Heat Waves

August 03, 2018

Heat Waves

The monsoon weather here has been wild but predictable as we experienced dry, scorching heat in a week and windy, cold rain in the other. When it was sunny, the sunset lasted till 7:00 p.m. The sky was beautiful with several strikes of mellow colours that I wish I could transfer into a painting and hang in my room. Despite all the beauty, the heat was unbearable as I sweat in places that I never thought of releasing water and salt. I rarely travelled out of the home during that period as I was too lazy to lather up thick sunscreen on my skin. Not to complain, but expressing the intensity of the heat was tricky as I wish you could feel it understand better. Maybe you could imagine being in a sauna at 34-35 degree Celsius, for more than 8 hours- that's the humidity I experienced in the past week.

My method of staying hydrated and cool:

Quench thirst with water
Wears only short-sleeved breathable cotton/linen clothing
Only wear light-coloured clothing items- you do not want to burn your skin
Wears skirts (for gals)
Lather cooling gel all over the body (aloe vera)
Wear sunscreen and a hat when travelling out
Tying up the hair/Cutting it short
Avoid outdoors/staying under the sun at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. (the hottest time of the day)
Bring a mini USB fan/
Face mist might help (although I've not tried it)
Sweat it out by exercising
Walk barefooted on the grass

Discussing wearing breathable cotton pieces, I highly recommend the basics from Uniqlo. They are comfortable and cool to the skin, as well as affordable. The white top I am wearing is made out of cotton and spandex. The cotton feels soft and relaxed. The spandex helps to hug my body at the right place without tightly brushing my skin. I wore them on a hot day to the beach, and I barely sweat in them, which passed the test for comfort and heatproof. Another great tip on a summery day is to wear skirts- either short or midi or maxi. Skirts are likely to be more breathable and airy which allows air circulation to flow through the skin and the environment. You'll want to stay breezy and fresh for a length of time, if possible. For my styling option, I chose a polka dot midi skirt I thrifted a while back. Despite it being double-lined, it still allows air to pass through. Polka dot is also a trending pattern this year, so you might want to pull out your polkas and show them off. A bucket hat, another trending piece, or even a functional closet essential, is a must anywhere you go that requires a good number of walking. Other essential accessories for a hot day are such as gold hoop earrings, a small tote/sling bag, and sandals (which weren't captured in the photo).