Almost no matter where you live, August, known colloquially as “The Dog Days of Summer,” is one of the hottest months of the year. As we enter this year’s Dog Days, most of us are desperate for ways to stay cool. It is not always as easy as it should be, however, because pop culture has fabricated a variety of myths about staying cool that will, in fact, only make you hotter. Whether the myths are in relation to apparel or other lifestyle choices, they should be avoided at all costs. The following list summarizes some of the most prominent myths and debunks them so that you will know better next time you have to beat the heat.
- Flimsy Fabrics Will Keep You Cool – This myth comes from the fact that lightweight fabrics do cool you. It is not sufficient, however, to take a paper-thin cloth, cut arm holes and a neck hole in it, an call it a shirt. Probably the number one cause of feeling uncomfortable during hot days, in fact, is when your clothes press down on your body, thereby hampering your sweat pores from doing their job. Whether the clothing is extremely lightweight or not does not matter if it presses up against your skin when you wear it. So in short, lightweight is great, but flimsy clothes are seldom made with the support they need to give breathing space to your sweat pores.
- Take a Cool Shower – It makes sense that bathing under some cold water would make you feel cooler when it’s hot, right? Well, in the short term, yes. But experts have found that your body’s internal temperature quickly rises in order to deal with the cold water all around. This means that after you get out of the shower, your blood will be running hot and you will be warmer than ever.
- Go Sockless – It is extremely popular to wear sandals on hot days. After all, shoes trap the heat coming from your feet, and the cotton socks you have to wear with them are even worse, right? Actually, scientists tell us, open-toed shoes often block the body’s built-in cooling process by allowing dust and other small debris to cover the foot’s sweat pores and blocking sweat from escaping. As there are more sweat glands on the sole of the foot than on any other part of the body, this can cause serious problems. Shoes prevent outside debris from reaching the feet, and socks absorb your foot’s sweat to help your feet feel cool and clean.
- Drink an Ice Cold Beverage – An ice-cold glass of lemonade is practically synonymous with staying cool in the heat. Like the cold shower, though, too much cold in or around your body often raises your body temperature and makes you feel hotter than before. There is even evidence that shows drinking hot liquids is better for staying cool in the long run, as the heat will jump-start the process by which sweat is produced.
- Lounge in Front of a Fan – This one is only partially false. A fan is a great way to keep cool, but it also dries out your skin over time. Because of this, it is important to make sure you stay extra-hydrated when you’re in front of a fan.
- Don some Polyester – Many people figure polyester must be cooler than cotton because professional athletes and frequent gym-goers wear it in action, and they always get hot and sweaty, so the polyester must help, right? The answer is no, not unless the polyester being worn is extremely high quality. Athletes often wear polyester jerseys because the material is resistant to staining, it is more durable than cotton, and it does not shrink in the wash like cotton does. This means the jerseys last a lot longer, which means the organization that provides them spends less money buying new ones. If the polyester is very high quality, it can move sweat away from your body and to the outside of the fabric through a process called wicking. Even the cheapest cotton (and, therefore, absorbent) t-shirts are just as effective at keeping you cool as polyester shirts, though.
- Wear Black Clothing – In recent years, the rumor has spread that wearing black clothing will keep you cooler by absorbing the light from the sun and your body and hold it in the fabric rather than reflecting it onto your skin. This is just false; the reflected sunlight caused by wearing white will more than make up for any light that black clothing will absorb.
Clothing that is made well enough to keep you comfortable during August is not always easy to find, but quality lightweight clothing lines like VKNagrani designer t-shirts will keep you both cool and stylish during the Dog Days of Summer. Whatever be your choice of fabric, the ultimate rule is to feel comfortable in what you wear and that comes with designer clothing made to make you feel comfortable and stylish.
