13 Sweat-free Ways To Look Cute When It's Hot - (2024)

You’d think since I live in Minnesota (land of the six-month winter) I’d be poorly versed in sweat-soaked tank tops and underboob sweat.

But you’d be wrong.

Since Minnesota is so far inland, our summers are nearly as rough as our winters – 90% humidity, 100 degree days, opaque curtains of mosquitoes. This, coupled with a year and a half spent in tropical Taiwan, has taught me how to navigate three months of sweat and sun. And to supplement my knowledge? I asked the lovely people of Twitter and my Facebook lady friends.

Here are 13 ways you can look cute when it’s hot!

1. OMG, dresses

Are dresses the answer to every question? Probably. They make you look fancy and pulled together when they’re really just an elevated onesie. You’ll feel even more comfortable if you buy dresses in natural fabrics (I love this cotton one) or find a cut that’s simultaneously cute and a little roomie (like this one (for $16!))

2. Wear natural fabrics

Let’s talk about 100% cotton and, yes, linen. Also, let’s take an official stance that wrinkled clothing is chic. Natural fabrics breathe a million times better than rayon or poly blends and they also help us look like those casually beautiful women who drink tea while sitting on weathered Adirondack chairs. It’s also worth noting that we’ll all enjoy summer more if we extend the natural fabric policy to our underwear. Isn’tthis linen skirtcute?

3. Reconsider your bra situation

If you’re super well-endowed you should probably stick with your trusty underwire, but if you’re smaller than a D-cup, I’d make the argument that you could probably switch to a sporty-ish bra, cute bikini tops, or tops with built-in support.

During the summer, I almost exclusively wear these– they’re a million times more comfortable than underwires, you can toss them in the wash, they work with any racer back tank tops, and they’re lined and have separate cups so you don’t get the Dreaded Uniboob. Bikini tops look cute peeking out from your tank tops and are made to be washed a million times.

Also: keep your bras in the freezer! Heavenly.

4. Wear your hair up (of course)

5. Buy some summer-specific accessories

Here’s what I don’t leave the house without: a hat (I wear this one all the time), a cute water bottle, and I recently bought a super cheap collapsible sandalwood fan.I was worried I’d looka bit Blanche Dubois, fanning myself dramatically in the park but tons of people have asked me where I got it. I’m on a one-woman mission to convert Minneapolis hipsters into fan-carriers.

I’ve also seen people carrying those non-environmentally-but-probably-really-amazing aerosol cans of Evian. I’m putting off trying them because I’m afraid they’ll be life-changing and then I’ll be the sort of person who sprays herself with Evian AND fans herself with a tiny wooden fan in public. Ugh/awesome.

6. Give up accessories and makeup that’s not heat-friendly

Big cuff bracelets and liquid eyeliner are part of my everyday uniform, but in the summer those bracelets sweatily stick to my forearm and my eyeliner flakes off. So I made the executive decision to put them away for the summer. I’m also giving up on scarves, pointy toed ballet flats and skinny jeans. Nope.

7. Use products that melt in an appealing manner

Everything is going to melt off within an hour or two, so you might as well use stuff that’s going to look good as it melts – cream eye shadow, tinted moisturizer, tinted chapstick. A friend from Arizona gives up perfume for the summer and just uses scented lotion or sunscreen. This 30 spf sunscreen apparently smells like ‘citrus mimosa’!

Also: keeping your cosmetics and skin care products in the fridge feels great and (I’m guessing) prolongs their life.

8. For the ambitious: dye your eyebrows and/or eyelashes

Since I’m blonde and capable of getting a tan, every summer my eyebrows bleach out to the same color as my face. Awwwwwesome. While that’s not something everyone would care about I’m vain and I like visible eyebrows so I dye mine with Just For Men beard gel(yes, really).

I don’t do it regularly, but in the past I’ve had my eyelashes dyed which makes me feel like an old Hollywood glamazon, waking up and looking all bright-eyed and made up.

9. Deal with the chafing

As far as I can tell, the only benefit to having a thigh gap is that you will never have to endure summer chafing. For the other 99% of us, let’s talk about this anti-chafing gel, these sexy thigh chafe-stopping bandelettes, or good ‘ol baby powder.

Personally, I’m more likely to opt for the gel because I’m loathe to wear another layer in 90 degree weather but I know many women who swear by those shorts!

10. Eat all the cold things

Gazpacho! Cold quinoa salads! Mango lassi popsicles! Beet lemonade! They’re all easy, healthy, and you can prepare them ahead of time so you can eat them right out of the container, standing in front of the fridge, bathing in that glorious cold. Hypothetically.

11. Wash your feet with cool water before you go to bed

13. Remember how cold you were this winter

Does this actually make you feel cooler? No. Is it fun to do anyway? Yup.