How to Feel Good When You’re Melting From the Inside Out

Because your brain, skin, and mood are all one bead of sweat away from a full breakdown.

Holy shit, it’s hot.

“Heat dome” hell has officially descended on New York City (along with 20+ other states), which means that I’ve spent my entire day cranky and drenched in sweat. This type of scorching, humid weather always put me in a spectacularly foul mood, partly because the city smells even worse than usual (nothing like the scent of hot trash first thing in the morning!), but mostly because it’s damn near impossible to feel cute.

My thighs stick to every chair I try to sit in (let’s not even talk about the chafing), my makeup melts off the minute I step outside, and my greasy skin and frizzy hair simply can’t be tamed. I also…definitely don’t smell good. In theory, summer is supposed to be carefree and sexy—but when the temps hit 90+, I mostly feel pissed off and gross.

Turns out, there's a reason for that. Studies show heat can literally mess with your mood—irritability, brain fog, and anxiety all spike when your body’s overheating. And when you’re also dealing with the cosmetic side effects (sweat stains, breakouts, body odor, heat rashes, the aforementioned frizz), it’s a one-two punch to the self-esteem.

So if you’ve been feeling short-tempered, sluggish, or like a troll emerging from a steam grate—same. And while there’s only so much you can do about the temperature (shoutout to the bodega freezer aisle), there are a few things that can help you feel a little more like yourself when you’re melting from the inside out.

This week on Laugh Lines, I’m diving into why we get so grumpy when it’s hot, rounding up mood-boosting beauty products that survive the heat, talking to an expert, and sharing the swamp-proof beauty tricks that keep me from crying off my concealer. Because you deserve to feel good—even when it’s 103 degrees and your bra is soaking wet.

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Why sticky days make you want to scream

There’s actual science behind how hot days negatively impact your mood—so much so that the American Psychiatric Association recognizes extreme heat as a public mental health issue, especially for people with existing mood disorders. High temps are associated with increases in irritability, substance use, depression, and suicide—so if you’re feeling like you want to scream, cry, or isolate right now, know you’re not alone.

Your brain struggles to regulate emotions when you’re hot

Multiple studies have linked high temperatures to increased aggression and violence—rates of horn honking and literal crime both go up on super-hot days—because of the way heat impacts your brain.

When your body is working overtime to cool itself down, your brain’s resources are diverted away from things that keep you functioning like a normal member of society—like patience, empathy, and emotional regulation—and toward basic survival. This makes it harder to control your temper or think clearly… which explains why I snapped at my 8-pound poodle this morning.

You’re (probably) dehydrated

Being dehydrated (which is pretty much inevitable when you’re dripping sweat all day long) throws off your body’s electrolyte balance, which plays a key role in how your nervous system operates. Even mild dehydration can cause fatigue, headaches, and brain fog—three things that create a surefire recipe for crankiness.

High Temperatures Physically Stress You Out

Heat flips your nervous system into fight-or-flight mode, which ramps up your heart rate and cortisol (aka stress hormone) levels. You may not feel like you’re in danger, but your body certainly thinks you are, which makes you feel tense, on edge, and more prone to losing your shit.

Everything feels gross

The warmer months are already peak season for body image issues since they call for more exposed skin, and adding pit stains and B.O. into the mix is a recipe for feeling like trash about yourself. Physical discomforts (think: sticky thighs, melting makeup, and sweat in places you didn’t even know you could sweat) pile up, and amplify any underlying emotional stress. Basically, the worse you feel in your body, the worse you feel in your mood.

Keep reading for my favorite heatwave-proof beauty tips, tricks, and product recs that are keeping me cute *and* sane right now.