Staying Cool!

With record temperatures across the northwest, crazy humidity in Los Angeles, and my travels through Tunisia, I had to explore and get creative on ways to stay cool. Here’s a few of my favorites that I use both at home and traveling.

CHOOSE COTTON There’s definitely a reason this is a slogan. By far this helps the most for everyday life, and throughout the hottest climates people, even men, wear robes. Check out my Instagram feed to see some of the looks I chose while traveling.

GO OLD SCHOOL — FANS Yes, even with air conditioning, sometimes a well-placed fan can help with cross ventilation. I like them best at night when I don’t leave the air conditioner on all night long. As long as it’s not unbearable, I like to wake up to a more natural environment in my bedroom

COOL OFF This one is obvious too, but for some reason people still don’t do it enough. Take a cold shower! It’s so simple and it’s not only good for your skin, it’s an amazing way to be completely refreshed and to get going. And then, here’s two specifics I learned from my summer adventures in Tunisia.

DRINK TEA They all drink hot tea in the hottest weather. Like cotton clothing, this is very specific to some desert cultures, which makes Tunisia perfect tea drinking country. Drinking hot drinks in warm weather goes back hundreds of years. That’s also why it’s tied to so many ceremonies in warmer cultures too. How does it work? By drinking hot tea, you raise your body temperature. This increases the amount you sweat, which ultimately cools you down.

BUCKWHEAT PILLOW This one I had never heard of until traveling this year. But it’s quite common to use them to get through the intensely hot Tunisian nights. A pillow filled with buckwheat doesn’t absorb heat the way down, cotton, or other synthetic materials do. It actually draws heat away from you. It is so cool, literally and figuratively!

I hope you enjoyed my favorite tips on staying cool. Here’s even more ideas from The Greatist.