Request: Hijab Tips For Hot Weather

I have recently had two requests for a post on how to wear the hijab in hot weather. One is from new revert Lucy who plans to wear the headscarf soon to complete her modest dress and the other is a 15 year old hijabi who owns the blog myownpersonalrehab. I hope to give a few tips and ideas to keep cool this summer.

Firstly (and thankfully), I want to mention that for the vast majority of the time, it is not the headscarf itself that makes you hot and stuffy in the summer - it's the layering. And the main sweat-inducing culprit is that infamous long sleeve stretch top..

Wearing these in the summer, although decidedly convenient, is a biiggg mistake mainly because it allows no aeration and acts like a greenhouse. In fact the only time these should ever leave your wardrobe in the summer is when the sun is safely below the horizon.

Here are some alternatives to the stretch:

Cardigans - Buy them oversized and you tick 3 boxes: modesty, aeration and the oversized look is still very on trend. You can pretty much find these in all highstreet shops like Primark, H&M and Dorothy Perkins.

Denim jackets and blazers - Denim jackets have always been a summer classic and blazers look great with lots of different styles. Blazers look particulary nice with oversized tees, here's a look to give to an idea:

Boleros - Pair with a maxi dress for a great evening look - without the sweat patches..

Other summer essentials:

Maxi dresses/skirts - Perfect summer pieces. ASOS have a fantastic drop of maxis at the moment starting from £20.

Here are some style ideas:

I > by Zaenab

Butterfly Maxi by Zaenab

White Cardigan Dress by Zaenab

Try to use as few layers as possible and keep the colours light - dark colours will absorb sunlight so you'll get hot very quickly.

Denim shirt dress - They're on trend and they're very hijab friendly. Pair with some trousers like in this outfit:

Denim Shirt by Zaenab

Linen trousers - These don't have to be just for sunburnt middle aged women on the beach, if you pair them with the right top, they can look fresh and keep you cool:

Hanan Turk Hijab by Zaenab

If you're missing the stretch tops, you can always wear them under summer kaftans in the evening, here are some I like:

Brown kaftan: French Connection

Beige kaftan: the Outnet

Red kaftan: Monsoon

Oh and don't..

- ..wear more than one scarf or choose thick scarves and avoid an undercap where possible

- ..pin your hijab unnecessarily, let it be a bit loose (but still covered, obviously..) so air can get to your neck

- ..wear skinny jeans: they are hot and look weird with a headscarf anyway

Hope this helps :D