LifeHacker Wants Tips for Staying Cool

As one who's lived with neither air conditioning nor (mostly) heat since 1995, daresay I consider myself an expert at staying cool during summer swelters.

1. Wear very thin cotton layers. Take a hint from desert dwellers. Long sleeves and slacks while counterintuitive, rule; and on the very hottest days, even a thin scarf wound loosely around your neck helps. Not only are you protected from UV rays if out and about, but you're efficiently cooled, as perspiration is retained in the cloth. On really hot days, I use a spray bottle, concentrating on my legs and wrists when in public, and more body parts wetted when in private. Soaking the scarf in cool water is delightful, especially if you include a wee bit of Sea Breeze and ice cubes in the mix. The ice-soaked Sea Breeze scarf is what we use on film sets, working as we do around multitudes of 12,000 kilowatt lights, and will keep you cool for an hour or more.

2. If you can tolerate a fan directly on your body, that works great in combination with the thin, wet cotton covering. Insta-freeze.

Let me know how it goes.

Anybody got an invite for LifeHacker? Sheesh.


Tags: Faux Press LifeHacker