Is the undershirt suitable for hot and humid weather? Most people avoid wearing an extra piece of clothing because they think it will make them feel hotter. These are the best materials for undershirts in hot and humid weather.
The best undershirt materials for hot and humid weather are micro-modal and rayon. The most important features are that they absorb and wick sweat, and dry quickly. This type of undershirt keep you cooler and prevent odors and sweat stains in hot and humid weather.
In this article, I’ll show you which are the best materials for an undershirt in a hot and humid weather. I also tell you whether the undershirt prevents odors and give you the undershirt alternative.
Which undershirt material is best for hot weather?
For hot weather, absorbent materials that wick sweat away from the skin, breathe well and dry quickly are best for undershirts. Micro-modal, rayon and even cotton work best in hot weather. This type of undershirt will keep you cool and comfortable in hot weather because you will sweat less.
Why do we sweat in a hot weather?
Hot temperatures overheat our bodies, so to prevent overheating the body automatically starts to cool itself by producing sweat. This is why we sweat in hot weather, which can quickly become uncomfortable as our clothes are drenched in sweat and we can get unpleasant odors that are produced when sweat comes into contact with bacteria on the skin.
Wearing an undershirt in in hot summer weather can even cool us down. Which seems strange, because when it’s hot we want to wear as little clothing as possible. As I said, the heat makes our body warm, so it starts to cool down by releasing sweat. If we wear ordinary clothes, the sweat is absorbed into them and the rest of the sweat accumulates on the skin. Sweat on the skin also heats the body, which further increases perspiration.
best undershirt material for hot weather
In hot climates, wear undershirts made of thin and absorbent fabrics such as micro-modal and rayon. Both materials are semi-synthetic, which means that natural materials are used to produce them and synthetic materials are added during processing. Both materials are very lightweight, so you won’t even feel that you are wearing them.
Micro-modal and rayon are the best materials for undershirts in hot weather because:
- they are light and you don’t even feel that you are wearing them,
- they absorb sweat well and wick it away from the skin, so our clothes don’t get soak in sweat,
- they do not trap odors, so we don’t have to worry about smelling unpleasant despite the large amount of sweat,
- they are very breathable materials that keep us cool and therefore we start to sweat later,
- they dry quickly, so our skin and clothes stay dry for longer,
- these two materials have a silky soft feel when worn.
If we wear a buttoned shirt or button-down shirt in hot weather, we usually have a few buttons unbuttoned, unless we wear a tie with the shirt. In this case it is better to wear a v-neck undershirt than a crew neck. Crew neck is suitable when wearing a sweater or buttoned shirt. However, when one or more buttons are unbuttoned, a deep v-neck should be worn to give the impression that the undershirt is not being worn at all.
I suggest you read which are the best deep v-neck undershirts.
What undershirt is best for humid weather?
In humid weather, the best material for the undershirt is micro-modal or rayon, which absorbs sweat well and dries quickly. When there is a lot of humidity in the air, our body heats up and sweats. So the undershirt needs to have extra padding under the armpits to absorb more sweat and not let it transfer to the clothes.
Many of you will wonder whether a cotton undershirt is also suitable for hot and humid weather. A cotton undershirt is not the best solution for hot and humid weather because it absorbs a lot of sweat (which is a good thing), but it gets soaked quickly and dries very slowly. Therefore, when a cotton undershirt gets wet it will stay that way for almost the whole day, especially in hot and humid weather when we sweat all day. As cotton is soaking wet, the sweat is transferred to the outer garment and the result is similar to not wearing the undershirt at all. If you sweat a lot you may notice a difference, but there will still be sweat stains under your armpits.
| Micro-modal/rayon | Cotton | |
| Breathability | Very breathable ✅ | Very breathable ✅ |
| Drying | Fast drying ✅ | Doesn’t dry fast ❌ |
| Absorbent material | Very absorbent – more than cotton ✅ | Absorbs sweat well, but not as much as micro-modal/rayon ❌ |
| Sweat-wicking material | Wicks sweat away from skin ✅ | Wicks sweat away from skin ✅ |
| Light and comfortable feeling | Very comfortable to wear, you don’t feel you are wearing it ✅ | Very comfortable to wear, but not like micro-modal/rayon ❌ |
| Odor resistance | Odour resistant ✅ | Odour resistant ✅ |
| Seasons suitability | Suitable for all seasons, especially for spring and summer. It works well in winter but does not provide the extra warmth as wool or cotton. ✅ | Suitable for all seasons. ✅ |
In hot and humid weather, we can also wear a compression undershirt, which shapes our body and makes us look better in summer clothes.
Do undershirt Stop Odor in hot and humid weather?
Sweatshirts, which absorb a lot of sweat, prevent it from being transferred to your outer clothing, which in turn prevents unpleasant odors. For additional odor protection, I recommend using a stick antiperspirant that does not contain aluminium (will not leave yellow/white stains on clothes).
I recommend using a contact deodorant, which in my experience does a better job of preventing odors. It is easier to apply where you want it compared to spraying it on. Contact deodorant also gives a thicker layer of protection than spray. Choose a contact deodorant that does not contain aluminium, as aluminium is not good for your skin’s health. It does a good job of preventing sweating by clogging the pores, but with clogged pores our skin doesn’t clean properly. In addition, aluminium in contact with sweat and bacteria on the skin causes yellow/white stains on clothes.
It is important that when we wear deodorant our skin can still breathe and sweat, we only want to prevent the unpleasant odors caused by sweat. If you want to prevent sweat from transferring to your outer clothing, then an undershirt is a better solution.
Undershirt alternatives for hot and humid weather
In hot and humid weather, many people don’t want to wear an extra piece of clothing, so sweat pads are a good alternative to undershirts for soaking up sweat. However, sweat pads also have a few drawbacks, which I will briefly outline.
These are the features that sweat pads have:
- Sweat pads have a similar purpose to undershirts – they absorb sweat and prevent unpleasant sweat stains from forming on your clothes.
- Sweat pads are placed under the armpits when wearing a T-shirt. It is important to fit them well so that they absorb as much sweat as possible.
- Sweat pads can move around when worn, which means that sweat stains can appear on the clothes.
- If wearing a sleeveless T-shirt or a T-shirt that has shorter sleeves, sweat pads cannot be worn (the same problem applies for an undershirt unless you wear a tank top undershirt).
- Sweat pads can be visible through clothing, which can be just as embarrassing as sweat stains.
- The base of sweat pads is made of paper, on which cotton, bamboo or wool is applied. Rubbing the paper against the skin can be uncomfortable and cause irritated skin.
I would recommend wearing an undershirt rather than sweat pads, even in hot and humid weather, as they blend in better with our clothes and look more natural. The undershirt covers the entire upper body and thus absorbs sweat everywhere, not only in the underarm area. In any case, sweat pads are worth a try so you can judge for yourself what works better for you.