9 Tips on Surviving Houston’s Humidity!

9 tips on Surviving Houston’s Humidity!

So this summer some of us are heading over to Houston for vacation, for work or for an exciting International Convention. But as you may know Houston’s geographical spot makes it a breeding ground for scorching high humidity! And for some of us the humidity will be unavoidable. Humidity is no laughing matter!
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What really is humidity?

So how does humidity affect us on a hot day? Humans are sensitive to changes in humidity, because our skin uses the air around us to get rid of moisture in the form of sweat. If the relative humidity is very high, the air is already saturated with watervapor and our sweat doesn’t evaporate. When this happens, we feel hotter, stickier, smelly and darn right ugly… than the actual temperature. Wowzee! It’s hard on your health if you don’t keep yourself cool and hydrated! Thus, the need to drink plenty of water or drinks with electrolytes, or plenty of ice-cream…well that last one is just for me. More info on what humidity means Click here.

But what can it do to the way we look? Well, the real question is: 

Can we still look great under high humidity?

Let’s just say, some of us want to visit Houston and still look fresh and pretty…well at least fresh and not all oily & sticky! So, I asked some of my Houstonian friends for some tips and these are some:

Mari says: ”Among keeping yourself hydrated, wear light colors, fabrics that breathe, like cotton, linen…etc. Take indoor breaks often.”

Yamily says: “Wear a mattifying powder, blotting sheets, waterproof mascara and when you start to sweat…Pat, Pat, Pat your face with a paper towel, no rubbing. Oily skin? Add a little extra powder in your T-zone. Dry skin? Avoid over powdering. And using a setting spray can definitely help keep your makeup in place longer.” 

Thank you girls for those good tips!

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Here are 9 tips I found that have helped me while visiting Houston in the summer: First off…

1. Cool showers – use clean minty shower gels; like Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Soap – Peppermint. Love my minty fresh tingling showers! Now is not the time to leather on lotions. We do not want to feel sticky! So, this gel is easy on your skin and cool. If you still want to use your lotion, use it at night.
2. My wonderful & strong deodorant – I’ve used it for a long time and I love it! It might not work for everyone, but hey, it works for my onion stinky armpits: Secret Outlast.
3. As for a facial routine: After you cleanse, spray on a cool freshener – My fave is a rose water freshener: cool and refreshing! And up next, a sheer light moisturizer. I use Neutrogena Healthy Defense Daily Moisturizer with sunscreen spf 50. Safe to say, I love love love this little moisturizer! Ever heard of the saying: Kill two birds with one stone? Well, you are doing it here: moisturizer & sunscreen. Put it on and you are out the door, done!
4. Prime, Prime & Prime again – Make sure you prime your skin before adding your foundation… That’s my little secret, you’re welcome! Fun fact: I’m el cheapo. I use Monistat Chafing Relief Powder Gel! It works great! And it costs a lot less than others. Plus, you can use it for leg chafing too! Score! Yes, we get leg chafing in high humidity too, but that’s for a later blog.
5. After your foundation (find a sheer sun protection foundation) use loose powder to set in your foundation – Oily skin: add more and dab, dab, dab on that t-zone. Dry to normal skin: use a brush and wear a little less.
6. Wear waterproof mascara – I really don’t like waterproof mascara, but it is definitely a must if you’re not officially a part of the raccoon family. I know, I know it’s a mess to take off, but it is so worth it! Just bite the inconvenience and do it.
7. Then comes the fun part! Setting Spray– Makeup setting spray. I use Artnaturals, such an awesome product! This will help your makeup stay put and keep you looking pretty… well maybe for you.
8. Plus carry some paper towels to blot the excess sweat or oils from your face – My secret is restaurant paper towels. I love those brown ones I get from McDonald’s or any other fast food restaurant. They are easy to obtain and easy to carry, and they work great! Just blot away, but remember no rubbing!
9. Hey let’s not forget about our hair. We Texans love our big hair, yes we do! But let’s not get carried away. We love big hair but not big frizz!!! Right ladies? So, this is one tip that I’ve used several times even when visiting Cancun. Geez, remember Monica from Friends when she had to deal with frizz while in Mexico? I mean, that was super funny.
     but no joke it happens here in Houston too. So, after you wash your hair and after you condition, towel dry and re-add a small amount of more conditioner, now don’t go overboard, just a little and a little more on your tips. You can add coconut oil or even olive oil instead of the conditioner, your choice. There’s also a huge amount of no frizz products out there for you to try and style as needed.

Well, there you have it folks! 9 tips on how to survive Houston’s High Humidity. Have fun this summer and enjoy beautiful Houston all by looking fresh and a little less sticky, oily, sweaty and smelly. Maybe even looking pretty!

And it’s okay to just sit and drink some tall sweet iced Texas tea and enjoy Houston’s beautiful sunsets.
YeeHaw! See you fresh and pretty in Houston this summer! Oh, and Houston isn’t the only city that makes us cry from humidity, feel free to use these tips for other high humidity cities! Putting on spanx? Read this: Spanx How.

P.S. – Visited Chicago this summer and these tips were right on! Chicago is alike in high humidity as Houston.