Hot weather always sounds lovely in theory.
Blue skies. Sunglasses. Iced drinks. Pretty dresses. Everyone pretending they are in the south of France when actually they are standing outside Greggs wondering why their bra has become a personal sauna.
Then the heat actually arrives and suddenly nobody is glamorous. Your hair has resigned. Your thighs are negotiating peace terms. Your makeup has packed a bag and left your face. Even your waistband feels like it has taken against you personally.
So let’s talk about keeping cool in hot weather, properly. Not in a “just drink water and smile” way. In a real-life, getting-on-with-your-day, body-doing-body-things kind of way.
Start With The Obvious One: Water, But Make It Easy
Yes, drinking water is boring advice. Unfortunately, it is also annoyingly correct.
When it is hot, your body is working harder to keep you cool, so you lose more fluid through sweat. You do not need to become one of those people carrying a gallon bottle with motivational slogans on it, unless that is your thing, in which case live your hydrated truth.
But do keep water close. A bottle in your bag. A glass by your bed. A drink before you leave the house. Little and often is usually easier than realising at 3pm that you have had one coffee and a biscuit and now feel like a Victorian ghost.
If plain water makes you miserable, add lemon, cucumber, mint, berries, or a bit of squash. This is not a punishment. It is hydration with manners.
Wear Clothes That Let Your Body Breathe
Hot weather dressing is less about looking “summer ready” and more about not feeling like you have been wrapped in cling film.
Loose, breathable fabrics are your friends. Cotton, linen, viscose, bamboo and lightweight jersey can feel much kinder than heavy polyester or anything too tight. Floaty does not mean frumpy. It means your body has some air around it, which is deeply underrated.
Think wide-leg trousers, loose shirts, cotton dresses, relaxed skirts, oversized T-shirts, linen co-ords, kaftans, tunics and soft layers. If your clothes are clinging to you before you have even left the house, they are not your allies that day.
And yes, black can look chic, but on a baking hot day it can feel like you have chosen to dress as a storage heater. Lighter colours may help you feel cooler, especially if you are out in direct sun.
Choose Underwear That Does Not Start A Fight
Hot weather can turn underwear into a whole situation.
A bra that feels fine in April can become an instrument of emotional warfare in July. If you can, go for breathable fabrics, lighter padding, softer bands, and styles that do not dig in. Non-wired bras, bralettes, cotton-lined bras and lighter sports bras can all be worth trying when the weather gets sticky.
For knickers, breathable cotton or moisture-wicking styles are usually more comfortable than anything too synthetic or tight. This is not the season for underwear that requires courage, engineering and a quiet prayer.
If thigh rub is an issue, do not suffer heroically. Anti-chafing shorts, bandelettes, cycling shorts, anti-chafe balm or even a little roll-on deodorant on the inner thighs can save the day. Glamorous? Maybe not. Life-changing? Quite possibly.
Keep Your Skin Cool Without Overdoing It
A cool shower can help, but you do not need to freeze yourself like a bag of peas. Lukewarm or cool water is often enough to bring your temperature down without shocking your system.
You can also cool your wrists, neck, ankles or the back of your knees with cold water or a cool cloth. These are the little body cheat codes. Not dramatic, but effective.
A facial mist can feel lovely too, especially if you keep it in the fridge. Is it essential? No. Does it make you feel briefly like a calm, expensive woman in a spa advert? Absolutely.
Be Sensible With The Sun
The sun is gorgeous, but it is also a fiery overhead drama queen.
Try to avoid being out in the strongest sun for too long, especially around the middle of the day. If you are outside, use sun cream, wear sunglasses, and consider a hat. Not everyone feels like a hat person, but heatstroke does not care about your aesthetic.
Shade is not weakness. Shade is strategy.
If you wear modest clothing, a hijab, abaya, long sleeves, or prefer to stay covered for faith, comfort or personal reasons, the key is lightweight breathable fabric and looser shapes. Cotton, linen blends, bamboo, jersey and airy layers can help. Lighter colours may feel easier in direct sun. A breathable undercap or lightweight scarf can also make a difference.
Modesty and staying cool can go together. You do not have to dress in a way that feels unlike you just because the weather has decided to behave like a toaster.
Keep Your Home From Turning Into An Oven
The British home is not always built for heat. We are mostly designed for drizzle, tea and saying “ooh, it’s brightening up.”
During the day, keep curtains or blinds closed on sunny windows to stop rooms heating up. Open windows early in the morning or later in the evening when the air is cooler. If you have windows on opposite sides of your home, opening both can sometimes create a little breeze.
A fan can help, especially with a bowl of ice or a frozen bottle of water in front of it. Is it glamorous? No. Does it make your room feel slightly less like a baked potato? Yes.
At night, use lighter bedding, cotton sheets, and consider putting a hot water bottle filled with cold water in the bed before sleep. A cool flannel nearby can also help if you wake up feeling like a rotisserie chicken.
Eat Lighter If Heavy Food Makes You Feel Sluggish
Some people can eat a full roast dinner in 28-degree heat and carry on like nothing has happened. These people are mysterious and should be studied.
For the rest of us, lighter meals can feel better. Salads, wraps, fruit, yoghurt, pasta salads, cold noodles, smoothies, chilled soups, grilled vegetables, sandwiches and snack plates can be easier than heavy, hot meals.
That does not mean living on lettuce and sadness. It means choosing food that does not make your body feel like it now has another job.
Adjust Your Beauty Routine
Hot weather makeup is a different beast.
Heavy foundation can slide, crease, separate or simply vanish by lunchtime. A lighter base, tinted moisturiser, SPF, concealer only where needed, cream blush, waterproof mascara and setting spray can all help if you want to wear makeup.
But also, you are allowed to wear less. You are allowed to wear none. You are allowed to look like a human being experiencing temperature.
For hair, this is the time for claw clips, plaits, buns, silk scrunchies, headbands, scarves and anything that gets your hair off your neck. The back of the neck in hot weather is not to be underestimated. It is basically the body’s complaint desk.
Watch For Signs You Are Getting Too Hot
Feeling warm is one thing. Feeling dizzy, sick, weak, confused, faint, clammy, heavily sweaty or suddenly very unwell is different.
If you feel rough in the heat, get somewhere cooler, drink water, loosen tight clothing, rest, and cool your body down. If symptoms are severe or do not improve, seek medical help.
Do not try to push through because you do not want to be dramatic. Heat can affect anyone, and your body is not being awkward. It is giving you information.
Give Yourself Permission To Slow Down
This might be the biggest one.
Hot weather can make everything feel harder. Walking. Working. Parenting. Commuting. Cooking. Existing in a bra. You are not lazy because the heat drains you. Your body is doing extra work.
So slow down where you can. Take breaks. Sit in the shade. Cancel the unnecessary thing. Wear the comfortable outfit. Put your hair up. Drink the water. Choose the flat shoes. Leave the jeans for another day.
Keeping cool is not about being perfectly fresh, polished and glowing at all times.
It is about looking after yourself properly.
And if all else fails, stand in front of the freezer for 15 seconds and pretend you are making a very important household decision.
We support you.
