C.J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
How to Beat the Heat During Perimenopause
Originally published: 3/13/23
Updated: 6/8/23
When you move to Southwest Florida, you should be given a manual that says you may sweat like you never have before and you may smell worse than ever too. Or if you just are plain hot like me all the time naturally, sweat easily, or are going through perimenopause like I currently am, consider this your manual. Even my husband has night sweats sometimes, so I know it’s not just me.
Drinking plenty of water can help beat the heat
I know some people may ask “why do all of this…why don’t you move?” and my answer is this. We both sweat like crazy with the up and down temperatures of southern Indiana when we were evacuated with family for four months (in the fall/winter of 2022/2023) during our Hurricane Ian experience. The heat is not just a Southwest Florida thing. If you are an active person like we are, are going through menopause (or perimenopause) or just “run hot”, the heat follows you, no matter where you live!
Here’s how we both beat the heat.
Shaving your underams can help with sweating and smells
1- Shave
Shave your pits! Men and women. My grandfather shaved his armpits and I thought it was weird until my husband did it and his underarms smelled much better after working outside. I keep my underarms hair free too.
Try a natural deodorant like PiperWai
2- Deodorant
Try a natural deodorant/antiperspirant on lighter activity days and at night. While an aluminum-based deodorant may be daily option for some people, we try to only use deodorant with aluminum occasionally.
My husband and I like PiperWai as its key ingredient is activated charcoal (instead of aluminum), which is a porous substance that's super absorbent for moisture and even the stinkiest odors. After testing it in severely hot SW Florida for over a week, we both agree, it works!
I still sweat a little while using it, but some sweat is natural. You’ve got to let your skin breathe! It comes in scented and unscented and did not irritate either of our underarm skin. PiperWai is also a Woman Owned company, the product is cruelty-free, it’s vegan certified and it’s contained in sustainable packaging using recycled content and infinitely recyclable BPA-free aluminum containers. It was also featured on Shark Tank, Vogue, NY Times Style, Rachael Ray, Today Show, HSN and more. They sent it to us complimentary to test and we quickly fell in love. This is a brand we stand behind!
My cornstarch power container
3- Cornstarch
This one came doctor recommended: Use cornstarch-men and women! After I started getting numerous yeast infections and my husband got jock itch several times immediately after moving to Florida full-time, I spoke with a doctor about natural solutions to help with prevention. She suggested dusting our bodies (underwear area and anywhere else we severely sweat), with cornstarch.
As soon as she said it, it made sense. I remembered my mom (many, many years ago) using cornstarch on my baby sister to help prevent wetness and diaper rash, so why not use it as an adult?
I bought a basic organic cornstarch (per the doctor recommendation) and put some in a powder container that contained a powder puff. Anytime my husband and I need to dust our bodies, we puff away. It can be used all over your body, and yes, even on your face. The doctor also recommended dusting some onto a pad and placing it in your underwear for less mess.
See our quick video tour of some of our recommendations via our YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
Wool underwear can help wick sweat away
4- Wool Underwear
After doing lots of research about the best underwear for people that sweat a lot (like athletes), we tried some merino wool underwear. It seems counterintuitive that wool would be something that helps with sweat, but it works! It truly wicks away moisture way better than any cotton underwear.
Our merino wool mattress pads on a Sleep Number
5- Natural Wool Mattress Cover, Latex Mattress Toppers and Cotton Sheets
Speaking of wool underwear, try a natural wool bed pad. Our Sleep Number mattress foam was starting to wear out, so I started my research to find a new foam pad to top it with. This research lead me to try three things, which not only could help make the Sleep Number more comfortable, but it also could help with night sweats.
First, we laid a natural latex mattress topper on top of the Sleep Number. In the past, I remembered memory foam always making me hot at night, even the cooling ones, so I thought natural latex may be a better, natural option. Then we topped it with a wool bed pad. This is to help wick moisture away. Again, it didn’t seem to make sense at first, but with having good luck with wool underwear, we thought we’d give it a shot. Then we got some 100% cotton sheets at Target and placed them on top of the wool pad and latex topper.
This combination worked! I did not have an outbreak of night sweats during testing. My husband said he sweat one night (out of two weeks that we’ve tested this), but when he woke up in the morning, his sheets weren’t wet anymore. He thought the wool pad helped wick away the moisture, which was a huge plus over using our regular microfiber sheets and basic mattress pads. That combo always left his side of the bed super wet all day, which was gross.
Try keeping a fan around if you run hot
6- Use Fans
I keep a small fan next to my side of the bed and keep a ceiling fan on. If I wake up hot, I turn on the small fan and it truly, truly helps. I travel with it in our RV too. Mine has a hook so it can be hooked to a ceiling too.
Try a cooling pillow to ease sweaty nights
7- Use a Cooling Pillow
We tested a cooling pillow by GhostBed, which is a family owned company that has been in the industry for over 20 years. I must say, it is amazing! I could not believe how a pillow can stay cool like it did, but it was pretty amazing, especially during a particularly hot beginning to June that started with 90 degree temps in Southwest Florida.
The Memory Foam GhostPillow is designed with patented technology and cushiony gel memory foam to keep you cool all night long. I am a side and back sleeper, and it worked very well.
All of these methods for beating the heat help me greatly with perimenopause and with basic sweating and smells. They help my husband too. We hope one or more of these solutions are helpful. If you have more suggestions, leave them in the comments below and help all the others that “run hot”!
If you love this article, we know you’ll love this one too: Ways To Smell Amazing All Day Long
C.J. (Carolyn) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.
This is a collaborative post and may contain affiliate links. All opinions and ideas expressed in this post, however, are based on my personal point of view.