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View Full Version : Men - how not to be sweaty when it gets hot



Chris
30th-December-2003, 06:27 PM
For those who are interested, here's my own tips.

Wash before you go out - goes without saying perhaps, but the other measures do work best when you are clean.:innocent:

Body
You can take lots of changes of clothing or just choose precisely. If you get a very hot venue you may find you are hot and slippery wet after even one dance, so here's some clothing tips.

In sports clothing, there is something called 'high wick' fabrics. These are engineered to transmit sweat away from the body rapidly and so minimise build up. Brands include Lifa, Rohan etc and can be found at both sports and specialist clothing shops. Most of them also wash and dry very quickly with no ironing.
On an ordinary evening, a single high wick teashirt may last you most of the night. On a long evening, use a high-wick teashirt as an undershirt (the thin extra layer will not make you more noticeably hot - you are hot from dancing, not your clothing); put your favourite shirt over the top.
You can do the same with the lower half. The most suitable brand I've found is Lifa Sport baselayer technology. It provides a high-wick skin-tight layer and stops dance pants getting sweaty (by pants I mean trousers, not knickers). Another option is dance pants that have a mesh lining.
High wick garments will cost several times more than an equivalent plain cotton product, but they save money as they last you many times as long on the dance floor (plus they are non-iron and take up minimal space in your bag).

Head
A hand towel at the side of the dancefloor is handy for mopping head and hands, or a large handkerchief.
For the more particular, use a product to prevent that 'shiny forehead' look - an excellent one is Clinique's Sheer Mattness T-zone Shine Control. If you think it sounds effeminate don't worry, it's unisex. Not cheap, but lasts almost forever.

Exercise
If you are fit you will sweat less.
If you dance economically (which also looks better) you will sweat less.

(Many people will have already worked out their own system, but this is for those that haven't.)

Getting hot and sweaty with someone can be nice - but not while you're dancing!

Paul F
30th-December-2003, 11:41 PM
I tried those 'wicking' fabrics ie. Coolmax and Nike's ACG clothing technology and found a distinct problem.

The first t-shirt i bought was a £32 coolmax tight-ish t-shirt from an outdoor clothing supplier. I was told they had to be fairly tight to supply that extra layer of skin effect to transport moisture away.
This t-shirt is great at wicking away moisture BUT I discovered it wicks the moisture away to the outside for speedy evaporation.

Sounds good but moisture does not evaporate THAT quickly.
This is possibly even worse for the ladies as instead of a damp feeling shirt they actually get their hands wet. :really: :really:

So i tried a seriously expecnsive t-shirt made from Nike ACG technology. Again, same problem. This time the t-shirt held the moisture within the layers of the fabric. Great if no pressure is ever applied to it but with close contact in dancing the moisture didnt stay locked away for long. :sad: :sad:

I would love to find a solution.

How about a t-shirt that BLOCKS moisture from getting through and comes supplied with a sort of absorbtion band that you tie around your waist to collect the moisture :grin:

Ok, thats weird!

ChrisA
31st-December-2003, 01:27 AM
Originally posted by Chris
as an undershirt (the thin extra layer will not make you more noticeably hot - you are hot from dancing, not your clothing); put your favourite shirt over the top.

Well I don't believe this.

I can't see any way a second layer won't make you hotter.

- more insulation, so more material for heat to get through by conduction, but, more importantly:

- a trapped layer of air which

(a) conducts heat very badly,
(b) stops loss by convection and
(c) must be more saturated with water vapour than if the outer layer wasn't there, and which will therefore inhibit evaporation of the sweat on the inner layer (and hence heat loss by evaporative cooling).

Multiple thin layers of clothing keep you warmer when it's cold, so why wouldn't they when it's hot?

Even if the sweat can evaporate fast enough, and from what Paul F says, maybe it can't, what happens to all the salt? It must just build up and up on a shirt that is wicking that much sweat for hours... YUK :what: :sick:

Just change it - often.

Chris

fruitcake
31st-December-2003, 02:28 AM
I know this is for men , but being female,.... I have to add that sweaty men are no problem for me, and its actually round the back of the neck that seems to be shall we say the moistest, however on the very odd occasion, I have had a SMELLY sweaty partner and have to hold my breath, so the good advice on arriving clan and fresh is the best!
Fruity

Andy McGregor
31st-December-2003, 02:47 AM
Sweat was invented to cool our bodies - it is dispensed by the skin in sufficient quantities to cool us to the desired temperature by evaporation.

This is nothing new. But recently I've been going for this holistic cooling method. When I get hot and sweaty I go outside and allow my sweat to evaporate. This means that I cool off and dry off - sometimes, when it's chilly, I even steam:waycool:

If you and your clothes are clean this method won't cause you to smell. And now that I'm getting a bit more fussy about the music I dance to I receive a musical signal a few times during the evening that it's time to cool off - dreary R&B, very fast/relentless tracks, etc. I think maybe we should call them evaporation breaks.

And you get to know the smokers too:devil:

frodo
31st-December-2003, 03:07 AM
Originally posted by ChrisA
Well I don't believe this.

I can't see any way a second layer won't make you hotter.
...

Multiple thin layers of clothing keep you warmer when it's cold, so why wouldn't they when it's hot?

...

what happens to all the salt? It must just build up and up on a shirt that is wicking that much sweat for hours

...

Not from any position of knowledge but ...

Where you have a high-wicking shirt over one that is not the insulating effect of the undershirt may be (relatively) small. Also if the undershirt wicks well you could have a larger evaporation area, so greater cooling, than wearing the outer shirt alone.


Presumably you are not sweating when it is cold.


There is also the greater wicking -> larger evaporation area -> greater cooling -> less unnecessary sweat (that which is not adding to cooling effect) needed -> less salt -> need change less often possibility.

Chris
31st-December-2003, 06:19 AM
The notes are from my own experience. I'm not an expert on clothing theory but the tips work well for me and have done for quite a while. For shirts I use mostly the Rohan range. e.g. a tight blue t-shirt under a loose patterned blue shirt. Lasts me most of the night and there's no moisture on the outer shirt. Many salseros also use the double layer - looks particularly nice with a dress shirt on top.

It's great to say just change often, but in practice many men (not all, or even half, but many) won't.

The only Rohan product I'm not keen on is their socks. Other shops do an excellent artificial silk sock which I much prefer and is what I mostly use now. Very comfy, seem to last longer than cotton, and also wash and dry very quickly.

It's nice that many ladies are tolerant of damp shirts, but I like to have a dry shirt for my partner's hand to touch / slide down not just for her sake but mainly because I feel better about it.

(btw the 'double layer' thing is not just my idea - you'll find it as standard wisdom on many salsa sites - try it, the way salseros do, you might find it works.)

I like the idea of a layer that doesn't allow moisture through - I sometimes wear a jacket, which does the trick (but it needs dry cleaned - I'll probably get a Rohan 'dress' jacket when I can afford it!) Almost any layer is good under dress trousers - not sure why but it works.

(I don't have shares in Rohan btw, but find their products and service good and would recommend them.)

Oh - and nice to 'air' the idea of going outside to cool off - especially if I don't need a fag as an excuse? The old venue in Edinburgh used to have a courtyard adjoining the dance floor, which was great - both for cooling off or even for a (space limited) dance on summer nights. The current Edinburgh venues have quite a walk though. Cambers and Bognor you cool off by changing floors (or 'freeze off' if it's January).

And whatever your 'beliefs' about the subject, I believe it's good to air it frequently so that people are reminded about it, until - one way or other - damp/wet shirts become a thing of the past.

Whilst on the subject (if it gets silly & contentious I'm going off forum again - chris memo to himself - don't try to be so helpful in future) - towels: I like a white one. Looks nice. But for ladies - a number of ladies find it worth while having a black one - doesn't look naff if make up gets transferred to it.

Martin
31st-December-2003, 08:25 AM
Originally posted by Chris
The notes are from my own experience. I'm not an expert on clothing theory but the tips work well for me and have done for quite a while. For shirts I use mostly the Rohan range. e.g. a tight blue t-shirt under a loose patterned blue shirt. Lasts me most of the night and there's no moisture on the outer shirt. Many salseros also use the double layer - looks particularly nice with a dress shirt on top.

It's great to say just change often, but in practice many men (not all, or even half, but many) won't.

The only Rohan product I'm not keen on is their socks. Other shops do an excellent artificial silk sock which I much prefer and is what I mostly use now. Very comfy, seem to last longer than cotton, and also wash and dry very quickly.

It's nice that many ladies are tolerant of damp shirts, but I like to have a dry shirt for my partner's hand to touch / slide down not just for her sake but mainly because I feel better about it.

(btw the 'double layer' thing is not just my idea - you'll find it as standard wisdom on many salsa sites - try it, the way salseros do, you might find it works.)

I like the idea of a layer that doesn't allow moisture through - I sometimes wear a jacket, which does the trick (but it needs dry cleaned - I'll probably get a Rohan 'dress' jacket when I can afford it!) Almost any layer is good under dress trousers - not sure why but it works.

(I don't have shares in Rohan btw, but find their products and service good and would recommend them.)

Oh - and nice to 'air' the idea of going outside to cool off - especially if I don't need a fag as an excuse? The old venue in Edinburgh used to have a courtyard adjoining the dance floor, which was great - both for cooling off or even for a (space limited) dance on summer nights. The current Edinburgh venues have quite a walk though. Cambers and Bognor you cool off by changing floors (or 'freeze off' if it's January).

And whatever your 'beliefs' about the subject, I believe it's good to air it frequently so that people are reminded about it, until - one way or other - damp/wet shirts become a thing of the past.

Whilst on the subject (if it gets silly & contentious I'm going off forum again - chris memo to himself - don't try to be so helpful in future) - towels: I like a white one. Looks nice. But for ladies - a number of ladies find it worth while having a black one - doesn't look naff if make up gets transferred to it.

Interesting thread Chris, thanks for the tips on clothing.

I have reasently been introduced to microfibre shirts. I find my microfibre black shirt does not get so wet on the outside so quickly, it lasts a lot longer than normal shirts or T-shirts. It also has a shinny look to it, which is a bonus. a polyester, microfibre mix .

Maybe 2 changes instead of 7.

Chris
31st-December-2003, 09:00 AM
Originally posted by Martin
Interesting thread Chris, thanks for the tips on clothing.

I have reasently been introduced to microfibre shirts. I find my microfibre black shirt does not get so wet on the outside so quickly, it lasts a lot longer than normal shirts or T-shirts.

Cheers - sounds great :) - I'll look out for microfibre as well (I've just been having a browse on the 'Net to look up some of the terms and technologies). Some of the microfibres seem to combine high wicking with a degree of moisture resistance - but the technical side is rather extensive - if it works that's good for me!

Martin
31st-December-2003, 09:07 AM
Originally posted by Chris
Cheers - sounds great :) - I'll look out for microfibre as well (I've just been having a browse on the 'Net to look up some of the terms and technologies). Some of the microfibres seem to combine high wicking with a degree of moisture resistance - but the technical side is rather extensive - if it works that's good for me!

I am not too good on the technicalities, what I do know is I dance more as I can be confident not to lay sweat all over the girls after just one track [being as it is summer here and HOT]

For any Aussies $35 from Lowes (thank Ren he put me onto them):cheers:

horsey_dude
31st-December-2003, 09:46 AM
Originally posted by fruitcake
I know this is for men , but being female,.... I have to add that sweaty men are no problem for me, and its actually round the back of the neck that seems to be shall we say the moistest, however on the very odd occasion, I have had a SMELLY sweaty partner and have to hold my breath, so the good advice on arriving clan and fresh is the best!
Fruity

Speaking as a "sweater" I think that is a good attitude to have. I usually have a shower before going to class but after that I know I am going to end up pretty damp by the end of the night. As far as BO goes I don't know what the worst cerocer I have smelled is, but I was on the tube on Monday, down the end of one of the carraiges, near the small door and a man walked to our end from the middle. As he approached the appalling smell travelled ahead of him (a mixture of manure and rotten cheese). When he got off I could see the other passengers breathe a sigh of relief. I got off at the same station and had to slow down wlaking along the platform because he was walking ahead of me and the smell was trailing about 10 feet behind him.........

ChrisA
31st-December-2003, 11:47 AM
Originally posted by frodo
Presumably you are not sweating when it is cold.

Good point.. though I can't see how the insulating trapped air that keeps you warm when it's cold and you're not sweating wouldn't also inhibit evaporation.


There is also the greater wicking -> larger evaporation area -> greater cooling -> less unnecessary sweat (that which is not adding to cooling effect) needed -> less salt -> need change less often possibility.
Another good point.

For the record, I'm not commenting on the effectiveness of wicking - I have no experience of it though I can see how it is supposed to work.

I just don't see how a second layer wouldn't make you hotter than you would be with only one.

If this is true, then I'd like to understand how.

Chris

Paul F
31st-December-2003, 01:32 PM
Originally posted by Chris


(btw the 'double layer' thing is not just my idea - you'll find it as standard wisdom on many salsa sites - try it, the way salseros do, you might find it works.)



Now you come to mention it Chris, a lot of the guys at my salsa classes DO indeed wear double layers of clothing. Usually it is, like you say, a tightish t-shirt under a looser shirt of some description.

I hadn't , until now, noticed it before.

Will give it a try. :cheers:

Martin
31st-December-2003, 05:42 PM
Originally posted by Paul F
Now you come to mention it Chris, a lot of the guys at my salsa classes DO indeed wear double layers of clothing. Usually it is, like you say, a tightish t-shirt under a looser shirt of some description.

I hadn't , until now, noticed it before.

Will give it a try. :cheers:

I used to sometimes wear an old rugby top:what: - sweat did not come through too quick:blush:
Not top in the fasion circles though.

Nothing wrong with a "sweat catcher" under your top shirt.

An extreme case, someone a long time ago in Brighton used to wear a rubber top underneath his shirt (I think that was more to do with a fettish though, we used to call him fettish Ph**)
He also wore my girlfriends clothes while cleaning her house for her, so I think maybe this not so good idea:blush:

Jon L
31st-December-2003, 06:10 PM
Originally posted by Martin
He also wore my girlfriends clothes while cleaning her house for her, so I think maybe this not so good idea:blush: :really: :what: :really:


A lot of sweating depends on the humidity. In Britain we don't get that much "dry" heat and it's humid and can be oppressive. The weekend when it was 38 C in London back in August I danced both Friday and Satirday and went through 10 tee shirts that weekend

Martin
1st-January-2004, 07:32 AM
Originally posted by Jon L
:really: :what: :really:


A lot of sweating depends on the humidity. In Britain we don't get that much "dry" heat and it's humid and can be oppressive. The weekend when it was 38 C in London back in August I danced both Friday and Satirday and went through 10 tee shirts that weekend

Ten T-shirts for all week-end, that's nothing, now when I were a lad.........:grin: :grin: :grin: :wink:

Martin
1st-January-2004, 09:21 AM
Originally posted by Jon L
:really: :what: :really:


A lot of sweating depends on the humidity. In Britain we don't get that much "dry" heat and it's humid and can be oppressive. The weekend when it was 38 C in London back in August I danced both Friday and Satirday and went through 10 tee shirts that weekend

Ok so that poses the questions...

1/ How many T-shirts / shirts do you take with you for an evening?
2/ What is the maximum number of T-shirts / shirts you have got through in one evening?

Anyone?

Paul F
1st-January-2004, 07:38 PM
I took 5 changes of cothes with me to the Ceroc Nantwich NYE ball last night but only used 2!!!! :what:

Says a lot for air-con

Gary
2nd-January-2004, 01:04 AM
Originally posted by Martin
Ok so that poses the questions...

1/ How many T-shirts / shirts do you take with you for an evening?
2/ What is the maximum number of T-shirts / shirts you have got through in one evening?

Anyone?

I usually put four spare shirts in my bag, more if it's a very hot night or a dance party.

I think my record is six soaked shirts, didn't want to touch them to count them, just chucked 'em in the machine.

I tried an expensive high-wick shirt, it worked better than a normal cotton shirt, but when you're sweating buckets, it just can't cope, and it makes more sense (for me) then to have a lot of cotton shirts.

My main problem with changing shirts is that it's time off the dance floor :(

stewart38
5th-January-2004, 05:58 PM
Originally posted by Gary
I usually put four spare shirts in my bag, more if it's a very hot night or a dance party.

I think my record is six soaked shirts, didn't want to touch them to count them, just chucked 'em in the machine.

My main problem with changing shirts is that it's time off the dance floor :(

I never take a change of clothes I just dry myself using heaters in toilets or outside (if its cooler). I think if people spray themselves when they are sweating it makes it worse

When it was near a 100f I guess that was harder

I sweat on the face etc but my shirts are never soaking or half wet ?? Maybe I should move more on the dance floor

:sick:

bobgadjet
5th-January-2004, 06:16 PM
Originally posted by fruitcake
I know this is for men , but being female,.... I have to add that sweaty men are no problem for me, and its actually round the back of the neck that seems to be shall we say the moistest, however on the very odd occasion, I have had a SMELLY sweaty partner and have to hold my breath, so the good advice on arriving clan and fresh is the best!
Fruity

Well fruity, I can tell you it's not only men that pong.

There is a very good dancer (unfortunately) at a venue I go to (I will not name but it's local on a tuesday). She has very bad BO but I cannot find it in myself to
1/ refuse a lady a dance.
and
2/ to tell her about it
or
3/ be bold enough to buy her a bar of soap.

It's unfortunate that, male or female, some people just cannot help having an odour about them no matter how hard they try.
I do hope that if I have an odour about me that somebody might just tip me off.

On the clothes change thing, I will have to try the multilayer next time it's going to be a hot night.

ChrisA
5th-January-2004, 07:46 PM
Originally posted by stewart38
I never take a change of clothes I just dry myself using heaters in toilets or outside (if its cooler).:sick:

But the only thing that evaporates from the material of the shirt as it dries is the water - not the salt, and not anything that might possibly be malodorous when re-wetted and re-heated.

Each drying will leave the substances originally dissolved in the sweat still in the shirt - so the more dryings, the more the residue, so the higher the concentration to be reheated when it gets wet again.

Personally I would never do this. I would always change the shirt as soon as (and sometimes before) it gets even moderately wet.

Chris

fruitcake
5th-January-2004, 09:06 PM
On Tuesday??
Oh my god, I hope its not me,
I'm gonna be paranoid now!!:sick:
Fruity

Gary
5th-January-2004, 11:13 PM
Originally posted by Gary
I usually put four spare shirts in my bag, more if it's a very hot night or a dance party.


Of course, I've recently (Friday night) found that if you go to a nifty club, it doesn't matter how many shirts you've got in your bag if they don't have collars and you're not allowed to change into them :( .

This could be another point in favour of layering -- sweat-absorbing T-shirts under club-approved collared shirt.

Stuart M
5th-January-2004, 11:34 PM
Originally posted by Paul F
I tried those 'wicking' fabrics ie. Coolmax and Nike's ACG clothing technology and found a distinct problem.

The first t-shirt i bought was a £32 coolmax tight-ish t-shirt from an outdoor clothing supplier. I was told they had to be fairly tight to supply that extra layer of skin effect to transport moisture away.
This t-shirt is great at wicking away moisture BUT I discovered it wicks the moisture away to the outside for speedy evaporation.

This supplier's advice seems strange to me, because of the only Coolmax t-shirt I own, which is a Peter Storm one. Thing is, the size label is Small but it's much bigger and baggier than any other Small t-shirt in my collection. So either Peter Storm are used to supplying giants, or they view this 'only works properly with a tight fit" issue differently. Certainly I find I can wear this t-shirt for a lot longer than any other without sweat problems.
Whether that's the baggy fit, the polyester or the high wicking is moot, however - I don't wear it much. This is because a) it's 100% polyester and therefore doesn't feel good, and b) it looks a bit bland. :o Give me four cotton t-shirts and a couple of silly or stylish shirts anyday.

PS Also maybe worth noting is this older thread on the same subject, What fabrics / (t)shirts for summer (http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1086). It has a few worthwhile web links to suppliers and shops.

Lory
5th-January-2004, 11:58 PM
I mentioned this before somewhere on another thread but there is a product called 'DRICLOR' available from larger branches of Boots that helps to eliminate excessive sweating, it's primarily used for hands and feet but I know people who use it with great success for other parts too.
You rub a thin layer on the problem area/s before going to bed and wash it off in the morning, repeat this process, for about a week then continue about once a week there after, and NO MORE SWEATING!

IT WORKS! :cheers:

Andy McGregor
6th-January-2004, 12:03 AM
Originally posted by Lory

-/snip/-

IT WORKS! :cheers:

Of course, Lory was a muscular father of 5 working in motorway maintenance before starting to use it - but she doesn't have any more problems with sweating:wink:

Lory
6th-January-2004, 12:12 AM
Originally posted by Andy McGregor
Of course, Lory was a muscular father of 5 working in motorway maintenance before starting to use it - but she doesn't have any more problems with sweating:wink:
Andy, I told you that in confidence:devil: now I'll never get asked to dance again GRRR:tears::rofl:

Andy McGregor
6th-January-2004, 12:17 AM
Originally posted by Lory
Andy, I told you that in confidence:devil: now I'll never get asked to dance again GRRR:tears::rofl:

Once word get around you'll be beating them off with a stick...

..not that you aren't already...

..umm..

..err.

..

Well I'll ask you - probably:wink:

Lory
6th-January-2004, 12:24 AM
Originally posted by Andy McGregor
Once word get around you'll be beating them off with a stick...


What stick? I had that surgically removed! :rofl:

Andy McGregor
6th-January-2004, 12:28 AM
Originally posted by Lory
What stick? I had that surgically removed! :rofl:

:tears: :tears: :tears: :tears: :tears: :tears: :tears: :tears:

bobgadjet
6th-January-2004, 01:59 AM
Originally posted by Lory
What stick? I had that surgically removed! :rofl:

or did the batteries just run out ! ! !