Feel Frosty on Contact
with aloe vera
Most people only reach for aloe vera lotion when they get sunburned. But smoothing it on anytime you feel overheated is smart, say Australian researchers: the cream lowers skin and sub dermal temperature on contact at North Texas Research Laboratory in Grand Prairie found that aloe penetrates skin four times faster than water and reaches seven layers deep (while water only reaches the outer layer), so the cooling effect will last longer than taking a cold shower.
Fool Yourself Cool
with mint
The protein TRPM8 is responsible for making humans feel coldness. When it’s chilly out, this protein sends an “It’s cold signal to your brain, which makes you react physically by shivering and getting goose bumps. A team of researchers at The Scripps Research Institute in LaJolla, California, found that the TRPM8 receptor is also triggered by menthol. So if you need relief, chew a stick of peppermint gum or rub on some mint-scented lotion to fool your brain into sending cooling signals to your skin.
Drop Room Temperature
with houseplants
According to the USDA estimates, a room full of indoor plants can lower air temperature by up to 10 degrees fahrenheit. The reason: plants go through a process called transpiration in which they absorb warming carbon dioxide from the air and emit cooling water vapor. Even placing just a few plotted pants in a sunny often-used room can lower the temperature by up to 3 degrees fahrenheit. Tip: Desert plants, which are used to offset arid conditions, conserve water during sunny hours and only transpire at night so keep cacti or other desert plants in your bedroom.
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