These clever, low-cost moves will help you keep your cool when the weather's hot.
Beat the Heat! Tricks to Stay Cool in the Summer
Beat the heat: Peppermint tea mist
Brew a pot of peppermint tea, then stick it in the fridge. Once it’s nice and cold, wonderhowto.com suggests pouring some into a spray bottle and misting yourself with it. Better than water, the menthol in the tea will give your skin a tingly, cool feeling. Try these tricks to cool your house without AC.
Beat the heat: Chrysanthemum tea
Whether it’s hot or cold, chrysanthemum tea is served to lower body temperature, according to China Daily. It’s also been said to soothe heat rash, experts told Natural Health.
Beat the heat: Breathe like a yogi
Next time you feel overheated, do a few minutes of yogic breathing, recommends Art of Living. Curl your tongue by pulling both sides upward toward the middle, then breathe in through your mouth. Hold your breath, and slowly exhale through your nose. Repeat five to 10 times. This is how to make your makeup last in the summer heat.
Beat the heat: Chill your mattress
Put soft gel ice packs on top of the mattress and underneath the sheets; try under your legs, neck, or lower back for maximum comfort. Real Simple also suggests freezing a cotton sock filled with rice, then slipping it between the sheets. The rice will hold a chill longer.
Beat the heat: DIY air-conditioning
Freeze a couple of water bottles and place them in front of a floor or desk fan, and you’ll enjoy a much cooler breeze with your makeshift air-conditioner. Wikihow.com advises adding salt to the water first to beat the heat longer; apartmenttherapy.com skips the bottles altogether in favor of a bowl of ice water.
Beat the heat: Aloe vera
You know aloe vera naturally soothes sunburn, and its cooling properties also work to help you beat the heat. Blogger Crunchy Betty offers different recipes to make spray of it, combining witch hazel and peppermint oil. This is the real reason summer heat makes us so grumpy.
Beat the heat: Spicy food
If you’re already sweating, why would you want to sweat more? Professor of food science at Penn State University Luke LaBorde offers this answer: eating spicy food increases blood circulation and makes you sweat, so you’ll feel cooler as the sweat dries. Dr. Oz explains that the capsaicin in hot peppers encourages your body to sweat more without raising your body temperature.
Beat the heat: Pressure points
Lifehacker.com‘s solution to lower body temperature is to apply a bottle with ice-cold water on points like your ankles, wrists, or behind the knees.
Beat the heat: Ice-cold sheets
Chill your bed by folding sheets and pillowcases, placing them in plastic bags, and sticking them in the freezer for a few hours, according to mothernaturenetwork.com. Then make up the bed just before you go to sleep for sweet (and cool) dreams.
Beat the heat: Take a cool shower
When all else fails, take frequent cool showers to keep your body temperature down and rinse off the sweat. Try these other natural ways to beat the heat too.
