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Ive always thought it was kind of strange that whenever summer comes and the temps start getting into the mid and upper 80s, people start wearing shorts, and sleeveless shirts, (generally LESS clothing) in an attempt to stay cool, but if you look at some of the hottest regions on the planet, the mid east or Mexico for example, where triple digit heat is common, People layer their clothes, wear long sleeve, long pants, robes, etc.
So Im wondering, what type of clothing actually keeps you cooler, shorts and less clothing or long sleeve/ long pants/ more clothing?
I am retired, so my daily outfit is pretty simple. Shorts, tee shirt and flipflops. Occasionally I wear something like I did today, white capris and a longish Eileen Fisher stripe tunic.
Having worked physically hard in hot weather the one thing I learned was that bare skin will absorb more heat than skin covered by fabric. Think there have been studies done to prove it. Not to mention getting burned by the sun too. An absorbent fabric cools because moisture can evaporate out of it and cool the skin underneath. An open weave and loose cut allows air to move through it which helps evaporation. For me, loose cut cotton or maybe linens. Synthetic "wicking" fabrics give me serious rashes even in cold conditions.
I like the under armour type clothing too. I still sweat alot, but the material doesnt get that wet and can help to keep you cool. I just wish there was something I could do to not sweat so much on my face and head. Seems like many days, just walking around outside for a short time and my hair is soaking wet and face dripping with sweat.
Ive tried spraying antiperspirant deodorant on my face, but it doesnt help.
When I'm not at work, I also where the under armor and everlast ever-dri t shirts/&White colored in the Carolina summers. I like being outside a lot, so the light fabric works for me. Shade trees and water breaks too ;0)
When I'm at work, we have to wear long sleeve dress shirts and pants and a tie when on location. I'm a videographer, so on days I'll be hauling my video gear and lights to locations in the summer, I wear white dress shirts and lighter color pants. I also like kleinerts undershirts. they wick away any sweat. And They're made in Alabama - so it's nice to own some new shirts that are actually Made in the USA.
You could try sweat block wipes for your sweat, rstevens. They work well. They sell them at any big store - target, Walmart, or Amazon. Also when you can, you might try wearing a hat if you don't already. it will shade your head from the sun which might reduce sweating.
I live in SW Florida where our temps are in the high 90's for about 6 months straight with high humidity. I wear light colored clothing and I never wear jeans or long pants unless I'm going out to dinner. As much as I wear black in the winter (well, what we call winter) I will never wear it from May-November here. I stick with dresses, skirts or city shorts. If I do wear something with long sleeves, it is white and lightweight and I always have on sandals of some type. Maybe in a desert type climate a long robe type thing might feel cooler but when you add in the humidity it doesn't allow your natural perspiration to cool you off at all.
I took my kids to Busch Gardens in Tampa a few years ago. The boys were all wearing dark t-shirts while I was wearing a white shirt. Guess who was complaining about the heat the most?
Yes - in very dry climates you actually DON'T want sweat to evaporate too quickly as it speeds dehydration. Humid climates are the opposite where you want to do what you can to SPEED evaporation (but still stay hydration!).
In those extremely hot climates overseas, they cover themselves with linen.
I wear linen in summer and I make sure it's a linen KNIT (linen wrinkles easily and if it's not a knit, you have to iron it.) Sleeveless linen knit top and linen shorts. Otherwise I'll wear a 100% cotton top or sun dress. Anything that has polyester or spandex feels like wearing rubber--sticky.
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Same here re: UA type / ever-dri shirts
