Louisiana, How Can We Stay Cooler with the Clothes We Wear?

LAFAYETTE, La. (999 KTDY) - Louisiana summers are blazingly hot. The forecast for summer is that we are likely to continue fighting these extreme temperatures for a while. Now whether it is extremely hot temperature or just the typically hot temperatures of a usually hot summer, are there certain clothing fabrics that keep us cooler? The simple answer is yes.

You may go through your closet each day trying to figure out which outfit will keep you cool, and you should know that the number one winner when it comes to fabrics that keep us the coolest is anything made with cotton.

Cotton Is the Coolest Fabric You Can Wear

Cotton is by far the most breathable fabric that will keep us cool on a day with dreadful heat. Onlineclothingstudy.com reports that the molecules of cotton make it breathable. As mulberryscleaning.com points out cotton is,

soft, lightweight, breathable, and soaks up sweat, allowing heat to escape the body and for you to stay cool.

So, look for cotton items in your closet if you want the best chance of staying cool. You might have to do some ironing, but at least you won't be completely miserable.

Linen Is Also One of the Most Breathable Fabrics

Linen is not only beautiful, but the fabric is very breathable. According to linenbeauty.com the fabric is strong. Here is what they say on their website,

Flax fibers are strong, resilient and make a beautiful textile when woven into linen. The fibers allow air to circulate around your skin rather than clinging to your body, like some synthetic garments.

One downfall when it comes to linen is that it does wrinkle very easily, but if it keeps me cooler, I will choose it!

Chambrey/Denim is Mostly Just Cotton

Another suggestion for fabrics that are the most breathable would Chambrey, which is basically just cotton, and denim which is cotton. If you can find clothing that isn't too heavy, then these two fabrics might make a good choice to help you stay cool.

Chabrey and denim clothing can be found in a variety of different styles, some of which might be suitable for your office. I think under the circumstances, bosses in Acadiana should try to be a little lax about the dress code when temperatures are so oppressive.

For more on what kind of fabric chambray is, and what kinds of clothes they use it for click on thefabricofourlive.com.

Rayon Is a Mixture of Cotton, Wood Pulp, and Other Fibers

Rayon is a very useful material for clothing because it offers clothes that are durable, but the clothing is also breathable because it's made with cotton, wood pulp, and some other fibers.

What does the world do when there is a silk crisis, well according to contrado.com rayon was the outcome of a worldwide silk crisis in the 1800s. Apparently,

.....the French silk industry was in crisis because of a disease affecting the silkworm. Louis Pasteur and Count Hilaire de Chardonnet were studying this problem in hopes of save the industry.....Chardonnet became interested in finding a way to produce artificial silk. in 1885, he patented the first successful method to make fiber from cellulose

By 1925 it was named Rayon by the Federal Trade Commission.

Rayon, I find, is a very comforting fabric, and I don't find it makes you feel warmer in summer. I hope these tips help. Good luck in this severe heat.