If you're living in the northern part of New Zealand, you will have noticed that there's been a serious change in the air in the last few weeks - a whole lot more moisture.
According to reports last week, low pressure to the west and high pressure to the east have sucked warm, humid air down from the tropics, causing muggy, sticky weather for many Kiwis, especially those in the North Island.
As a South Island girl myself, it's taken four years of living in Auckland to get used to the fact that for three months of the year we all just walk through water and think nothing of it.
But it turns out the heat and stickiness might be affecting you more than you know.
Sleep
Lying in bed listening to the rain is usually cosy and cute, but not when it's accompanied by a low of 20C and sweat pouring from every pore. If you're struggling to sleep in the steam bath that is your bedroom, invest in a fan for your room to keep the air moving around you, and while it may be tempting, don't sleep totally nude. Light linen and cotton pyjamas will actually wick the moisture away from your skin and cool you better than having sweaty skin on skin contact. Also avoid alcohol before bed - it interferes with your body's natural ability to regulate its temperature.
Hair
Looking like Monica in that infamous episode of Friends?! My usually mildly frizzy hair turns into something so large it practically has its own microclimate in the humidity. Oils are your friend - your hair is pulling moisture out of the air, so seal the cuticle with oils that will give it the moisture it's craving. The Olaplex Number 7 or Moroccanoil treatment are both great contenders. Otherwise, the only - and I mean only - product I've found to truly tackle the frizz is this one: Colour Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray. The clue is in the name, but this spray is truly supernatural. Spray it on, blow dry your hair and kiss humidity frizz goodbye.
Mood
Being rude, catty and genuinely just not a very nice human being? Same! There are many things this can be blamed on, namely the burnout at the end of the long and stressful year. But muggy and oppressive weather can actually have a poor effect on your mood. As reported by NBC, psychologists say humidity can put you in a bad mood - especially when teamed with a lack of sleep and dehydration. What's more, humidity appears to impair short-term memory, according to a study that found people had a harder time remembering a string of numbers when it was hot and sticky out. Keep hydrated, don't overdo it with strenuous exercise or hot yoga, and remember, this will eventually pass.
