7 Things You Should Be Doing To Beat The Heat

Even though its almost time to head back to school or face the reality that your PTO and time at the beach may be winding down.

 The heat of Summer heat has shown no signs of letting up and although I may be dreaming about pumpkins, football and Chai (Oh My!). This 90 plus degree weather is forcing me to actively think about effective ways not to melt during the day.

So after racking my brain and doing research on things that work IN REAL LIFE to cool you down I've put together this list to share with you all.

Here's to hoping these quick tips work for you and worst comes to worst your matte finishing spray is BOMB AF!

1) DITCH THE BLACK

Although I completely agree with the shirt above and most of my closet looks like I'm on my way to a funeral, when its 100 degrees outside black and dark colors are NOT the move.

To beat the heat i've switched to lighter colors like gray (which you will see a lot on my instagram). Its also super important to for you to wear lighter weight materials, this is one of the major reasons that linen and billowy clothing is popular during the summer (but you guys already knew that). The material allows air movement next to the skin and helps with sweat evaporation.

Also investing in clothing that is made with sweat wicking materials that help to keep you cool such as Under Armour (shameless plug) gear is a great idea and with the launch of their lifestyle inspired clothing you no longer have to "look like an athlete" while wearing them.

2) ALOE IS YOUR FRIEND

Did you know that you can use aloe as a cooling agent?

No? Me either until I did a little research.

As popular as succulents are for home decor right know you would think this information would be all over the place!

If you break off a piece of an aloe plant and extract the insides...or if your lazy just squeeze and apply it to your skin it gives off a cooling effect similar to menthol.

So pick yourself up a aloe vera plant from your local farmers market or Ikea (yes Ikea sells aloe plants lol) and the next time you feel your temperature rising rub yourself down and get that cooling sensation.

3) KNOW YOUR POINTS

Apparently there is a science to cooling down!

I'm sure your mother told you back in the day to put a cold compress on your forehead if you had been complaining about the heat. Or maybe have seen bald guys walking around with rags on their head when its really hot. 

Well they are both on to something, however there is a more strategic way of cooling yourself off if you're over heated and thats by focusing on specific points on your body.

The above chart shows your body's pulse points,  because blood vessels are so close to the surface at these points, when touched with cold objects your skin starts to mimic the effects of sweating which helps your body cool.

The best spots? 

The back of your neck, your wrist and the back of your knees.

4) HIGH QUALITY H2O

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!

It's super important to replace all the water and moisture that you lose while sweating throughout the day. 

In the past I have been one to neglect my water intake, however a few weeks back I came dangerously close to passing out (while i was alone in a Target no less) due to heat and dehydration on one of our hottest days here. Since then I've been on a mission to drink over 72oz of water a day just to make sure I never get in that situation again.

When you lose water to dehydration not only do you put yourself at risk for passing out your body temperature also rises. So try your best to stay hydrated and avoid caffeine, and sugar which aid in dehydration.

Daily recommended water intake - 64oz

Best water filled food- watermelon

5) FLIP YOUR FAN

Apparently we have all been using our fans wrong on hot days -___-

When heat gets trapped inside the house the easies way to get it out and regulating your homes temperature without blasting your AC to Arctic temperatures and running up your bill is by flipping your fan.

Thats right, instead of facing your fan towards you and continually blowing hot air on yourself, open a window put your fan in it and use the fan to suck the hot air out of your home and blow it outside!!

Cray cray right!?

6) BLOCK THE SUN LIKE ITS A HATER

The best thing that I've ever invested in to fight the heat in my home is thermal blocking curtains.  Now on one hand these babies make it pitch black in your home when but the upside of that is they REALLY block the sun meaning all the extra heat that you would be getting in your home is non existent.

You may thing your doing something with your little shades and cute curtains but I'm telling you if you really want to beat the heat. Get you some heat blocking curtains, they can block up to 45% of the heat coming into your home.

7) SPRAY AWAY THE HEAT

Last ditch effort? 

Spray away the heat!

The most important factor in keeping your body cool is thermal regulation, when your body is hot cool it down the quickest way possible.

When your in a pinch that can be as simple as misting yourself with cool water. 

I remember when I was younger and my family would take trips to Disney my mom would always carry around a spay bottle with a fan attached, she looked foolish but when I was close to over heating that little spray bottle was life saving.

When at home toss a spritzer bottle in the fridge and keep it on deck for when you need a quick cool off.

There you have it guys! 7 ways to beat the heat if you have any other suggestions be sure to drop them in the comments below.

In the mean time, stay cool and pray for fall =)

Because I'm ready for apple cider and sweaters!

Until Next Time,

XO Deanna