Keeping Cool: Summer Hijab Ideas

Summer is coming and honestly, around this time of year, I get a little scared.  I don't like to be hot anymore than anyone else does.  No Muslim woman who wears hijab does.  Sweating is not attractive to me.  On top of it, I do not have air conditioning in my house or my car.  So I truly feel the summer weather.  So to ease my fears and help all you new hijabis out there, I thought I would come up with a list, insh'Allah, of what I do to keep cool (or at least cooler) in the summer.  

1.) Mind over Matter

A lot of it is a head game.  When you think it is hot, you will be hot.  Most days I just tell myself it will get hotter, so why complain now?  And on a day when it seems the hottest, check the temperature.  If it is under 90 degrees, I refrain from complaining.  It isn't hot until it is at least 90.

Hijab is not easy.  A hot day makes it harder than usual.  Especially with everyone asking, "Aren't you hot?"  Of course I am!  So is everybody else, hijab or not!  Removing my clothing will not change the weather.  But it will compromise my principles.

2.) Wear Loose Clothing

I see lots of new hijabis trying to "hijabify" their old wardrobe by wearing long sleeve t-shirts under short sleeve outfits.  Trust me, loose sleeves, loose legged pants, loose abayas, loose hijab wrapping styles are your friend in the summer.  You want air to be able to reach you.  Especially in humidity.  

Sweat is meant to cool you off through the process of evaporation.  You sweat, making moisture on your skin and it dries and as it does, you are cooled.  If you are wearing form fitting clothing, that cooling action cannot take place.  That is one reason Muslim clothing from hot countries, even for men, is so loose.

And remember, clothing that conforms to your skin is not hijab.  We are to conceal ourselves, and that includes the shape of our bodies.

3.) Wear Light Colors

I am actually not a big follower of this one for my clothing.  But it is true.  You will be cooler in white than in black.  Of course, there are many Muslimahs who feel it is better to wear dark colors, especially black.  But if you are not one of them, try wearing lighter colors, at least your scarf, in the summer sun.

4.) Wear Natural Fabrics

Cotton, linen, and silk are much cooler in the summer than polyester.  Polyester can be OK too.  Just make sure it is breathable.  If it resists water, no go.  If air cannot blow through it, avoid it.  You will thank me.

5.) Wear Light Fabrics

This and #2 are the most important features for cool clothes for a hijabi.  You can feel a cool breeze through a light cotton abaya.  I love feeling a breeze on the back of my neck through a light scarf.  Just remember that the fabric should also be opaque.  See through is not hijab.

6.) Wear As Few Layers As Possible

Another thing new hijabis do is layer their Western clothes to achieve the amount of coverage they need.  This works fine in the cooler months, but in summer you are asking to be miserable.  Long sleeve t-shirts layered under a short sleeve t-shirt and pants layered under a skirt is a summer disaster waiting to happen.

My best advice here is to look to native Muslim clothing.  Most of it comes from cultures where it is H.O.T.  They know how to follow Allah and still be cool.  Even in humid conditions.  Salwar kameez from Pakistan: a hot and humid culture.  Abayas from the Arabian Peninsula.  Cotton jilbabs from Jordan and Turkey.  Loose cotton dresses is many styles from different African countries.  Adopting a "cultural" dress mixed in with your normal Western clothes can give you a unique Muslim identity and keep you cooler at the same time.

Don't forget about wearing a jilbab!  (See my post about hijab to learn more about jilbabs.)  What I do and is common in Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, etc.  is wear pants and a shirt with a coat style jilbab or abaya over when I go out.  In the summer, I wear light pants and a tank top and keep my jilbabs light, airy, and unlined.  My next post, insh'Allah, will be about the latest coat style jilbab I made from a purchased abaya.  Watch for it!

One of the lightest and airiest jilbabs is an over-the-head garment.  A very common one in France and Canada is the French jilbeb.  It is an all in one over-the-head garment, eliminating the need for a separate scarf and outer garment (jilbab).  But make sure you get one made of good quality, breathable fabric.  To learn more about them and even how to make your own, see my post about them.  Another style of over-the-head garment that could be quite cool in the summer would be the very long khimar from Somalia.  A pull-on two piece (you wear it with a tie kerchief to hold back your hair) it normally reaches down to the knees or even to the floor.  A very elegant garment that all you need on underneath is a tank top and a pair of light pants or a maxi skirt.

7.) It All Starts at the Head

The place we lose the most heat and need to keep warm in the winter is our head.  So it stands to reason, that the place we should keep the coolest in the summer is our head.  You might think then that it is foolish to cover it at all.  Not so!  Haven't you ever felt the head beat down on your scalp, especially if you have dark hair?  Ever had a scalp sunburn?  Covering your head is common sense for everyone in the summer!

As hijabis, luckily we have a ready way to protect our hair and scalp from the relentless sun.  But how do we also stay cool?

The above tips for clothing also go for your head scarf.  Keep the fabric light, airy, breathable.  And preferably a natural fiber, though there are good polyester and nylon scarves for breathability.  Keep the colors light.  

Most important is how you wrap it.  Keep it loose off your neck (unlike most Turkish styles).  Do not use styles that wrap multiple times around your head, insulating it.  I cover the underside of my chin, and I can tell that is a "problem".  I start sweating around there before anywhere else because the way I wrap my scarf is double over that area and is held close to the skin.  But to me it is worth it.  Which brings us to our last tip...

8.) Remember Why You Do It

You had a reason why you became a hijabi.  You have faith in why you cover.  You believe this is the right way to follow Allah.  So when it gets tough, when you feel like giving in, remember... your reasons are worth it.