Home → Blog → Resources → Cooling T-Shirt Technology – Stay Cool During Hot Weather
With summer upon us and temperatures starting to soar, many of us are reconsidering our warm-weather wardrobes and looking for ways to stay cool. Clothing plays such an important role in temperature regulation that it’s the obvious place to begin when trying to minimize your exposure and ensure you don’t overheat. And it has become even more central in recent years, as we’ve seen the emergence of a host of new textile technologies that seek to improve warm-weather performance.
Whereas the humble cotton tee was once a summer staple, a growing number of consumers are shifting their focus (and purchasing power) to engineered garments that leverage moisture-wicking fabrics and cooling technology. As well as ensuring personal comfort, these items help tackle many of the problems associated with overheating, such as impaired mental focus, reduced physical performance, and increased fatigue.
With this in mind, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to cooling T-shirts and the technology behind them. Along the way, we’ll look at how they work, what benefits they offer, who they’re for, and how innovations like Polygiene® StayCool are radically reshaping the way brands think about warm weather performance and customer comfort.
Cooling T-shirts are engineered to help regulate body temperature and keep the wearer fresh and comfortable in hot and humid conditions. Whereas regular T-shirts are not optimized for specific weather conditions and tend to trap heat, retain moisture, and prevent airflow, cooling tshirts utilize advanced fabrics, innovative technologies, and smart design features to mitigate these issues.
Crucially, cooling T-shirts don’t depend on energy-intensive cooling methods – there are no integrated fans or bulky cooling packs involved. Instead, they leverage natural performance characteristics, intelligent design, and passive cooling technologies to deliver the desired performance advantages.
As we’ve already noted, cooling T-shirts use multiple technologies to achieve a fresher feel. While some garments may feature just one of these technologies, many will incorporate several. For instance, it isn’t uncommon for a design to use a moisture-wicking fabric and include the Polygiene® StayCool temperature-drop technology.
Moisture-wicking fabrics move sweat away from the skin and onto the outer layer of the fabric. In doing so, they ensure it can evaporate more easily. This achieves multiple things. First, it prevents the T-shirt from soaking up the moisture and becoming heavy and uncomfortable. If the sweat is left to sit on the skin, you also get that clammy and sticky sensation.
At the same time, improved evaporation has a cooling effect, as the liquid absorbs heat energy from its surroundings as it transforms to a gas. Finally, it prevents chafing and irritation. For these reasons, moisture-wicking fabrics are often exceptionally popular in athletic wear, outdoor apparel, and clothing designed specifically for humid climates.
Polygiene® StayCool is a temperature-drop technology that leverages its thermo-reactive polymer matrix to cool a fabric between 2 – 3°C (4.3 – 5.4°F). This ensures users benefit from a fresh feel and comfort-enhancing cooling effect the moment they begin to sweat. Critically, Polygiene® StayCool is also designed to improve moisture-wicking performance. It is an additive treatment that manufacturers can apply to almost any textile.
It may sound simple compared to thermo-reactive polymer matrices, but simple design features like ventilated panels can achieve a lot when it comes to improving airflow and breathability. Incorporating mesh or perforated sections into typically sweaty parts of a T-shirt (most notably the back, underarms, and sides) will keep wearers cool by enhancing breathability and allowing the heat to disperse.
Finally, warm weather clothing shouldn’t focus exclusively on temperature. It also needs to consider skin safety and protect against UV rays. UV-blocking fabrics help reduce exposure to harmful ultraviolet rays, preventing sunburn and long-term skin damage. While this is primarily a skin-safety concern, it also has a noticeable effect on how hot you feel. As long as the material is breathable and wicks moisture away from the skin, covering up can actually be cooler than exposing everything to direct sunlight.
If consumers are going to spend money on a cooling T-shirt, they want to know why they’re the best option on the market. Fortunately, these high-tech designs are a relatively easy sell – they deliver a ton of performance benefits.
First and foremost, cooling T-shirts prevent overheating and help users regulate their temperature by encouraging sweat evaporation and improving air circulation around the skin. This is arguably the single most significant advantage and an important selling point for most consumers.
More heat means more sweat, and that can have an enormous impact on how users feel in their clothes. Moisture-wicking fabrics are one of the most effective ways of keeping your body dry while reducing the risk of chafing, rashes, and irritation caused by moisture and damp clothing.
The relationship between body temperature and athletic performance is long-established – every athlete recognizes the importance of staying cool when engaged in their chosen activity. Cyclists regularly use ice vests before time trials, runners douse themselves in water in warm conditions, and sportspeople in a wider variety of other disciplines choose to wear the most breathable clothing possible.
Feeling sticky, sweaty, and suffocated is never good. It can ruin an otherwise pleasant day and impact how you feel about yourself and your self-confidence, too. Cooling T-shirts for men and women work to improve general comfort in hot and humid conditions.
Finally, clothing that keeps you cool will minimize sweat, depriving odor-causing bacteria of the conditions they need to thrive and preventing unpleasant odors. Coupled with effective antibacterial treatments, such as Polygiene® StayFresh, this enables users to go longer without washing their T-shirt, saving them time and money, and reducing the product’s overall environmental impact, too.
Cooling T-shirts are a great option for anyone who wants to avoid the heat. However, they’re particularly well suited to certain user groups. These groups include:
Whether you’re training indoors or outdoors, body temperature matters. As noted, it affects comfort and performance, and cooling shirts will help you push longer, harder, and further, even when things heat up. In doing so, they help you get the most from your workouts.
Construction workers, landscapers, and manual workers often have to contend with warm conditions and regularly perform demanding physical work that leaves them hot and sweaty. As such, there’s enormous value in textile cooling technologies for this user group.
Many people like to head to warmer climes on their holidays. There’s nothing like escaping home and enjoying the sun on an overseas adventure. With this in mind, many brands are now integrating cooling technologies into travel apparel. This is particularly valuable for travelers who want to pack light and require clothing that will dry quickly and stay fresher for longer.
Long treks in nature often get hot and sweaty. It doesn’t matter whether you’re on a tropical jungle trek or heading into an alpine environment, you need moisture-wicking clothing that can handle temperature extremes. Cooling T-shirts mean enhanced endurance and comfort on the trail.
Finally, brands are also incorporating cooling technologies into T-shirts designed for everyday wear, especially those intended for use in warmer climates. If you live in the tropics or an arid, desert-like region, a cooling T-shirt could make an enormous difference to your comfort.
Not all T-shirts are created equal when it comes to dealing with heat. Consequently, there are a few materials and styles you should avoid when temperatures start to rise:
Though breathable, cotton absorbs sweat and holds onto moisture. In hot, humid weather, it is heavy, damp, and slow to dry.
Cheap polyester or nylon shirts without ventilation trap heat and moisture, increasing body temperature and preventing effective heat dispersal.
Tight-fitting shirts restrict airflow, reduce ventilation, and allow heat to build up on the skin, making you feel hotter and far less comfortable.
Dark T-shirts absorb more sunlight, increasing body heat. In contrast, light and neutral shades reflect the light and are better suited to warm weather.
Polygiene® StayCool is one of the most significant recent developments in textile cooling technology. An additive technology that brands introduce during the manufacturing process, it works on several levels to regulate body temperature, improve comfort, and enhance performance.
The technology enhances the treated fabric’s moisture-wicking capabilities, ensuring sweat is moved away from the skin more efficiently and evaporation can occur more easily. At the same time, it leverages a groundbreaking thermo-reactive polymer matrix, which binds to fabric fibers and activates upon contact with sweat, cooling the fabric between 2 – 3°C (4.3 – 5.4°F).
Key product features:
Learn more about this innovative textile technology at the Polygiene® StayCool solution page.
Beyond fabric and technology, several other factors influence how well a T-shirt keeps you cool:
No matter what clothing you wear, you’re going to get hot and sweaty if you aren’t sensible about your exposure. Seek shade during the hottest parts of the day and be careful if exercising in high temperatures.
Similarly, hydration plays a significant role in ensuring comfort and safety in the heat. Drink plenty of water and stay hydrated throughout the day.
In general, lightweight fabrics feel cooler and dry faster. Heavier knits and weaves can retain heat and trap moisture, leaving you feeling hot and clammy. Go light and breathable whenever possible.
As we sweat more, we tend to have more problems with chafing and skin irritation. Users can greatly reduce these problems by seeking out clothing that features hidden stitches and seams.
In very hot conditions, avoid layering unless it is absolutely necessary. However, in certain cases, thin base layers with cooling tech can help keep you cool. This is particularly true for those who have to wear uniforms or protective gear in warmer weather.
Bacteria thrive in warm, dark, shady places, which is why our clothes often provide them with the perfect environment for growth. Unfortunately, bacteria are also one of the main causes of unpleasant odors. The sweatier you get, the more you’re likely to suffer from bad smells and the more you have to wash your clothes. This is one of the reasons brands are treating products with a powerful combination of Polygiene cooling and antibacterial technologies.
Polygiene® StayFresh is a silver salt-based technology that inhibits the growth of odor-causing bacteria and keeps textiles fresher for longer. In doing so, it:
When used together, Polygiene® StayFresh and Polygiene® StayCool ensure that your T-shirt not only helps regulate your body temperature but also avoids those bad odors that tend to accumulate quickly in warmer weather.
Whether you’re an outdoor adventurer, a performance-driven athlete, or simply trying to stay comfortable during the summer heat, cooling shirts offer a simple, effective way to beat the heat. Polygiene® StayCool takes these designs to the next level, introducing new technologies that further enhance performance and help users stay cooler and more comfortable.
Learn more about our cooling and odor-control technologies on the Polygiene® StayCool and Polygiene® StayFresh solution pages. Alternatively, get in touch with the Polygiene team to explore how our solutions can improve your products’ appeal and value.
