Home → Blog → Resources → Reduce Sweating in Hot Weather – 12 Practical Tips & Clothing Technologies
Though sweating is a natural process that helps regulate body temperature and prevent overheating, it can leave us feeling uncomfortable, clammy, and self-conscious. This is particularly true if you sweat excessively or find yourself struggling in hot weather. No one wants to spend the day with visible sweat patches or in discomfort. Sweat can also lead to concerns over body odor, resulting in anxiety and affecting your self-confidence.
Fortunately, there are numerous ways you can reduce sweating while still ensuring effective temperature regulation. These range from cutting-edge textile technologies like StayCool by Polygiene™ to lifestyle choices and easy-to-adopt tips and tricks. In this comprehensive guide on how to stop excessive sweating, we examine 12 effective methods for ensuring you stay fresh, while also exploring potential triggers and studying the science behind body odor.
The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for controlling our sweat response and activating our sweat glands when certain conditions are met. These conditions are diverse, and we’ll look at them in greater detail below. Before we do so, it is worth noting that excessive sweating is often caused by a combination of factors, rather than a single trigger. Consequently, it’s better to take a multi-faceted approach that considers all potential causes than it is to focus on just one. Common triggers for excessive sweating include:
For the vast majority of people, sweating is nothing more than a physiological response to heat. You may sweat more or less than other people, and personal and environmental conditions can exacerbate it, but it’s also just a natural consequence of warmer weather.
In these instances, it’s important to manage excessive sweating in two main ways:
Your body cools itself via evaporative cooling. In other words, it produces sweat that then evaporates off the skin. The transition from liquid to gas requires energy, which is found in the form of heat, and has a cooling effect. The issue comes when sweat cannot evaporate effectively. Trapped sweat makes you feel like you’re sweating more than you actually are, leads to greater discomfort, and increases the likelihood of producing unpleasant body odor.
Sweat largely consists of water and smell. In and of itself, it doesn’t really smell too strongly of anything in particular. However, it does provide odor-causing bacteria with the perfect growing environment. Bacteria extract nutrients from the sweat by breaking down its proteins and lipids. In the process, they release Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which do have an unpleasant smell.
As well as enjoying the proteins and lipids in sweat, these bacteria thrive in dark and warm environments, such as on your clothes. With this in mind, it’s easy to see how sweat can exacerbate body odor issues if it’s not allowed to evaporate effectively.
Reducing sweat in hot weather takes a combined approach. We need to consider personal care, environmental awareness, and smarter wardrobe choices, as well as exploring technological solutions. Here are our 12 top tips on how to reduce sweating.
Over the last decade, textile technology has come on drastically, with a steady stream of developments enabling brands to engineer and tailor fabrics to meet unique performance needs. Now, StayCool by Polygiene is revolutionizing textile temperature control. As well as improving moisture-wicking performance, it features a moisture-activated thermo-reactive polymer matrix that reduces the temperature of the fabric by several degrees on contact with sweat. This produces a cool-to-the-touch feel on the skin. We’ll explore the technology in greater detail later in the article.
Wearing breathable fabrics is one of the easiest ways to regulate body temperature and encourage sweat evaporation. Good air flow prevents sweat from becoming trapped and then sitting on the skin, resulting in a more comfortable feel and less odor. Breathable materials include cotton blends, linen, and some engineered polyester blends. However, be careful with the latter, as some polyester fibers lack any breathability whatsoever.
Another way to reduce sweating is to choose light-coloured clothing. Dark colors absorb sunlight and increase body heat. Whenever possible, opt for lighter tones that reflect sunlight and keep you cooler. White, beige, and pastel hues are all good options and will help you regulate your temperature and reduce excessive sweating.
Tight clothing tends to trap moisture and restrict airflow, preventing moisture from escaping and keeping it on the skin. Looser garments mean improved ventilation and allow sweat to evaporate more easily. In some cases, tight-fitting clothing is ok, but it must be made from moisture-wicking fabric. Which brings us on to our next top tip…
Moisture-wicking fabrics are engineered to draw sweat off the skin and onto the outside of the clothing, enabling it to evaporate much more easily. This makes the technology one of the most effective means of tackling and reducing sweat, and moisture-wicking clothing should be one of the first things you try when attempting to resolve the issue. Effective moisture-wicking fabrics include bamboo, merino wool, and certain polyester blends. However, brands can improve moisture-wicking performance through the use of additive technologies like StayCool by Polygiene.
It may sound simple, but staying hydrated is incredibly important for effective temperature regulation. Drinking water to ensure your body is well hydrated will lower your core body temperature, reducing the amount you sweat. On average, you should try to aim for two to three litres a day, though this will vary from person to person.
Regular deodorants are designed to mask odors rather than prevent sweating. So you want to make sure your chosen product is an antiperspirant instead. Antiperspirants block the sweat glands and can significantly reduce excessive sweating in warm weather, especially when applied to the underarms. Medical-grade antiperspirants are also widely available and popular among individuals who sweat heavily.
Certain substances actually trigger the body and increase sweating. Caffeine and spicy foods are arguably the two best-known examples of this. Both stimulate the nervous system and can contribute to excessive sweating. With this in mind, avoid caffeine and spicy dishes until the weather cools down in you want to reduce sweating!
Heavy sweating can lead to chafing and add to the discomfort you’re already experiencing. Talcum powder (and other similar powders) keep the skin dry and prevent rubbing, so you can go about your day without worrying about visible sweat patches or soreness. It’s a quick and affordable way to reduce sweating.
Building out a sweatproof wardrobe that’s suitable for any occasion is challenging. But, with a little consideration, you can curate a collection of clothing that enables you to tailor your outfit to any environment or activity. The key here is thinking about what performance traits you require in specific instances. For instance, breathability and aesthetics are probably most important for smart-casual wear. In which case, linen is a good option. For outdoor apparel, you probably want a versatile moisture-wicking fabric, so go for merino wool. And for gym-wear, it’s all about performance, so opt for an engineered polyester blend.
Though it’s not always possible, having a spare change of clothes on you in hot environments can give you an extra option if you find you’re overheating and starting to sweat too much. At the same time, changing into dry clothes prevents the accumulation of sweat and bacteria. Sometimes, it’s as simple as packing a spare shirt or undershirt when you know it’s going to be hot, to reduce sweating.
In many respects, the best advice we can offer for reducing excessive sweating is to use common sense. Avoid exercising during the hottest period of the day and limit your exposure to direct sunlight. In other words, seek shade, don’t overdo it and be sensible.
Not all clothing is suitable for hot, sweaty days. The right gear can drastically improve comfort and reduce visible sweat. So here’s our quick guide on what to wear when the temperature rises.
Lightweight and moisture-wicking, cooling T-shirts are now a summer wardrobe essential thanks to the remarkable power of StayCool by Polygiene.
These are the items designed to be worn around the areas where sweat is typically the biggest issue – underarms and the groin. Getting the moisture away from the skin here ensures more effective cooling and prevents chafing and unpleasant odors. By targeting the area specifically, it also has a more significant impact on overall comfort.
Breathable fabrics with a loose cut allow for greater freedom of movement and improved airflow.
The sunnier weather doesn’t just bring higher temperatures; it also means a substantial increase in potentially damaging UV rays. We recommend looking for clothing that is UV-rated and designed to protect your skin from the sun. Anyone who has worn a standard lightweight cotton shirt will know that the sun can still penetrate the fibers, resulting in sunburn.
If you’re particularly concerned about the bad smells associated with heavy sweating, odor-control textile technologies are the answer. Polygiene StayFresh™ prevents the growth of odor-causing bacteria, keeping clothes fresher for longer and ensuring you don’t need to wash them as regularly.
Like Polygiene’s other Freshness technologies, it is applied during the manufacturing process and provides durable, long-lasting protection. Crucially, it can also be applied in conjunction with StayCool by Polygiene, ensuring apparel benefits from both cooling and odor-control features.
StayCool by Polygiene is our next-generation textile cooling technology and represents a significant leap forward in our ability to regulate body temperature and keep users cool. It works on two fundamental levels:
Brands can apply StayCool by Polygiene to almost any fabric, including synthetics, cellulosics, and recycled fibers. Flexible application methods, such as pad-dry, exhaust, garment-dip, and spray applications, make this a truly versatile solution, while Polygiene marketing support ensures users understand the benefits and value products accordingly.
Overheating and excessive sweating are issues for many people. Historically, we had to avoid the heat if we wanted to stay dry and comfortable. However, today, we can leverage a combination of smart personal strategies, purpose-designed clothing, and next-generation fabric technologies to keep sweating under control.
Whether you’re designing a high-performance athletic line, creating workplace uniforms, or looking to sell everyday leisure wear that incorporates performance elements, StayCool by Polygiene is one of the most effective ways of regulating temperature and keeping users fresh and sweat-free.
We hope our guide has given you some good ideas on how to reduce sweating in warm weather. If you’d like to learn more about the technologies we featured in the article, visit our StayCool by Polygiene solution page or get in touch with our expert advisors to discuss how our solutions can add value to your product line.
