BY SAMINU MACHUNGA
With the erratic weather nowadays, the heat in Lagos and some other states has become almost unbearable. Ordinarily, northern states such as Abuja and Kano have a reputation for being notoriously hot all year round, with the climate change, one can only imagine the degree of heat experienced in those areas
Since the weather to a large extent determines the outfit we wear, we have come up with five fabrics that can beat the heat.
Here are our top picks of fabrics to wear in the scorching sun.
Cotton
Cotton is widely known to be the best fabric for hot weather.As one of the most common fabrics in the world, cotton is cheap and hugely available and it comes in countless colors and styles giving you a range of options for any look you want to create.
The fabric is soft, lightweight, breathable, and soaks up sweat, allowing heat to escape the body.
Linen
Linen is also very light and is loosely woven which allows heat to escape from the body. It absorbs a lot of moisture and dries quickly, keeping you cool and dry. Linen also tends to be stiff which means that it won’t be sticking to your body.
Rayon
Rayon is an artificially made fabric blended from cotton, wood pulp, and other natural or synthetic fibers. It was invented as a cheaper alternative to silk, making silk a good option for heat too.
It has very thin fibers, which allows it to breathe more than other fabrics and gives it a lightness that prevents it from sticking to a body in hot weather.
Denim/Chambray
If you can get over how heavy most denim pieces are, you’ll find that denim is breathable and sweat absorbent just like cotton.
Chambray on the other hand is like an imitation denim, so it has all of the same benefits as denim, but lighter in weight.
Bamboo
Bamboo is another great option for the heat.
Fun fact: bacteria does not survive well in bamboo, meaning that even after long hours of wearing the fabric, it will not become smelly.
In addition, bamboo cuts out 97.5% of the harmful UV rays from the sun.
