When temperatures soar, choosing the right clothing is essential to staying cool and avoiding heat-related problems. Dressing for hot weather can be difficult, but with the right approach, including consideration of fabrics, colors, and more, you can stay comfortable all day long.
Here's how to dress appropriately to beat the heat safely whether you're heading to the beach, running errands, or going on a hike.
Stick to natural fabrics like cotton and linen
The best fabrics to keep you cool in hot weather are cotton and linen. Cotton is a natural fiber known for its breathability and moisture-wicking properties, which helps keep your skin cool and dry. Its lightweight, soft texture makes it comfortable to wear and allows air to circulate freely, which enhances the cooling effect.
Linen is also breathable and has excellent moisture-wicking properties. It’s also commonly used in loose-fitting, flowing garments that don’t trap sweat on the skin. “If sweat is just sitting on your body, it’s not evaporating, so it’s not really leaving the surface of your body, and it’s harder for your body to stay cool,” Kimberly McMahon of the National Weather Service’s Public Weather Services Program tells TIME.One
Synthetic sweat-wicking or moisture-wicking fabrics are commonly recommended, but these technical fabrics are often made of polyester, which poses health and environmental risks. Studies also show that natural fabrics are just as effective at keeping you cool. A review published in Sports Medicine noted:2
“Garment construction, fit, and fabric all play a significant role in how much sweat is absorbed from the skin and transported throughout the garment. Most studies analyzing advertised synthetic fabrics have shown that these fabrics provide no difference in temperature regulation or garment comfort when worn in heat compared to natural fabrics.”
Other studies have compared cotton with synthetic fibers like polyester or nylon and found that cotton is better for exercising in hot weather. “Some studies have observed that wearing polyester during exercise does not provide comfort or temperature regulation benefits when compared to cotton,” researchers at Deakin University in Geelong, Australia, wrote in Sports Medicine Open.three
Additionally, another study found “no significant reductions in core temperature, skin temperature, sweat rate, sweat loss, or skin/clothing wetness when comparing nylon and cotton sportswear, despite using similar testing protocols.”4 They also noted:5
“Cotton is a natural fiber with better moisture-wicking properties than most synthetic fibers… When exercising in hot, dry environments, thermal sensations were significantly improved when wearing a cotton T-shirt compared to upper-body compression garments made of nylon.
In fact, some studies have reported that wearing cotton during exercise significantly reduces core temperature, skin temperature, sweat loss, and heart rate compared to wearing synthetic clothing.”
Problems with polyester and other synthetic fibers
Technical fabrics used in athleisure are known for wicking moisture and drying quickly. However, they may not be the best choice, in part because they lack moisture-wicking properties. According to a study by Sports Medicine Open:6
“Polyester is the most commonly used synthetic material in sportswear due to its dimensional stability, soft feel, and low cost. However, its low moisture absorption rate can be limiting in situations where there is a lot of sweating, as it can increase the moisture on the skin surface, making the skin feel wet and uncomfortable.”
Additionally, synthetic materials often contain problematic chemicals. For example, polyester and spandex contain high levels of bisphenol A (BPA), which mimics estrogen.7 Synthetic fabrics are more likely to shed large amounts of microplastic fibers with each wash. When comparing acrylic, polyester, and polyester-cotton blends, acrylic performed the worst, shedding microfibers up to four times faster than polyester-cotton blends.8
These microfibers are very small in size.9 They are not caught and flow directly through wastewater treatment plants into rivers, lakes and oceans. Microfibers can be ingested by aquatic organisms, from small plankton to large fish and marine mammals, blocking their digestive systems and exposing them to harmful chemicals attached to the fibers, which can affect their growth, reproduction and survival rates.
Microfibers also travel up the food chain and reach people who eat seafood and other contaminated foods. And because they are made of durable synthetic materials such as polyester, nylon, and acrylic, they are not easily biodegradable. That means they can remain in the environment for decades, causing lasting effects on ecosystems and human health.
Long sleeves and pants are better than sunscreen
In hot weather, you may want to wear as little clothing as possible, but even in warm temperatures, there are times when long sleeves and pants are necessary. After being exposed to the sun every day, if you plan to spend more time outdoors, wearing long sleeves and pants will help prevent sunburn and is a better choice than toxic sunscreen.
The health risks of sun exposure come from overexposure, or sunburn. However, sunscreens often contain toxic chemicals, such as oxybenzone, a known endocrine disruptor linked to decreased sperm count.10 Men and Endometriosis11 For women.
Sunscreen chemicals are absorbed systemically into the bloodstream after a single application, posing significant health risks. “Studies in the literature have raised questions about the potential endocrine effects of oxybenzone and homosalate (another sunscreen chemical),” the researchers wrote in JAMA.12
“Additionally, nonclinical safety assessment data, including systemic carcinogenicity, developmental and reproductive studies, are lacking for many active ingredients, preventing us from establishing the clinical relevance of systemic exposure to sunscreen active ingredients,” they added.13
In addition to the dangers of harmful chemicals, many sunscreens are not as effective as they claim to be. As a result, you may end up getting sunburned. Covering your skin with long sleeves and pants made of natural materials is a safe and effective alternative to avoiding overexposure to the sun.
Remember that daily exposure to the sun with bare skin provides many health benefits. It is recommended that you cover your skin only after you have had enough sun exposure throughout the day.
Dark colors protect better from sunlight than white
When choosing clothing to protect against excessive sun exposure, dark-colored clothing is more effective than light-colored clothing. However, if sun exposure is not a factor, dark colors can end up making you hotter. Researchers at the National Institute for Environmental Studies in Japan investigated how the color of a polo shirt affects surface temperature in sunny outdoor conditions.14
They found that dark colors, such as black and dark green, can make you feel up to 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than a white shirt on a sunny day. This temperature difference is most noticeable when the sun is very strong.
They found that about 24% of the temperature difference was due to how much solar radiation each shirt color absorbed. When they took into account how much solar radiation the shirts let through, they found that the difference in absorption explained 34% of the temperature difference.
They also looked at the brightness and reflectivity of the colors. The red and green shirts had different surface temperatures depending on how much they reflected visible light and near-infrared (NIR) light, and NIR reflectance played a big role in how hot the shirts got.
However, there is some debate as to whether wearing dark colors actually makes you hotter. For example, Bedouins are a people who traditionally live in desert areas. They often wear black clothing, which may seem counterintuitive in a hot desert climate. However, while dark fabrics absorb more heat from the sun, the loose nature of the clothing allows air to circulate, helping to dissipate heat before it reaches your skin.
Researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel even investigated whether wearing black clothing helped Bedouins stay cool in the desert heat.15
“We report that Bedouins exposed to the hot desert gained the same amount of heat regardless of whether they were wearing black or white robes. The additional heat absorbed by the black robes was lost before it reached the skin.”
“We can take inspiration from traditional clothing from very warm climates,” Margaret Frey, a professor of fiber science and apparel design at Cornell University, tells TIME. “In a lot of these costumes, they’re actually wearing clothing that covers most of the body, but isn’t form-fitting.”16
Choose loose-fitting clothes rather than tight-fitting ones. And choose appropriate accessories.
As mentioned earlier, it is generally better to wear loose clothing rather than tight clothing in hot weather. Loose clothing allows air to circulate more freely around your body. This allows sweat to evaporate more efficiently, cooling you down. With more space between your skin and the fabric, loose clothing helps dissipate body heat, while tight clothing traps heat close to your body, making you feel hotter.
Loose clothing also clings less to the skin, reducing the buildup of sweat. This helps keep your skin dry and prevents discomfort and irritation. Accessories are also helpful in keeping you cool. A wide-brimmed hat provides excellent shade for your face, neck, and shoulders, reducing direct sun exposure after your daily dose. Choose a hat made of breathable natural materials, such as cotton or straw.
You can also get a cooling effect by wetting a light scarf or bandana made of cotton or linen and wrapping it around your neck. Another important “accessory” is a glass water bottle filled with pure water. Carrying a reusable glass water bottle and drinking water throughout the day can help maintain your hydration level and keep you cool in hot weather.17
