One quick tip for the sweaty months ahead
With all gratitude to HygieneTok
Did you know that dew point is actually much better than relative humidity as a way to measure how humid it “feels” outside? You can check it in your weather app, and generally speaking, anything under 55-60 degrees is pleasant while anything over 65 degrees gets you into “unpleasant” territory. The dew point measurement tells you how much moisture is in the air.
The dew point is 75 degrees at 10 AM in the morning as I sit and write to you from the Florida coast, and I can promise you that number won’t drop below 65 until November. Luckily, I love what high humidity does for my skin and hair! But unfortunately, as a well-endowed lady with curves all over, I am well acquainted with the impact of constant sweating!
Maybe that’s how and why I ended up on HygieneTok a few months ago - the stream of content mostly comprised of The Girls helping The Girls with tips, tricks, hacks, and product recs to help you have the clean body experience of your dreams.
It’s worth noting that the most trusted creators on HygieneTok are Black and brown women, and as I discovered in watching (many) of these TikToks, apparently, there are large swaths of white people who have never really been educated on good hygiene practices? This was news to me, but maybe that’s because my mom was an RN and there was a HEAVY emphasis on all things good hygiene in my family of origin.
Regardless of background, I think we can all assess our knowledge base and recognize there are gaps when it comes to good hygiene practices, and thankfully in this modern era, it’s super easy to fill in those gaps with (mostly) simple solutions!
One tip I learned a few years ago that makes a HUGE difference is to practice double-cleansing on your underarms and any other sweat-prone places in the summer. This means first using an antibacterial soap to wash the pits and other bits, and then following it with your regular plain soap or body wash. The biggest culprit of perpetual pit stink is bacteria, and it really tends to build up in hot spots when you are sweating a lot.
I even saw a TikTok today from a woman who does a triple cleanse on her underarms! She starts with a cleansing oil (similar to what you would use on your face, but make sure it’s a cleansing oil, not a body oil you would put on to seal in moisture at the end of a shower), then moves on to an antibacterial soap, then a glycolic acid body wash. I know myself well enough to know I am not going to do all that, but I wanted to throw it out there as an elevated practice.
But here’s the BIG TIP that has been a TOTAL GAME CHANGER! I want to give direct credit to taylorramsue on TikTok for this nugget of ancient wisdom.
Get some alcohol-free witch hazel. After you get out of the shower and before you get dressed, you are going to apply witch hazel to wherever your sweaty hot spots are. In your pits, definitely! Then any other spots, especially those you need to lift - for example, under the tatas, under the belly, under the booty cheeks. In the crevices. Go for all the places - it won’t harm your skin!
Taylor suggests using a cotton round, but can I be honest? I just shake a little witch hazel right into my hands and pat in the places that need it.
Now, the next step is just as important as witch hazel application - you have to let it dry! I personally lay on my bed with the ceiling fan turned on high for 30 seconds or so. You could get a small handheld fan. You need to do something to get that witch hazel to dry on your skin before you move on to your other body products!
Once it has dried, you can do your body lotions and deodorant, whatever comes next for you. (Another HygieneTok video I saw suggested using men’s deo instead of women’s. Honestly, Old Spice has some pretty nice scents if you go that direction. My long-standing deo of choice that stands up to Florida Level Sweat is Megababe!)
I have been doing this after every shower for weeks now, and I PROMISE you that I have not been plagued with underarm funk, and even better, no perpetual heat rash between the boobs. I feel like I have ascended to a new level of summer body happiness!
Okay, that’s all I have for now. I was going to write up a whole guide to my favorite summer body tips and tricks, but honestly, I think I want to go to the beach instead! Also it has been nice to take a quick break from spiritual/metaphysical conversations to tell you some other things that I would absolutely be talking about if we were sipping iced coffees in an air-conditioned cafe.
I know you think I’m crazy but I’d rather sweat than shiver any day of the year,
Meg
PS - This is a great one to share with friends as we kick off the unofficial start of summer!
PPS - What a wonderful response to my Spiritual Discovery packages!! I have been having SO MUCH FUN, and I’ve been blown away by how many people want to do the astrological Big Six report. Wow, have I been learning a lot! Something I’ve learned pretty quickly is that these take way more time and energy than I anticipated, so I will be adjusting the price to reflect that soon. Now would be a good time to book one of those if you are interested in this introduction to your natal chart!
Oh!!! This is so helpful!! And finally a use for the extra witch hazel I have just sitting around from early postpartum time!
Thank you. I live in NW Arkansas and hate summer in general. This helps!