‘How to’ guide to survive summer

Summers are pain in the ass. If you are one of them who don’t like to go out and face the Sun, FHM lists the best of tips to get through the scorching heat. From home-made cocktails to best hairdos, get to know all of them and survive, in style!

No. 01 ‘How to’ mix up your cocktail

A) Watermelon tequila cocktail: Mix up your silver tequila with watermelon, sugar syrup, blueberries, mint, fresh lime soda with the juice of seedless watermelon chunks.

Read FHM India in the digital libraryEvery issue, every shoot, on TCG Media.

B) Tabernacle Crush: In a tall glass, muddle peach with 6 basil leaves and lemon juice. Add gin, Lillet and Simple Syrup. Add ice cubes and top with club soda. Garnish with basil.

C) Sunset Punch: In a punch bowl, combine bourbon, vermouth, lemon juice and syrup. Add ginger beer and lemon slices and serve over ice.

D) Silver Monk: In a cocktail shaker, muddle cucumber slices with 7 mint leaves, salt and Simple Syrup. Add ice and tequila, Chartreuse and lime juice and shake well. Fine-strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with cucumber spear and remaining mint leaf.

E) Red Head In Bed: In a bowl, toss strawberries with sugar and let stand, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries release their juices, for about 10 minutes. In a blender, combine half each of the strawberries and their juices, vodka and lime juice with 1 cup of ice and purée. Pour into a pitcher. Repeat with the remaining strawberries and juices, vodka and lime juice and 1 more cup of ice. Fill 10 collins glasses halfway with ice. Pour the cocktail into the glasses, top each with about 1/2 tablespoon of Riesling and serve.

No. 02 ‘How to’ not sweat like a pig

Be it your underarms, palms or feet, they all drip the salty water from your body which doesn’t help your cause of staying cool in the summers. If you are getting soaked, even when sitting idle, do these things and thank us later!

A) Swipe on antiperspirant: Sweat production is at its lowest in the night, giving the active ingredients in antiperspirants to get into your pores and block perspiration in the day. So, swipe on that anti-body odour in the day and save yourself the horror!

B) Get extra strength: Clinical strength antiperspirants are more effective in preventing the sweat because they have higher concentration of active ingredients. You can get clinical strength formulas of your brands at the store without any medical prescription.

C) Avoid spicy food and caffeine: A strong coffee or a spicy dinner at your friend’s place while watching Arsenal win might make your taste buds happy, but they could also trigger your sweat glands in an abnormal way. Avoid them and see the difference.

D) Consider surgical options: This may not please most of you, but if the floodgates aren’t stopping, think about Botox injections. Another treatment is MiraDry procedure which eliminates the sweat glands safely and you can see lasting effect of it!

E) Cut down on anxiety: Besides outdoor activities or a workout session, emotions too can make you sweat. Job interviews, blind dates and your team losing a match are enough reasons. Deep breathing will help you calm down and can certainly get you relaxed.

No. 03 ‘How to’ get your bag beach ready!

If you’re lucky enough to live near the sea or are planning a trip down south with friends, here are the things to get your bag beach ready which will make you look hotter than the scorching Sun or hotties in a thong bikini - ok, not the latter maybe.

A) Swimming trunks: Summers are all about flashy colours and bright prints. So, forget your normal blue and black pair and go for the pair patterns and colours you would normally go out in.

B) T-shirt: Now that shorts are done, tees with cut-off sleeves are a must. A retro-inspired design or even drawstring at neckline are great to pack. Muscle t-shirts are also in as those who have bulging forearms and beefcake biceps wouldn’t mind show off.

C) Sandals: Backless loafers and plastic or rubber flipflops are the perfect solution. Skip the velcro-strapped sandals and stick to thongs and flip flops. PERIOD!

D) Sunglasses: Aviator, rimless, oversized, shields and wraparounds. There are so many of them. If you’re lying around soaking in the rays, then feel free to wear your aviator. But if you’re engaging in more sporty activities like beach volleyball, you might want to opt for wraparounds or other sporty-looking shades.

E) Hat: Whether you cover your head on the beach or on the way to and from it, it’s important to protect your head from the sun’s heat. But nobody said you can’t do it in style. Fedora, baseball cap or the tomboy hat, wear one of them and walk as the king of the world.

No. 04 ‘How to’ look cool in new hairdo

Long locks are never out of fashion but if you want to keep it stylish with short hairdos, go for one of them and you won’t regret the barber chopping your locks down.

A) Worn down: One of the ever charming hairstyles is softer hair worn down. It’s a departure from the slicked looks and the same haircut can be styled both ways. If your hair doesn’t sit right, blow dry it and use your fingers or a comb.

B) Slick: Slick looks are still in style for summer but keep the form and leave behind the slick. Coif hair with a matte product to get all the height and hold of a slick pomade without the appearance of any hair gel.

C) Long hair on top: Combine comfort with style by wearing hair long on top with short back and sides. The cut is a low maintenance and trending hairstyle that looks good with and without gel.

D) Undercut: The undercut is one of the obvious choices for summer. It is not just shaved hair around the sides and back with all the length on the top. Start the undercut lower and let it fade into the skin. Or get the shave done just above the ear.

E) Mohawk: Another all time favourite hairdo is mohawk. From footballers to cricketers, everyone has been trying it, so why not you! Shave both the sides of your head and leave a strip of hair in the centre.

No. 05 ‘How to’ dress up

The time has come to pack all your winter wear and get those tees ready for the summer.

A) T-shirt: Some like their t-shirts to be intricate but tees call for simple graphics. Don’t go for light colours. Sun is bright and so should be your tee!

B) Suit: On a hot boiling day, the last thing you want is to sweat like a pig in a heavy suit. So, go for linen, cotton or lightweight wool mixes this summer for parties and office and keep cool!

C) Wear socks or try flip-flops: If you wear socks, cotton-linen and cotton-silk blends are best for preventing odour. Flip flops are the go-to shoes in summers, carry them anywhere and everywhere. But beware, they belong to parties and beaches, and that’s about it. A boat shoe, low-top sneakers and desert boots are an option too. Don’t be an offender this summer!

D) Festive swimwear: There is no shame in wearing bright and bold prints as they are the best way to catch a woman’s eye. Or when struck in tide, a lifeguard’s eye.

E) Aviator sunglasses: New styles have come and gone since ages but nothing can beat the classic aviator for the sheer and effortless cool. But don’t wear them when in shade already. Show-off ain’t cool!

No. 06 ‘How to’ get your body in shape

It is not about how many push-ups you can do. Or how long can you hold on to the plank. Or even better, how many kilometres you run on treadmills! When summer gets high, even the best of physiques get out of shape!

A) Stretch: It is important to develop a stretch routine this summer. As we age, the elasticity of our muscles decreases and overworking muscles lead to pain and injury. As you take the Sun god on, do devote 10 mins of your day to stretching.

B) Breakfast like a king, dinner like a beggar: If you are trying to slim down, consume those calories before 3 PM. Keep your dinner light, yeah we know this has been said a million times. But we Indians don’t agree much. Now is the time to do it though.

C) Exercise. But not more than 30 mins: Aim for only a 30 mins training session every day. Working out for hours isn’t gonna get you slim in 2 days. Take it easy and let the nature take its course of action. A study proves that exercising less makes for more movement throughout the day.

D) Avoid high cal, hydrate more: Skip as much of high calorie diet and baked goods as you can. Try and sip more of juices. Carrot and beetroot provide the natural SPF against sun. Your mom must have told you this a thousand of times, when will you start listening?

E) Flavour your ice tray: Make fruit ice cubes for your water to help you not only lose weight, but improve digestion as well. Drop a raspberry, blueberry, or small slice of strawberry into each ice cube tray after you fill them with water. Freeze, and then use ice cubes in your glasses of water throughout the day.

From the April 2015 issue of FHM India.