You know that glorious time, the first three weeks or so of May, when the weather is absolutely perfect? When you don’t have to wear a jacket outside during the day, but you might need to grab one at night? When, inside your home, you needn’t worry about manning the radiator nor the fan? Well friends, those days are over. With the unofficial start of summer behind us (Memorial Day), and the official start of summer just a stones throw away, we’ve reached the longest season of all: sweat season. Unless you’ve Botox-ed it up, your personal blend of salty skin dew is going to be your most consistent companion until the fall. And sure, we all sweat, but we deal with said sweat in different ways. A sample pool at Glossier HQ revealed as much. There’s the communications consultant who always travels with a fan, and the social media editor who lines her outfits with pads. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Follow along for the sweat solutions that are keeping everyone around these parts dry.
The Wiper
“I have an upper lip sweating problem... my friends call it my 'reservoir' because sweat just pools up there more than any other part of my face and body. So, if I have an event in the summer (a wedding or what have you), I'll use these wipes. They’re very strong. My method is to start using it one or two days before the special event, and then I’ll use it on the day of the event as well. They're a Godsend for looking presentable while in black tie.”
—Melissa Souto, Director of Product
The Padder
"How did I start adding panty-liners under my armpits? It was last June, during my older sister’s med school graduation, in the unrelenting San Antonio heat. What started in the morning as a pleasant, balmy ceremony in an open-air stadium, turned into a raging inferno by mid-afternoon. My natural deodorant was doing the absolute least, and as I speed-walked to the bathroom to find (steal) some paper towels to stuff in my underarms, I made a split-second decision and put some pads up there instead. My dress had sleeves, so I just placed the liners lengthways, from the inside of the sleeve to the inside of my dress. And it worked! The liners prevented my dress from getting sweated out, and they were easy peasy to peel off once I found air-conditioned refuge later on."
—Utibe Mbagwu, Content Coordinator
The Soaker
“I play outdoor basketball multiple times a week, and a long warm soak can turn my sweaty, achey, and dirty body into refreshed, clean and glowing. I know what you’re thinking—I get weird looks when I order hot tea in iced coffee season, too. But actually, drinking hot drinks or taking hot baths lowers the amount of heat in your body by making you sweat more. I like to get in the bath, put on my cowboy hat, eat spaghetti, drink a martini, and let myself get uncomfortably hot. Then when I get out, I feel cool and fresh. I use Aesop's Rind Concentrate Body Balm, a citrusy lotion, to finish off my luxury spa moment.”
—Cecilia Salama, Production Manager
The Techie
“A lot of people worry about underarm sweat—I don’t really have that problem, but I sweat a ton on my face. It’s the worst possible place, if you ask me, because it destroys my makeup and my hair. I’ve tried a bunch of different methods (rolling deodorant along my hairline was a dark time), but the absolute best method is a cheapie fan from Amazon. It’s tiny—small enough to fit in my pocket—and to operate it, I just connect it to my phone. That’s all it takes for a continuous gust of wind on demand, wherever I go. It’s BYOB—bring your own breeze.”
—Ashley Weatherford, Senior Editor
The Feet First Method
"At my high school's graduation ceremony, it's always notoriously hot. Girls have to wear full length white gowns (boys don't have it much better with their tuxedos and white dinner jackets). I was afraid of using really strong antiperspirant because apparently that makes you sweat more in the places that you're not using the antiperspirant. So instead of deo, my mom covered me in perfumed talcum powder. Talcum powder and scent are both problematic, so I don't know how you could replicate this knowing what we know now...corn starch perhaps? The thing I know that works for sure if you have the time is standing in a bathtub with cold, cold water at your feet. Unfortunately my graduation didn't have any of those at the ready."
—Emily Ferber, Editor-at-large
The Lo-fi Approach
“Last summer I bought one of those collapsible paper fans and my sweaty life was forever changed. I now refuse to go anywhere without it between the months of May and October. Sweating on the subway platform? There’s a fan for that! Sprint-walking back from lunch because you’re late for a meeting? Whip that fan out! It’s cheap! It’s portable! It adds a flair of drama to everything you do! You’ll thank me later.”
—Reed Redman, Communications Coordinator
Photo via ITG.
