From top to toe: How to dress warmly in winter
It’s a lovely feeling being warm and cosy in the winter months winter. Being cold on the other hand is depressing and makes us more vulnerable to catching coughs and colds.
Our five tips will help you dress warmly and keep well. When it’s cold your clothing needs to be warm, comfortable, sweat-wicking, and if outdoors water and windproof. Therefore, the best way to ensure you are dressed appropriately is to wear several layers.
1. WEAR SEVERAL LAYERS ON YOUR UPPER BODY
The best way to make sure you are well-dressed in cold weather, is to dress in several layers.
A close fitting base layer.
This is the first layer, which sits directly in direct contact with your skin and should be close-fitting and thin. The most important property for your base layer, is that It is also important for you to be warm and comfortable you may want to invest in silk underwear, a merino wool turtleneck, and leggings are thin, moisture-wicking base layer basics. If not tights, leggings or even pajama bottoms will work as long as they’re thin enough so that your trousers still fit comfortably.
Your socks should be long enough to be pulled up over your base layer to ensure no cold air comes in contact with your skin.
Warm mid-layer/s
The mid layer will be thicker than the base layer. A “mid-layer” could be a wool sweater, a lightweight down jacket or a fleece. Think several lighter looser layers rather than one or two big thick ones; they will trap more air – more trapped air = warmer. Sleeveless items are useful as they add extra layers without additional underarm bulk which can feel restrictive .
A shawl or poncho over the top adds an extra cozy layer when snuggling up on the sofa.
A weatherproof outer layer
This winter weather garment should be tightly woven so it is wind resistant, waterproof and breathable to keep your inner insulation stays dry and warm.
Down is a great material for keeping warm since it’s lightweight while also insulating. However when it gets wet, it quickly loses its puff and will not keep you warm. Synthetic down is heavier, but it stands up to rain, or choose a separate light weight rain shell with a breathable membrane to protect a down jacket.
Avoid getting over heated
When dressing for cold weather, it’s important to find the balance between keeping warm and being too hot. Avoid getting overheated, excessive sweating will cause your body to lose more heat so make sure to remove extra layers of clothing whenever you start to feel too warm.
2. GET A GOOD PAIR OF TROUSERS
When it comes to trousers they should be comfortable and loose fitting as well as warm. A pair of lined wool trousers are much warmer than jeans (which are cooling cotton), or you may want to invest in a pair of breathable polyester trousers with a thermal lining which may also be windproof.
3. PROTECT YOUR HANDS, HEAD AND NECK
Remember when it’s cold, your extremities are affected first.
We can lose up to 40% of our body temperature through your head so wearing a hat to keep warm makes sense – including indoors if needed. Warmest hats are those with ear flaps. When outdoors a coat with a hood prevents cold, rain and snow from seeping into your neck.
Sleeves that are snug at the wrist keep heat in. Wear wrist warmers or fingerless gloves pulled up over the end of your sleeve.
Mittens tend to be a warmer choice than gloves because fingers generate more heat when they’re not separated from each other by fabric, as they are with gloves. A properly fitting mitten will have about ¼ inch of material at the end of your outstretched fingers.
4. KEEP ANKLES AND FEET WARM AND DRY
Socks shouldn’t be so thick that they interfere with putting on your shoes and wear the thickest socks that you find comfortable. If it’s really cold choose roomy footwear and two pairs of socks, a thin base layer and a thicker mid layer. Still cold? Slide an insole into your shoes to add a bit more insulation.
If your feet start to feel cold later in the day it could be because your socks have been absorbing sweat. Swap them for a fresh, dry pair, and your feet should start warming up again.
5.CHOOSE THE RIGHT FABRIC
Fabric should be sweat-wicking, otherwise you will become wet and cold as soon as you begin to sweat.
Choose wool, silk, or polyester – these fabrics that will hold body heat and don’t absorb moisture ie. sweat efficiently wicks sweat away from your skin so you don’t get cold.
Avoid cotton, it is naturally cool and traps moisture and damp from your body which will cool you down over time.
Wool offers great performance, it retains warmth even when wet and is superb temperature regulation keeping you warm at low temperatures and cool at high temperatures helping to maintain your natural body temperature around 37⁰C. If you find wool itchy, consider merino and cashmere. Merino is a lightweight wool and a good price.
Polyester is relatively inexpensive and offers great performance in certain aspects, is very lightweight, dries very fast and durable. Down side poor odor-resistance.
Silk dries very fast and offers great moisture-wicking performance. It is naturally antimicrobial and feels pleasant against the skin. Downside is its price.