How To Stay Fresh in Summer

Summer season fosters various summer activities, but the body shouldn’t be too hot for too long, as too much heat can cause you to sweat a lot. 

As a result, your body produces an unpleasant smell - body odour, and the risk of heat-related illness known as hyperthermia also increases. Watch out for signs of heat cramps, heat edema, and heat stroke.

The good news is that body odour can be kept at bay and easily managed as a part of your daily personal hygiene routine. 

Find out how to stay fresh and be cool in the summer season by following some basic tips for controlling your home’s and body temperatures. 

Don’t worry. We know there’s a winter season and we haven’t forgotten about it either. Here are some health and hygiene tips for winter.

What causes body odour?

Sweating is your body’s natural cooling mechanism. When the temperature rises, millions of tiny sweat glands are activated from where water vapors are released to your skin's surface and out of the body. 

The heat from your body evaporates in the form of sweat, which helps to cool you down when your body temperature rises. 

Body odour is caused by bacteria on the skin that break down the acids in your sweat. These bacteria can multiply very quickly, hence the importance of personal hygiene - that will help reduce and prevent unpleasant body odour, is increased even more so during the hot summer months.

How can you manage body odour?

The best advice for tackling body odour and staying fresh in the summer heat is to keep the areas of your body most prone to sweating as clean as possible. 

Following the personal hygiene advice mentioned below is a good place to start:

• Take baths or showers regularly (preferably with cold water). Washing your body daily with antibacterial soap or liquid body wash eliminates the bacteria on your skin and keeps you feeling and smelling fresh in the summer months. 
• Make sure to wash your armpits thoroughly. Bacteria love protein and fatty acids produced by the apocrine sweat glands, so your armpits and groin areas can be hotspots for these body odour-causing bacteria. Regularly washing such sensitive areas also helps prevent various skin infections from developing. 
• Use a deodorant or antiperspirant. Once you’ve showered and dried your body, apply a deodorant or antiperspirant under your armpits to keep smelling fresh though the day.

It’s important to clean your clothes because dirty clothes often serve as a breeding ground for bacteria. Make sure to change, replace and wash your clothes regularly. Add Dettol’s antiseptic liquid to the washing machine to eliminate 99.9% of germs and bacteria. Also, don’t forget to clean your washing machine properly for an effective and safe laundry experience.

How can you stay fresh in summer?

You can stay cool and fresh in summer by following the basic hygiene measures religiously. These measures include changing clothes frequently, bathing daily, applying deodorant, and washing hands. 

Drink lots and lots of water 

Staying hydrated is the key when your body is trying to maintain a balanced state as a reaction to sweating - the body’s natural cooling process. 

While iced water is the best way to cool your body down in the summer, energy and carbonated drinks will also help you. Also, ensure you only drink filtered/purified water to protect yourself from waterborne diseases. 

Eat spicy foods and salads

Weird but true: spicy food helps you cool down. Spicy food increases your blood circulation, which in turn gets you sweating. Once air makes contact with sweat on your skin, it cools down the body’s temperature.

Salads are a great option to keep you cool and refreshed in summer as you can choose from the ingredients you want and make it according to your recipe. 

Cold salads are quite versatile; you can use them as a filling in sandwiches and wraps or as a side dish, or you can just dig in the soulful bowl of health as is, at any time of the day. 

As long as you keep food safety and hygiene in check, eating spicy foods and a lot of salads in the summer should keep you cool, fresh, and away from various foodborne illnesses such as food poisoning or typhoid.

Refrigerate or freeze your bedsheets

Place your bedsheets in your fridge or freezer for half an hour before you sleep, and you’ll never have trouble falling asleep because of the heat. 

Plan ahead for hot nights: fold up a top sheet, put it in a bag, and set the bag in the freezer a few hours before bed. Then, when it's time to hit the hay, take the sheet out and lay it on top of you. 

Use box fans

Place box fans facing out of the windows of rooms you are spending time in to blow out hot air and replace it with cold air inside. 

In addition, you should switch the rotation of your ceiling fan counterclockwise in the summer season, allowing it to push more wind currents into the room. 

One of the best ways to remain fresh in the summer is by using an air conditioning unit. However, knowing how to clean the air conditioner properly helps improve its functionality and keep your home and surroundings clean. 

Close your windows, curtains, or blinds

Strategically opening windows at night when the air is coolest and keeping them closed during the day is one of the most straightforward ways to keep a home cooler in the summer. 

Keep the sunlight from coming directly into the house by closing the curtains or blinds over the windows. You could also install blackout curtains to insulate the room and reduce the temperature during the day.