Chances are, if you're living in the Cayman Islands during rainy season — roughly mid-May through October — you're probably going to get wet.
Unless you're on the beach, the wet look isn't very stylish, so being prepared with the proper rain gear, fabrics and personal care products can help keep you from looking like a soggy mess.
When it comes to stylishly weathering rainy season, there are three adjectives to remember: waterproof, water-resistant and humidity-friendly.
Protective gear
Owning an umbrella is not up for debate. It’s fair to say an umbrella is the single most important item to have around when it’s raining. If you prefer a hands-free experience, hooded raincoats or ponchos with some sort of head covering are viable options, but they can mess up your hair.
Beyond those, it’s helpful to have additional accessories on hand — or foot — to ensure you and the personal items you are transporting stay dry. Waterproof or water-resistant shoes and bags are good ideas, and keep an extra pair of dry socks handy as well.
Breathable clothing
A shower of rain can easily cause you to perspire. Therefore, choose your outfit wisely on a rainy day. Stick to breathable materials like cotton and linen that offer ventilation to keep you cool and that dry quickly.
If you're not sure what the weather will be like, download a weather app on your phone and check it every day before you get dressed.
Weather-approved cosmetics
Depending on your daily face routine, you’ll want to add waterproof make-up or sunscreen to your cosmetics inventory to avoid them being washed away by rain or rogue splashes of water.
The humidity of the rainy season can wreak havoc on your hair, whether it gets wet by rain or not. For frizz-prone hair, frizz-protecting spray or oil is recommended, and for oil-prone hair, a bottle of dry shampoo can save the day.
You can find all the products you need to prepare yourself for rainy season at the various retail shops of Camana Bay.
This article originally appeared in the May 2021 print edition of Camana Bay Times.
About the author
Ariel Thompson is a content manager at Dart, having joined the company in 2017. A lifelong writer, Ariel was born and raised in the Cayman Islands before studying abroad at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, for her degree in public relations and film and television. With eight years of experience in communications, Ariel joined Dart after working as Cayman International School’s first marketing communications officer. As her name would suggest, Ariel is a Disney fan and has a singing voice to rival The Little Mermaid’s. She loves to conceptualise TV and movie scripts and hopes one day to be a director.