This month, I’m featuring suggestions and ideas to keep cool. Because here in the northern hemisphere in the eastern US, it’s HOT AF.
Like, that’s my whole motivation for this post. It’s hot, and I don’t like it.
NB: Some of the links are affiliate coded, so if you use them, we may earn a commission – and if you don’t use them, that’s totally cool, too. Thanks!
I also want to mention shopping through the Rakuten portal – now that I’ve turned my husband onto Rakuten, we’re using it more and more frequently. Many of the stores have kept their increased percentages. I have a referral link good for a $30 cash back bonus when you spend $30. You’re welcome to use it and get extra cash for yourself! (NB: I booked a tour on Viator for my family and got 10% back – that was pretty great.)
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I came across this infographic from Yale Climate Connections and wanted to share it with you, right up top so no one misses it.
I feel like this is the elder person version of that high school purity test that would score your (patriarchal misogynist) “purity level.” Now it’s the points total on the “Medications + Heat = No Good” scale. Ah, aging and caring for one’s mental, cardiovascular, and circulatory health: it’s srs bsns.
So let’s get cool!
First, recommendations for and from you!
Sunhats! I really need a good sunhat and so many just look silly once I put them on. I have a smallish head, but can always get baseball caps to adjust down to fit perfectly, so why can’t I find a decent women’s sunhat? I would love some recommendations for cute hats that offer good protection and can be worn for multiple occasions.
KKW also rewuested sunhat recs, so let’s do this!
Julie recommended Solarbi sun hats, saying
Solarbi makes fabulous sun hats and sun clothing. They are Australian. Lightweight, easy to clean and good looking. I believe all products are SPF 50. They have 20% off sales frequently! My skin is protected in the high altitude perpetual sunshine of New Mexico.
Denise recommends Coolibar hats, which have a variety of styles and coverage.
Coolbar Hats, $49Book_Reader_ea01xj71r4 says, “Have you tried the Sunday Afternoon brand? If you can live with hats that are more practical than cute, they have nice adjustable hats like this one:”
The Shade Goddess Hat, $46I bought this one for travel, and wasn’t sure I’d like it, but I’ve worn it on three vacations and counting. It packs flat, and it fits my (rather large) head but there’s a ribbon to adjust the band, too.
Women’s Foldable Straw Hat, $20
It folds in half to pack, and I usually put it beneath or between two packing cubes so if I need it I can fish it out easily.
Erin recommended Duluth Trading Company gardening shorts overalls, and she is right that they are fabulous:
Duluth Trading Company Gardening Short Overalls, $80-85 (2% Rakuten cashback)
We bought a few of these for a summer vacation a few years ago, and they were pretty great:
Cooling Towel 4 Pack, $16The reviews all mentioned using them at the gym, but we took them to amusement parks, and they worked when we had cool water to soak them (not hard to find).
Another key part of staying cool: Hydration.
I regularly drink electrolyte mixes instead of water, and really like the Ultima Replenishers.
Ultima Replenisher Original Variety Pack, $21
I started with the variety pack to figure out my favorites – cherry pomegranate, grape, and lemonade were my top 3.
This link gets you $5 off your first order of $20+, and there’s often 20% first time buyer discounts, too.
I’ve also heard that Liquid IV is great, but I haven’t tried it yet. I know Costco has it but I’m hesitant to buy a big ol’ container without trying it first. Have you tried Liquid IV?
And if you want to make your own, America’s Test Kitchen (metered – 2 free posts per month) has a recipe for homemade strawberry electrolyte refresher. I think we’re going to try it, so I’ll report how it goes.
As I age, my sun sensitivity increases exponentially, and I’m about to try these sunglasses that fit over my prescription pair.
I have prescription sunglasses (that fold up into a little box) but I don’t always want to carry a sunglasses case with me. I had a magnetic clip on for my current glasses but I cannot find it (maybe writing about it will make them appear?) and while I’m searching, going outside hurts!
So I ordered these:
Success Eyewear Fit Over Sunglasses, 2 for $16
I’ll report back on how they work!
LittyN, who keeps personally upgrading my life with their recs, recommended a portable neck fan, which I am very curious about, except that I don’t like things around my neck, and I don’t like wind on my ears. Litty recommends this one:
Jisulife Portable Rechargeable Neck Fan, $28 (coupons available)
I’m not entirely sure about having something resting on my shoulders, but I’m going to try one of these, along with this model below:
Handheld Rechargeable Portable Fan, $22 (coupons may be available)
While not portable, Elyse recommends this oscillating fan, saying that her nephew has one at college while she has one in her office:
Iris USA Oscillating Fan with remote, $68-75
Lauren the hot (girl, same) asks for some recommendations for cool sleeping:
I am struggling to sleep cool. Part of my problem is that when I’m *not* having a hot flash, I tend to get chilly. I still sleep with socks on (at least till the 3 am ‘flash, when they come off in sweaty rage) and I need the weight of a comforter or blanket. I have a cooling pillow from Ikea and I have a cooling mattress, but it’s just not enough. So-sheets! Comforters! Other cooling pillows or sleepwear or any suggestions!
I responded in the comments:
…the first thing I thought of was the Bed Jet, which my neighbor who is very pregnant and alternating hot and cold ADORES and tells everyone about. It’s pricey, but it has made a massive difference for her. I haven’t tried one myself.
I also like the eucalyptus sheets from Sheets & Giggles. We have three sets at this point, and use them constantly. I have also heard that shorts and tanks in the same fabric make great bed clothing, if you sleep with jammies on.
Elyse seconds the rec for Sheets & Giggles, saying they “are 1000% worth it for those of us in menopause or perimenopause.” Can confirm.
What about you? What tools do you use to keep cools? Do you have any recommendation requests?
Stay safe out there!
After having some skin cancer removed from my nose last year (what a blast), I bought several sun hats. My favorite is from Outdoor Tribe, their Everyday UV Protection hat for women. https://www.outdoorstribe.com/products/w-everyday-sun-hat?srsltid=AfmBOoryjerrOUpbLTxYTjdHrKCIyQreGwo_SyIYTg_KbF86I0E9gdvR I have it in 4 different colors now. Wasn’t a fan of hats before, but gotta take care of things now. No more slathering up with baby oil to bask in the sun 80s-style. ha.
I seriously love that neck fan for keeping cool, but it also keeps mosquitoes away from my face because they don’t like the breeze. Sunhats! For city days, where I pop in and out of places, I like this Wallaroo, has UPF and is packable:
Wallaroo Hat Company Women’s Darby Sun Hat
For hiking/watching sports, I like Outdoor Research, which has a wide brim and chin strap, is quick-drying and has UPF: Helios Sun Hat
Very interested in the cooling towels and eucalyptus sheets. Thanks for the recommendations!
Skratch Labs makes great electrolyte powders that don’t taste artificial. Last year they had a limited edition cucumber lime that I bought about six bags of (they sell in bags and pouches, and the bagged stuff is easier to titrate to the level of intensity you prefer).
My husband and I both have the rechargeable neck fans you posted above. They help keep you cool, but they also blow away all the tiny bugs that are everywhere where I live right now. (I really hate when little bugs fly into your nose or mouth.) They are a bit noisy, but not anything too annoying.
Update on the wear over sunglasses. They are 1oz, and I think they feel too heavy on the bridge of my nose, and will give me a headache. BUMMER.
I may have to order some wrap around sunglasses for myself. I have my prescription – any suggestions for online vendors, please let me know!
Also: Any fan that blows away bugs is 1000000% my favorite. I’m so delicious to the bloodsucking insect population.
I splurged on a Bedjet last fall (I personally prefer it on its own without the sheet because I’m a no-top-sheet person, but it’s easy to try it out, as I did, and get a full refund because it’s really personal preference), and I loved it for making my bed toasty warm during the winter.
I wasn’t sure how it would work for summer because it doesn’t actually cool the air, but during the current heat wave it has been amazing at keeping me cool even though I don’t have air conditioning in my bedroom. It also works really well for reducing night sweats (at any time), and is perfect for me because no matter how hot it is, I can’t sleep without a blanket over me. It’s one splurge that has been so worth it for me, at all times of the year.
I also love the Skratch (particularly their no-sugar option).
One key note: if there are fruits/etc. you can’t eat, avoid those flavours. Skratch gets all its flavours from real food, so if you can’t have strawberries, for example, the strawberry lemonade has strawberries in it.
I’ve tried a couple of flavors of Liquid IV and I’m not a fan. Too sweet and artificial. I got a free sampler of LMNT and absolutely loved almost every flavor. It’s pretty pricey, however, so I use it sparingly. I’m going to have to try out that America’s Test Kitchen recipe!
Y’all, I just learned the WILDEST thing- there’s a proposed class action suit against LMNT for false advertising, because the mix contains maltodextrin, a corn derived sweetener.
More from the POTS Subreddit.
I happily live in a climate that most times is cool, but very occasionally does have warm weather that no one is prepared for. No one has AC, not homes or stores. We found these Arctic Air Pure Chill evaporative coolers back when we still had a Bed, Bath and Beyond store in town. These are good for very direct cooling, like set it up and direct it towards your body.
Our old school way of cooling things down was to take a bag of ice, dump it into a big pan and let a fan blow over it. This works surprisingly well to cool down a room!
Love Skratch and also want to note that Solbari has some hats with ponytail holes if that matters to anyone. Also I love my Thigh Society cooling anti chafe shorts all year round but especially in the summer. Game changer! Feels super light and protects my thighs!
Two summers ago I tried out the 100% linen tops and shorts they sell at Lidl. Loved them! (You know how you feel embarrassed to discover for yourself something that the whole world knew about already—and told you about—and you kept saying “yeah okay” without really believing them? That. Linen is cooler than cotton!) I don’t care how much linen wrinkles; the cooling comfort is worth it.
I’m considering asking for linen sheets for my birthday—my aunt has a set and she swears by them during the summer.
An old coworker taught me a trick for cooling off enough to fall asleep when you’re baking in a concrete bunker without AC or a fan…
Wet a beach/bath towel. (I use a bucket and run the tap until it’s soggy, wring out what I can and then chuck it for a separate spin in my washer.) If you’re ready to go to bed, take a last cool shower and climb into bed using the damp towel as a blanket. If you’re not ready to go to bed, store the damp towel in a plastic bag…in the fridge. Apply when ready for bed.
I’ve done this. It does help.
I’ve also taken to not towel-drying my hair after coming in and washing off the day’s outside sweat. That leaves my head cooler and sometimes drops of water trickle down my neck and back delightfully.
Thank you for all the recs and links for hats! I just ordered two different styles from Sunday Afternoon. Hoping they fit!
Bedsure sent me these Breescape sheets last year to try, and they were definitely cooler. Very slippery–top sheet slides around.
non-affiliate link: https://breescape.com/products/cooling-sheet-set?variant=42296467980366
I got the Adamson B10 bed Cooling system. It was around $150, though it looks like it’s a bit higher now. It’s a pad that goes under your sheet, attached to a portable cooling unit that you fill with water. It only does cooling, but that’s all I need. It’s really helped keep me cool enough at night without needing to put the AC down to 67° and freezing out my husband. I even bring it on road trips if we’re going to be someplace more than a couple of nights.
Chiming in for anyone who may be unaware: in general, daily use of electrolyte powders is unnecessary if you eat a balanced diet and do not engage in high intensity exercise or sweat excessively.
There are other reasons to take them of course such as fluid/mineral replenishment post sickness, can be helpful to those with chronic illness, etc., but the average healthy person can stay hydrated through a balanced diet and drinking plain water. Also, the type and concentration of electrolytes may vary greatly between and even within brands. For example, the linked brand (Ultima) advertises 0g sugar and has low sodium content while the mentioned brand (Liquid IV) does contain some sugar and much higher sodium content while also having ‘sugar-free’ version. Again, this is for anyone unfamiliar with the use of electrolytes. I find it helpful to treat them with the same care as other supplements research about specific contents before use especially if you have an underlying health concern that may be affected by increased consumption of sugar, sodium or other minerals.
For those who do supplement with electrolytes, please also consider when possible opting for bulk packaging as single serve packaging is also single use plastic.