Sweat is the product of a natural body function that regulates your temperature when it’s hot outside, or when your muscles get heated up through exercise. But too much of it can cause inconvenient sweat stains on your clothes and even cause funky odours to emanate from the fabric. Being excessively sweaty may make you feel anxious or ill at ease to be out in public. So what can you do to manage your perspiration to keep you looking good and feeling confident about yourself—even on a sweltering hot day or during a particularly sweaty workout?
To answer that question, here are five helpful tips for how to dress if you sweat a lot, plus some additional advice on mitigating perspiration-related problems. These should help you stay cool, be comfortable, and have full peace of mind about how you look and comport in front of others.
Wear Textiles with Antimicrobial and Odour-Controlling Properties
One of the most unfortunate side effects of sweating a lot is getting your clothes to be smelly. The chief culprit behind those foul odours is bacteria. These microbes thrive in warm and moist environments like damp clothes. The longer they stay on the fabric, the more likely they are to react with further sweat secretions, and this in turn will cause them to generate the organic compounds that are responsible for funky smells.
If you’re particularly self-conscious about sweat and unwanted odours accumulating in the lower half of your body, wearing antimicrobial leggings and tights is a good idea. The antimicrobial properties on these garments will inhibit the growth of microbes on the fabric, which will fend off the bad odours. Clothes like these are great options for when you expect to be out on a hot day or sweating in packed places like the train station or grocery store.
Choose Cooler and More Breathable Fabrics
Another thing you can do to address your sweat problem is to wear cooler and more breathable clothing fabrics. It’s best to wear natural fabrics because they’re comfier and because they act as effective barriers to sweat. But there are other options that you can explore, such as regenerated cellulose fabrics like bamboo, Tencel, and rayon. Knitted hydrophobic fabrics like nylon, which easily lets air through the cloth, are also good choices for activewear.
In a nutshell, look for clothing that will allow your skin to breathe and that will keep your body cooler in warm or sweat-inducing settings. Doing so will make you feel more comfortable, as well as less self-conscious about your sweat.
Wear Additional Layers to Soak Up the Sweat
If you sweat a lot, it may seem counterproductive to add more layers of clothing on your person. But the additional layers can serve the function of soaking up your sweat and making it less visible to others. To that end, an easy fix for dealing with sweat is to wear sweat-proof underlayers like undershirts or tank tops.
The most effective underlayers are the ones made out of breathable and absorbent fabric, so make it a point to choose items that sport these qualities. You should also make sure that your underlayers fit you correctly and that they’re the right cut for the type of clothing you’ll wear over them.
Find Colours and Patterns That Can Effectively Obscure Sweat
Your choice of colour palette or clothing pattern can also help you disguise your sweat and draw people’s attention away from sweaty spots on your clothes. Though the colour black is the most effective at obscuring sweat, it shouldn’t be your only option. It’s also worth considering that black fabrics absorb more heat than lighter-coloured fabrics and may induce you to sweat more, thus defeating the purpose.
On hot days, you can incorporate colours like white, navy, pale pink, or lilac into your outfits. It’s also a good idea to wear busy patterns like camo and plaid, as these will do a great job of obscuring sweat on the fabric. Avoid the colour grey, as sweat spots tend to show up the most starkly on grey tops and bottoms.
Wear Either Open-Toed Sandals or Closed-Toe Shoes with Socks
When it comes to styling outfits for hot weather or workout days, don’t forget about your feet. If you’re not wearing proper footwear, the sweat from your feet can build up and make them a hotbed for harmful microbes, as well as unpleasant odours.
For days that you’ll be outside enjoying the summer weather, go for open-toed sandals that give your feet a lot of support. When you’re working out at the gym, going jogging at the park, or getting errands done at the supermarket, wear stretchy mesh-type sneakers that allow your feet to breathe. If you want to avoid funky foot odours, never forget to wear socks with your shoes. It’s also good to avoid leather materials in hot weather, as these tend to accumulate heat very quickly and may cause your feet to sweat even more.
Some Additional Tips for Keeping Cool and Managing Troublesome Perspiration
Though your choice of clothing will count for a lot, there are other things that you can do to stay on top of your sweat problem. For one, you should consult with your doctor if you think you might have hyperhidrosis, or a physical condition that causes you to sweat excessively even when you’re not exercising or exposed to hot weather. Your doctor will give you the best recommendations on which topical deodorants or antiperspirants to use so that you can manage excessive sweating.
For another, if you know you’ll be sweating a lot, drink lots of water to keep your body cool. You can also eat more foods that are effective at calming overactive sweat glands, like oats, almonds, bananas, watermelon, and spinach. Avoid caffeine if you can help it because caffeine stimulates your nervous system and makes it easier for you to sweat a lot.
All in all, don’t “sweat” the hard stuff. Use the tips listed above to work around your perspiration problem and become more at ease when styling yourself up!