Steamy summer days are around the corner. We hate to complain, considering it seems like just yesterday we were shivering in sub-zero conditions. But our memory is short and now the time is upon us to complain about the unbearable heat.
While no amount of deodorant is going to keep the sweat from streaming down, you can make yourself more comfortable with products that'll give you a jolt of cooling freshness.
How They Work
You've got two basic options here: products that actively cool, or chilled-down regular products.
For the former, some of the active ingredients you'll fins work on a molecular level that would require a chemistry lesson to explain. Suffice it to say that those ones interact with your body chemistry to approximate a cooling sensation on the surface of your skin. Other formulas just feel extra refreshing and soothing on an overheated body, thereby simulating a chill.
For the latter, it's as easy as stashing body lotions and face treatments in your fridge. Sounds kinda odd, we know, but on a 100° day, a cold shower followed by some chilled-down moisturizer will make the weather a whole lot more bearable. If you want an extra intense cool-down, put your actively cooling products in the fridge, too.
What to Look For
When you need to take the heat out of sun-exposed skin, look for anything with aloe and cucumber.
You know how Icy Hot replicates the feeling of a cool compress? That’s basically what sinus-clearing ingredients like menthol and eucalyptus do for you.
Other naturally invigorating additives include tea tree oil, juniper berry (the same stuff used to make gin), rosemary, and a variety of mints that function like a topical York Peppermint Patty. Plus, the heady scents of those botanicals and essential oils contribute to the chilly impression.
The Routine
Start in the shower — preferably a cold one. Massage eucalyptus-spiked shampoo into your hair, which will invigorate while also calming your scalp. Then, rouse yourself from that heat-induced malaise with menthol shower gel and scrub away your rough skin with a minty exfoliator.
Out of the shower, rinse your face with acne-killing juniper berry cleanser. If the next step is to shear off your stubble (that extra hair is just making you warmer), then follow up by slapping your face with tea tree oil packed post-shave lotion and pile on refreshing cucumber gel-based moisturizer.
And if you’re sore from a tough workout, skip the Icy Hot and try a more natural option: camphor muscle rub, which will ease achy muscles while lending a subtle chill.
Those are all just examples — you can tweak the lineup to include whatever steps are part of your routine, and include any cooling ingredients you want — but it goes to show that there are plenty of opportunities to chill out with your grooming routine.
While even all of this will only provide temporary reprieve from the fiery hell that is summer, it should be enough to prevent you from having a complete meltdown. Good luck out there.
