WHILE heatwave conditions bring a welcome burst of sunshine, they also bring unwelcome sweat.
Hot weather makes us sweaty, and it is important to understand why and how to stop it.
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You may think it’s gross, but it is actually your body’s way of regulating your temperature.
If you have large sweaty patches, it can make your clothes look gross.
Why do we sweat?
Laurie Hooper at The Natural Deodorant Co explains: “First things first, we need to sweat. It plays an important role in maintaining normal health and helps our bodies regulate body temperature, eliminate toxins and maintain the balance of salt levels.”
Despite what you might think, sweat doesn’t actually smell. The smell of sweat is only created when it mixes with bacteria on the skin. Your natural perfume can be reduced by washing your skin regularly and using deodorant.
How can you stop sweating excessively and avoid developing sweat patches?
Britain is expected to heat up faster than Athens this week, with temperatures reaching a blistering 30C.
On Sunday, the mercury reached 27.1C in Wiggonholt (West Sussex) and it is expected to heat up for the first week of school.
The temperatures will be in the mid-20s for most parts of the country, but London is expected to see highs of 28C today and 29C tomorrow.
Forecasters believe it could rise to 30C on Tuesday or Wednesday, surpassing the 25C in Greece.
Here are some things you can do to keep from getting too hot.
1. Ditch curry
Ever noticed you sweat a lot after you eat a spicy curry? It’s because your body reacts to spicy foods in the same way as it does to heat weather by producing sweat to cool you off.
Combining the two will make you sweat more than you need. If you sweat a lot, caffeine is also bad.
That’s because it stimulates the central nervous system, triggering adrenal glands to go into “fight or flight” mode. You may feel more sweat when adrenaline kicks in.
2. Run it off
We all know we sweat when we exercise. It can reduce the amount of sweat you produce. You will sweat while exercising, that is a fact.
Your brain will release endorphins, which makes you feel less stressed after a workout.
Endorphins reduce cortisol, which is the hormone responsible stress. This can lead to less anxiety and other side effects such as sweat.
3. Dress for the occasion
It goes without saying, if it’s hot outside you need to wear cool clothing.
You’ll sweat more the warmer you get. If you’re wearing thickly woven fabric and jeans, you’re setting yourself up to sweat-related disaster.
Choose loose-fitting clothes made of breathable materials that allow for airflow to your body.
This will keep you cool and prevent wet areas under your arms. Dark clothes can make you more hot than lighter clothes.
4. Let’s get clinical
In most weather you might find your usual deodorant is working just fine. In hot weather, you will likely sweat more and your deodorant will probably not be as effective. Clinical strength antiperspirant deodorants are the answer.
Some deodorants may not be antiperspirant, but others are. A clinical strength deodorant is designed to combat sweat and keep you dry throughout the day.
Make sure to look for one that contains 12 per cent or higher aluminium chloride. That is the key ingredient that fights sweating.
If you still can’t stop sweating speak to a GP because you may have hyperhidrosis – an excessive sweating problem.
What deodorant is best for me
Here Laurie explains what deodrant you should be using and why
Antiperspirants: Work by blocking sweat.
- They enter the pores through which the sweat is trapped and then cling to the glands to create a barrier. If the sweat can’t escape, the bacteria can’t get in
- In order to create this pore blocking effect antiperspirants use aluminium compounds such as aluminium chloride, aluminium chloralhydrate and aluminium zirconium chloralhydrate complexes
- They may be listed in ingredients as “natural mineral salts”, “natural rock salts”, or “potassium alum” (potassium aluminium sulphate)
- You cannot wash antiperspirant off. It takes time (sometimes up to two weeks) for the antiperspirant gel that has formed over the sweat glands to be expelled
Deodorants: Still allow your body to sweat with is a normal function but reduce odour
- Work by killing bacteria living on the skin.
- They allow you to perspire naturally, but killing the bacteria means the sweat has nothing mingle with to create that pong
- Most deodorants use alcohol to kill bacteria (not ours!), but this process eradicates the good bacteria along with the bad and can lead to imbalances in skin pH
- The antibacterial ingredients found in deodorant range from simple alcohol to essential oils and mineral salts such as sodium bicarbonate.
- Ingredients like alcohol, however, can cause irritation to delicate underarm skin post shave
5. Sleep on it
We’ve talked a lot about sweating in your day to day life, but you sweat when you sleep too. It is actually more effective to apply your antiperspirant at night.
It takes time for the active ingredients to create a barrier against your sweat.
Make sure you clean and dry your underarm before applying the cream. Don’t lose heart if it doesn’t work the first try. It will eventually.
6. Chill out
You know how we mentioned that your stress levels can impact how much you sweat? You’re only making things worse by stressing about your sweating.
It’s best to not worry about it, and instead use the tips.
It is also important to identify your stress triggers and take steps to manage them before they become a problem.
You can control your stress levels by using mindfulness and breathing techniques. Keep your body temperature low – take a cool bath or swim – so your body doesn’t need to sweat as often.
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