Every year, sometime in early June, I think: summer isn’t so bad! I do love the long daylight (and I wear appropriate sunblock, of course). We can spend time in the park! Things are blooming! I have a new cotton shirt-dress that I can just wash and wear as needed! Fancy fruit-y cocktails and get-togethers in friends’ yards are some of the best things in life!

And then it’s August, and another week of temperatures above 90 degrees, and the humidity is bringing out every nuance in the smells of the curbside garbage bags, and my nice dress is sweatily stuck to me before I even get to the office, and transit is delayed again because the heat warps the train tracks, and all anyone can really do is hide inside near the a/c unit as much as possible.

By the time I get to Labor Day, I’m a summer-hater once again, but I’ve found a few new products to make me feel slightly less disgusting. Here are some of them.

Vacation Orange Gelée Sunscreen Gel: Yes! This is supposed to remind you of classic Bain de Soleil from the 1980s-1990s. It looks and feels just like the original formulation: a rich orange gel that morphs into oil when you spread it into the skin. It absorbs surprisingly well, it contains sun protection, and it successfully mimics the original’s scent of citrus-spice scent of bergamot, clove, and saffron.

C. O. Bigelow Aqua Mellis Body Wash: When we reached the point of multiple heat waves and many days that required a second shower, I was happy to have this “gift with purchase” from C.O. Bigelow. A while back, I reviewed it on Now Smell This and described it as “honeyed white florals and melon” with a whiff of something woodier underneath. It’s wonderfully sudsy and helps me cleanse my cranky mind as well as my sweaty skin. Even its sea-glass blue shade is soothing.

Malibu C Hard Water Wellness Shampoo and Conditioner: By early August, my hair was feeling rougher and more unruly than it’s been in years and years. I blame the harsh water in my city. But, since I can’t control that, I’m grateful to have learned (thanks, Reddit!) that hard water-specific shampoos exist. I wouldn’t normally buy anything with turquoise plastic bottles and the word “Malibu” in the name, but these do seem to help. And they smell like orange baby aspirin, which is inoffensive enough.

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse: This is one of the “cult classics” that I first encountered in discussions on Makeupalley.com. It’s been around forever and I pray that it endures for many more decades to come. I’ve been brushing two or three sprays through my hair at bedtime and leaving it in as an overnight treatment, and I add one spray to my morning hair-styling product, which is currently just a leave-in conditioner from Crown Affair. Huile Prodigieuse also works as non-greasy body oil. And it smells like a tropical heaven—the fragrance supposedly includes notes of magnolia, vanilla, and orange blossom, but I think of it as more of a monoï aroma.

Blueland Foaming Hand Soap: Covid-19 is still among us, and summer is a dirty and sticky season anyway, so I’ve upped our hand-washing game at home. I started getting ads for Blueland’s collaboration with The Black Forager, so I bought a trial set, and I ended up going back for more of their regular hand soap tablets. Dissolved in water, these make a nice gentle hand wash with subtle scents. Lavender Eucalyptus is my current pick.

Do you have any favorite (scented or unscented) products to help you cope with extreme heat and humidity? Feel free to share in the comments!