Products I Swear By for the Hot Humid Summer (And Ones I Do NOT)

My first visit to Ambergris Caye was mid-August of 2006. It was warm, sunny, and I fell in love. With the snorkeling – we went twice on the same Hol Chan/Shark Ray snorkel trip. With the weather, the sun, the people, with the bars where locals and tourists hung out together. I fell in love with rice and beans mixed with potato salad. Only a few days into the trip, I knew I’d be in Belize again SOON. (And I NEVER thought that about any other trip I’d taken to warm weather beach spots)

I never thought it was too hot. If I was warm…I had a rum punch at a beach bar or jumped off a dock into the sea. I wasn’t running errands – or driving the dusty road to town. And I was young! 32-year-olds don’t feel the heat 🙂

But 18 years later, I can now feel the change of seasons in Belize—and when the temp dips below 70 (which is rarely does), I’m cold. And, a few months later, summer is HOT! Hot and humid and when you are running around, it can be a bit uncomfortable.

After LOTS of experimentation, I’ve found products that make my life easier, cooler, and better. So I thought I’d share them and hopefully illicit from you the things that make summer more comfortable—whether you are in San Pedro, Belize, Savannah, Georgia, or August in Michigan. Please let me know in the comments what works for you.

Here is a post about shipping to Belize: Can you OnLine Shop/Amazon Prime to Belize? To hopefully help you out if you are thinking about moving or have already moved..

Things I Buy that Make My Summer Comfortable & Easier

Powder: As an adult (without a baby), I did not have powder in my home in the USA. But when I moved to Belize – and I saw locals using it – I bought some, and…it’s amazing for keeping you comfortable in hot, humid weather. Golf cart seats are vinyl, and…a bit of powder can make all the difference…

I’ve tried Gold Bonds (thanks all you Southerners from the US for suggesting it), and I’ve tried Monkey Butt Powder, but the one I like best – and it’s available down here is: Ammens Shower Fresh Powder

It looks like something your granddad might have but it works!

Cotton Bandanas: My collection of bandanas or “sweat rags” is one of my most important possessions. I constantly need to wipe my face (dust, sweat), wipe my sunglasses, and wipe my filthy golf cart seat; I always have a bandana in my bag—maybe even two on an extra hot, dusty day. The older, softer, and more absorbent, the better. It also probably doesn’t need to be said, but don’t buy white.

The Right Mosquito Repellant: As the summer advances, we start to see a bit of rain. Often at night or pass-by showers, the rains bring mosquitos in the early morning hours and as the sun sets. (As I type this…mid-May, there has been almost no rain since the end of January. I haven’t had a mosquito bite in months! But it is good to prepare)

When you are hot and sweaty, the last thing you want is to be covered in smelly, greasy-oily DEET. Finding picaridin and Sawyer’s Mosquito Lotion and Spray has been a game changer. The lotion is not greasy at all, stays put for HOURS, if not all day, and works better than DEET in my estimation. LOVE.

Order if before you arrive – I have not seen it for sale in Belize (yet) – it’s so good.

The Right Sandals: Winter and spring in Belize are warm (high 70s-low 80s) and dry. You can wear those $3 Old Navy Flip Flops or those bejeweled beauties you picked up at Mirabs. But when it starts to rain… store tiles become SLIPPERY and you want to run for a bit of shelter, you want something with some grip – both the treads and something that adheres better to your foot.

I like these Birkenstocks for both those reasons but Tevas or Croc sandals probably work just as well. They can get wet, you can walk on more rugged terrain and they grip tiles and slippery surfaces. I even talked Jeff into them…

A Rechargeable Fan: We’ve been experiencing power outages over the last few months. As the summer advances and temperatures rise, they tend to be more frequent. After doing a bit of research, we invested in two of these fans last year, and they have been AMAZING. They are LONG-LASTING (on low, they go for about 9-10 hours) and make a huge difference. Definitely wait for a sale or juicy coupon.

Banana Shakes: We started making these last summer – with the 15-year-old VitaMix that Jeff brought from his old business, Rojo Lounge. A few frozen bananas and a few spoons of cacao powder from Belize Chocolate (it makes ALL the difference) – add a few glugs of milk (of any sort) – and whir until it’s a thick ice cream-like consistency. Suck through a straw (a metal one if you have it) and you will instantly be 25 degrees cooler.

Tea Tree Oil: Sweating makes me itchy. The powder helps but…well…we don’t need details. I’ve tried so many products for itch – for bug bites, for rashes, for all of it – and I’ve found that tea tree oil (mixed in with an unscented moisturizer for all over application) or just dotted on bug bites works 10x better than any cortisone or Benadryl creams…it WORKS.

I’ve purchased from Trader Joe’s – amazing – and from Amazon. This one is big and comes with a smaller bottle so you can keep it in two places. I don’t always believe in natural products but this one WORKS.

Things I Bought that Don’t Work for Me

Those Neck Fans: I ordered this one (it was cheaper last year!) And found that it just blows hot air back into your face. Maybe if you are in a poorly air-conditioned room, it cools you off a bit, but these don’t work for me.

That Mosquito Device: If you are sensitive to bites and want to protect yourself easily from the bugs, use lotion or spray. Those citronella bracelets or stickers or natural mixtures do not work for me. At all. And what also does not work for me – and this may be controversial – the Thermacell devices. Man, I wanted them to be effective. They might work on a patio in Rhode Island – I hope they do – but Belizean mosquitos do not heed its invisible warning. They were undeterred.

Something I Just Ordered (I’ll Get Back to You)

Cooling Towels: Maybe even better than a bandana? A towel you can refresh every few hours and drape around your neck? (Hurray for all the businesses that still have a COVID-handwashing sink outside)

If this works, I will see if they make a body suit. Please let me know if you’ve tried and/or recommend!