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6.23.2009

The Essentials: Summer Survival 2.0

It's hot. And I don't mean "hot" as in oh-I-gotta-put-on-shorts-and-a-shirt hot, I mean the kind of excruciating heat that keeps most normal human beings from stepping out the house between the 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Unless they really have to.

Between the recession and the rising temperatures, it's hard for a man to stay cool, fresh and dry, but there are a few ways you can make the heat a tad bit more bearable:

1. Shave and a haircut.

Doesn't get much simpler than that. Keeping the hair on your dome to a bare minimum is one of the best ways to stave of a possible case of heat exhaustion and inflammation of the skin.

When getting rid of the winter/spring shag, be sure to take extra care before and after going under the blade. I recommend using Grooming Lounge Beard Master Shave Oil, $25, and American Crew Post-Shave Cooling Lotion, $17. Both of these products are great for keeping you cool and smooth after a mid-morning shave.

Haircuts should be as close to the skin as you'd would prefer, the first time around. Every time after that, you should cut your hair about a quarter of an inch less. This way, you can ease into the cooler, fall months without looking like you just got out of boot camp.

2. Powder it down.

For some reason, men have forgotten that their ancestors and the ancestors that came before that all used some (albeit archaic, at times) form of body powder to keep dry and cool before heading off to work. Hell, there were generations of men who would forgo a shower or bath, altogether, opting for a full-body "powdering" before engaging in the days events.

By no means am I recommending this, but it never hurts to throw a little powder over the shoulders and back, down the chest and legs, as well as on any other part of the body that might be prone to, ahem, heavy perspiration.



LeBron has the right idea.

Gold Bond Medicated Body Powder, $6, has been my favorite for a few years now but you can also go for Johnson's Baby Powder, $5, if you have more sensitive skin.

3. Pucker up.

The lips are the most under-appreciated parts of the male body. For years, we've been taught that if we lick 'em every now and again, the saliva will be more than enough to stave of any kind of dryness.

Thankfully, the majority of us are not L.L. Cool J, so we have to take more conventional approaches to making sure those soup coolers on our faces are adequately hydrated.

As hard as this sounds, the easiest way to maintain this is to carry a modest-sized tube of lip balm on you at all times. Brands like Carmex, Burt's Bees, Nivea for Men and Blistex all make exceptional products that make sure your lips don't resemble cracked earth after a drought.

-BJW