20 Tips for a Less Sweaty Summer

PAIR ANY OF THESE WITH A POOLSIDE MARGARITA FOR INSTANT RESULTS.

Sweating and summer typically go hand-in-hand. But, despite what years have taught you, they don't have to. Instead of letting sweat beads roll down your face like Niagara Falls whenever you head outside for some time in the sun, you can implement some simple techniques to go from just-showed chic (to be crystal clear: that's a bad look) to Sahara levels of fly-and-dry.

Whether you want to go a more natural route or are all-in on the best treatments money can buy, herein are 20 tips that will make your summer a whole lot less sweaty. And to seriously cool off, pair these hacks with the most obvious (and effective) one of them all: spending your days lounging in a pool with a margarita in hand. And for more on what makes this several-month stretch the most brutal of the year, check out the 30 Worst Things about Summer.

1
Apply Deodorant Before You Hit the Sheets

Swiping antiperspirant on your armpits before crawling into bed might sound weird, but it could also help you sweat less the following day. According to dermatologist David Bank, MD, the drop in your body's temperature at night can better help deodorant do its job: "For your antiperspirant to work, it has to get into the sweat glands and block them. Overnight, you're calm and cool and your skin is completely dry, so a much higher percentage is going to be absorbed." After you wake up, simply reapply and go about your day sweat-free. And for more ways to achieve your best summer skin, check out these 20 Beauty Products You Should Never Use.

2
Avoid Spicy Foods

Summer is the perfect time to hit up your favorite al fresco and pile on the hot sauce. Unfortunately, all that heat you're bringing into your mouth could amp up your sweating to the extreme. As reported by Business Insider, when your body comes into contact with capsaicin—the chemical compound found in spicy food—it attempts to cool itself off by sweating. You can definitely build up a tolerance with time, but if you want to sweat as little as possible, you should probably stick to the milder options.

3
Cut Down Your Coffee Intake

If you tend to sweat after drinking coffee, you're not crazy; it's a thing, all thanks to all the caffeine in every cup. In fact, it isn't just coffee: anything that contains caffeine might up the amount of sweat you're producing: "Caffeine and spices can activate neurotransmitters, called acetylcholine, which are located in your brain. Anything that stimulates these neurotransmitters can sometimes affect the glands that cause sweating," says dermatologist Kelley Redbord, MD. If you want to get energy without that daily cup of Joe, check out the 25 Non-Coffee Ways to Boost Your Energy Levels.

4
Give Botox a Try

Don't worry—this method isn't going to make you look like you're 20 years younger. (Or, uh, literally frozen in time.) According to the Cleveland Clinic, Botox is actually a wildly common treatment option for excessive sweating and can be injected into the affected areas—yep, even your pits—to make sure you're staying nice and dry this summer. The nice part is it sticks around for the rest of the year, too: the treatment, which includes several injections that "affect the nerve endings and decrease the transmission of the nerve impulses to the sweat glands, decreasing sweating," can last up to 12 months. If you do want to shave a few years off, though, bone up on the 50 Foods Guaranteed to Make You Look Younger.

5
Relax Your Mind—and Your Body

Summertime is all about relaxing, but that's hard to do when you have sweat dripping down your face all day and all night. If you're experiencing anxiety on the regular, it's only going to make matters worse—that's why calming down your body can do wonders for your sweat-free future. "Anything you can do to decrease your anxiety—such as deep breathing or other relaxation techniques—will decrease the potential stimulation of neurotransmitters that can then stimulate your sweat glands," says Redbord. To improve your meditation routine, check out these 10 Ways to Focus Better During Meditation.

6
Get a Tattoo
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To be sure, this is an extreme measure. But if you were already on the fence about getting some ink, know that it could also help you sweat a little less. In a small study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, researchers found that tattoos can make you sweat less. In fact, according to Maurie Luetkemeier, PhD, "the tattooed skin produced about half as much sweat as the non-tattooed skin." Full-body spread, anyone?

7
Get a Personal Fan
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Yes, feel free to be that person. You know: the one always hanging out with their hair blowing in the breeze of their personal fan while the rest of the group is sweating bullets. In fact, you can pick up stylish and functional models, like this one, for less than $25! When you're totally comfortable and dry in 90-degree weather while everyone around you is on the verge of heatstroke, you're going to thank us—and yourself.

8
Don't Apply Deodorant After Showering
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Grabbing your stick of deodorant and immediately applying it right after you towel off from the shower sounds smart, right? You don't want to give your body a chance to sweat away your cleanliness, after all. The only problem is if your skin is even a little bit moist, the antiperspirant isn't going to be able to do its job and keep your underarm area dry throughout all those hot summer days: "It's best if you apply it after you've toweled off and your underarms have dried completely. The main point is that your skin is clean and dry," says Dove in-house dermatologist Ellen Marmur, MD.

9
Dab on Some Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar's list of benefits is seemingly never-ending. One you might not have already heard of, though? Its ability to help you stay a little less sweaty. Those who swear by the method say all you need to do it apply it to clean, dry armpits in the evening, then wash it off in the morning. Along with your antiperspirant, it can help keep things nice and dry.

10
Book an Acupuncture Session

A bunch of needles being stuck in you in the name of less sweat? Yeah, that's not scary at all… A case report published in BMJ found it can do some good for those dealing with excessive sweating, helping calm down the wetness. Plus, aside from less moisture, you could reap some other benefits from all those strategically-inserted needles, too, like getting rid of pain and headaches, as well as ridding your body of stress, says the Mayo Clinic.

11
Drink One Glass of Tomato Juice a Day

Who needs apples when you have tomato juice? A glass of the red stuff a day might sound a little, uhh, gross—but just think of it as a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary. According to the Cosmos Clinic, the beverage can "help neutralize acids in the body," which cuts down on the amount of sweating you're doing. And, good news: it could help you smell better, too.

12
Cut Dairy Out of Your Diet
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Living that cheese-free life won't just help you shed some pounds and de-bloat—it could also help you stay a little less sweaty come summertime. According to Ben King, MD, eating foods your body can't process well—like dairy, which, per the NIH, affects the digestive systems of 65 percent of the entire human population—can make your immune system work harder, stressing out your sympathetic nervous system and increasing the production of sweat. After King had a patient try going off dairy to become less sweaty, it worked: in fact, she showed immediate improvement.

13
Get a Cooling Pillow

You don't just have to deal with daytime summer sweats—you have to deal with nighttime sweats, too. And both are equally horrible. When your bedroom feels like a sauna, grab a cooling gel pillow that, unlike other pillows, doesn't trap heat. It might seem a little extra, but they can help you wake up feeling comfortable, as opposed to feeling like a drowned rat drenched in your own sweat. And for more headrest upgrades, check out the 10 Best Pillows For A Better Night's Sleep.

14
Make Sure You're Applying Deodorant Accuretely
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Yes, there's an actual science to how you should put on deodorant to get the most bang for your buck. Instead of just slathering on piles and piles to try and block your sweat from coming, Marmur says less might be more, in terms of moisture control: "Make sure you're putting on the right amount. I generally recommend three swipes: up, down, and up."

15
Wear Breathable Fabrics
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Sometimes staying sweat-free doesn't involve any fancy treatments—it simply comes down to wearing the right fabrics that won't trap in heat and moisture. Two of the best choices you can go with to beat the heat are linen and lightweight cotton. And if you're feeling fancy, lace and crochet are great, too. Just make sure you're not wearing anything skin-tight, which can make the whole sweating issue worse. And if you're an especially sweat fella, you may want to check out these 15 Summer Style Essentials Guys Should Buy in Bulk.

16
Use Baking Soda in Sensitive Areas
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In more sensitive areas antiperspirant might bother you—particularly your chest—try using some baking soda. According to dermatologist Bank, it can fix the problem without making your skin all itchy and uncomfortable: "Baking soda is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. In addition to drying up moisture, it prevents irritation."

17
Use a Facial Antiperspirant
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There's deodorant for your underarms…and gel for above the neck. If you find you tend to get those beads of sweat running down your face fairly often, reddit users swear by The Face Saver, a product that, according to the product page, works by "evaporating rapidly from the surface of the skin, leaving the active, antiperspirant ingredient as a thin film whose antiperspirant effect will last for several hours." It's worth a shot, right?

18
Drink Some Sage Tea

It might be time to swap your daily green tea for some sage. Menopausal women have used it to balance their hormones and reduce hot flashes, and it could work wonders for sweating, too: according to Cosmos Clinic, the tea—which is rich in magnesium, tannic acid, and vitamin B—could "reduce the activity of sweat glands and restrict the growth of bacteria that contribute to sweat production." Drink up!

19
Apply Witch Hazel

Another great natural remedy for getting some control over your sweat this summer? Using witch hazel, a topical astringent that comes from the witch-hazel shrub. According to Health Ambition, it can help block the sweat ducts wherever you apply it, whether you're dealing with excessive moisture on your palms and feet or around your groin area.

20
Give Laser Hair Removal a Try

If Botox and acupuncture aren't your thing, you can always go for laser hair removal. According to dermatologist Mary Lupo, MD, although its purpose is getting rid of hair, it works great for getting rid of excessive sweat in the underarm area, too: "I find that it leads to less sweat production and decreases odor too, because your hair accumulates more bacteria than your skin." And for more on summer skincare, find out how to Beat the Summer Sun With These 10 Skincare Products.

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