How do you feel when the temperature starts rising? Excited for the summer ahead, tinged with a little bit of dread about what to wear to keep you cool? We do too, because whilst it’s nice to feel the sun on our skin, it can also be a minefield navigating a busy day of work, errands, commuting and childcare without feeling the heat. Especially so, if we’re struggling with hormone and menopause related hot flushes and night sweats 

So here’s our top tips on dressing to keep your cool! 

1. Natural fabrics, natural fabrics, natural fabrics. We can’t emphasise this enough! Natural fabrics allow the skin to breathe, as opposed to synthetic fabrics that hold the heat in and make us sweat. So choose items of clothing made from breathable fabrics such as cotton, hemp and linen. Bamboo fabrics are also becoming big now, and they too allow the skin to breathe. Avoid anything with the word ‘poly’ in it, such as polyester and polyamide (‘poly’ literally means plastic), as well as nylon and acrylic. Natural fabrics tend to be more expensive, but it’s a way of investing in long-lasting, classic pieces, rather than supporting fast fashion. 
2. Layering is also helpful - start with undies (non-wired and cotton if you can) and layer on a loose fitting vest or tee, with a shirt over the top. If it’s chilly, add a jumper or cardi. Then, if the heat gets to you, take off a layer, until you can take off no more! 
3. Uniforms and workplace safety rules permitting, bare legs, without tights, will allow air to circulate around your lower half. If you don’t like to bare your legs, opt for long, floaty dresses and skirts. 
4. Think about your footwear too, because as we all know, if our feet are hot and uncomfortable, our whole body feels the same! Flats are usually best as our feet swell during the day, meaning that restrictive, heeled footwear can cause us to become hot and bothered. Open toed sandals are a great idea, but avoid anything made with plastic, including ‘jelly’ shoes that make us hot just thinking about them! 
5. Workout gear can be a challenge, as it tends to be tight fitting and made of fabrics that wick sweat away, but at the same time, can make us hot. A well-fitted sports bra is non-negotiable, we always need to keep things in place when we’re exercising, so this is one item of clothing that we can’t do much about. But on top, a loose fitting cotton tee is great, that can even be whipped off mid-workout! Choose shorts over leggings too, as well as good quality cotton sports socks designed to wick away sweat. 
6. Let’s talk about PJs! During the night, we can struggle with night sweats, meaning that the temptation is to sleep naked. Which of course is perfectly ok. But you may find that wearing a cotton PJ set of loose shorts and tee helps to keep you cooler, as it’ll wick sweat away from the body. The same goes for bed linen - always opt for natural, breathable fabrics and a lightweight duvet. 

Keep cool out there and have a fab early summer!