and scrapes. Others just don’t live up to the standards we expect. No matter. In this post we’ll help you find the best yoga gloves regardless of your needs and style.
Let’s get started…
What are yoga gloves
Yoga gloves are gloves for yoga (Duh) but I know that’s not literally what you were wondering. Here’s what yoga gloves are for.
They support people who either have:
- Wrist pain
- Trouble keeping grip
- Want to practice without a yoga mat
- Want to avoid calluses
These grippy gloves act like the sticky fingers of a Gecko, giving you a strong grip on whatever surface you’re practicing on. They also have the benefit of wrapping around your wrists and providing you with a little extra wrist support.
Choosing a pair of yoga gloves
Choosing yoga gloves comes down to reading reviews like this. On the surface the gloves can all look the same for the most part. But in reality there are fine little differences between them. Things like:
- Comfort of the material inside the glove
- The grip of the glove
- The level of wrist support provided
- The cost of the gloves
- The look and style of the gloves
- Partial or full finger yoga gloves
These things can make a big difference in what you choose and your experience when wearing them. Luckily, we’ve put together a list of what we consider to be the best yoga gloves for you so you don’t have to look far to find the perfect pair.
Benefits of yoga gloves
There are a few big benefits of yoga gloves as you’ll be able to see below.
They enhance your grip and prevent slipping
Slipping in yoga is a real thing and happens more often than you might think. An affordable pair of gloves can drastically reduce any chances of slipping in all styles of yoga, including and especially hot yoga. However, if you have the money and slipping is the only issue, there are several other options like a hot yoga mat or yoga towel that you may want to consider.
You don’t need a yoga mat
A very cool feature of yoga gloves is that they provide exceptional grip on practically any surface. This means that you don’t necessarily need a yoga mat to practice yoga. This is one of the main reasons the more “hardcore” yogis use them. However, if you’re new to yoga, you’ll probably still want a yoga mat for the cushioning on your joints.
They aid your wrists
If you have sensitive wrists, the right pair of gloves can make all the difference. Similar to how weight lifters will wear wrist support when lifting heavy, yoga gloves can help to stabilize and support your wrists. This allows you to slowly and gently build flexibility and muscularity in your wrists over time. It also helps you to avoid the wrist pain that’s sometimes associated with yoga.
They look stylish
It never hurts to have a stylish pair of gloves right? And with today’s explosion in the popularity of yoga, there’s a style for everyone. No matter what you like, chances are there’s the right pair of gloves in your size and style.
They prevent calluses
If you want to avoid building up rough calluses on your hands, then yoga gloves are ideal. They cushion your hands, strengthen your grip, and prevent calluses from building on them.
The top 9 best yoga gloves reviewed
Below is a list of our top picks for yoga gloves. All of the picks below are good choices so you can’t go wrong with any. The primary thing to consider is what you need them for and then choose the pair that’s “fitting” :). Let’s jump in…
1. Gaiam Yoga Gloves
Giam is the “steady-Eddy” of the yoga community and their yoga gloves are no exception. They’re made from cotton with a “one size” fits all style. What we like about these gloves is that they’re easy to toss on, provide great grip, and the material is highly sweat absorbent. This makes them an excellent companion for hot yoga and perfect yoga gloves for sweaty hands.
What we don’t love is that the wrist support is basically zero. The wrist area is simply an elastic with the strength of a decent pair of socks meaning these would not work well for someone with wrist pain. They can also stretch when pressure is put on them since they’re made from cotton so they’re not ideal for the hardcore yogi but work well for beginners.
2. Yoga Paws Skin-Thin Non-Padded Yoga Gloves
Yoga Paws has delivered with a durable pair of gloves that also provides wrist support. There’s a lot to love about these gloves. Here are the high points of why we like them though:
- Made with a highly durable terry fabric that’s both durable and very sweat absorbent.
- Strong Velcro strap makes putting them on a breeze.
- Extra padded for palm cushioning.
- Comes in several great colors.
- The rubber mesh fabric provides great grip.
Here’s what we don’t love…
Several people reported a bad smell coming from the gloves. We didn’t have that experience but hey, its worth noting. A few also had issues with the stitching from the thumb to the index finger being too large for their liking. Again, not an issue for us but worth noting.
3. WAGs Ultra Wrist Assured Gloves
WAGs wrist support yoga gloves come in four sizes and offer some of the best fully integrated support you can get with a yoga glove. They’re a no-nonsense kind of glove that doesn’t come in all the bright colors. However, they provide exceptional wrist and palm support that more than makes up for it. Inside of the glove, there’s a gel style liner within the glove that make them ideal for anyone with arthritis or similar wrist issues.
The wrist wrap also adds the extra support you need which can be tightened to provide more/less support as needed.
Overall, the grip is excellent and if you’re someone who suffers from pain that’s preventing you from practicing, these gloves are an ideal choice.
4. YogaPaws Elite Padded Yoga Gloves and Socks Set
This combo completely releases you from the burden of your yoga mat. With the yoga gloves and socks combo, you have the ability to practice even the most slippy positions like downward dog without fear.
Here’s what we love…
These gloves provide and excellent grip with a rubber woven fabric on the palms and a durable terry cloth to keep them from stretching on you. The tough strap on the gloves also means the wrist support won’t wear out anytime soon.
When it comes to absorbing sweat, the terry cloth does a great job and the top part of the glove is made from a breathable material (Not sure what the material is) that drys quickly. We found that the warmer the gloves got, the better the grip was so when it comes to hot yoga, these are great.
The only thing that we don’t love is the elastic that goes between your fingers seems a little weak. It will likely be the first thing to go but even with that you should get a long life from the gloves before this happens.
5. Stargoods Yoga Gloves – Pack of 4 Non Slip Pairs for Training & Workouts
Ever wanted a bundle of yoga gloves? You’re in luck! This is a four pack of sweat absorbing yoga gloves that provides all the stick and none of the frills.
Here’s what we like…
- Affordable
- Several colors included
- You don’t have to wash the gloves after every class (because you can rotate pairs)
What we don’t love…
- Almost zero wrist support.
- Not the best grip.
- They stretch when using them.
If you just need a few pairs of inexpensive gloves, go for it. But if you’re a regular practitioner or you need any form of wrist support then these probably aren’t the best.
6. YL TRD V 2 Packs of Non Slip Fingerless Yoga Gloves
The YL TRD fingerless gloves are a standard and affordable two pack of gloves that get the job done. They’re sweat absorbent and perfect for workouts as well as some styles of yoga including hot yoga.
However, they’re not the best for regular yogis because, again, they’re made from a stretchable fabric that can move during yoga. At first, they’re tight fitting but over time, they tend to stretch in certain positions which may actually interfere with your grip.
However, the actual grip on the palm of the glove (the rubberized material) offers excellent stickiness. Overall, they’re a decent pair of well priced yoga gloves that would work well for any beginner.
7. Mato & Hash Yoga Pilates Fingerless Exercise Grip Gloves
