Must-Have Beauty Products for Living in Humidity

It’s hot in Singapore, it’s always hot in Singapore. It’s also very humid in Singapore, all the time. In fact, the average annual humidity is about 83%! Believe it or not, living on a tropical island is not always paradise. I’ve had to change up my There are some unique challenges that come with all the palm trees and coconuts. Leather shoes get moldy and my hair turns into a giant frizz ball. I’ve had to come up with some solutions!

Here are my picks for must-have beauty products for living in humidity:

Hair

French Hair Pins

For days when it’s too hot to have my hair down or even a ponytail brushing against my neck feels like too much, my French hairpin comes to the rescue. It’s also my favorite way to hide the fact that I didn’t have time to properly do my hair. Shh!

Color Wow Dream Coat

No one tells you how much work it is to keep your hair looking smooth and healthy in a humid climate. Ok, maybe you know but I didn’t. I can’t imagine what my curly-haired friends have to deal with. You can go for keratin treatments but I’ve found that this Dream Coat does a good job. It’s heat activated so I spray it in my hair just before I blow dry. It says that it lasts through 4 shampoos. I’ve found that after I wash my hair I have to reapply but it does a great job that first time.

Bumble and Bumble Invisible Oil is supposed to be marvelous but I haven’t found it in Singapore. I’ll grab a bottle or two next time I’m in the US to try.

Skin Care

Escential The Body Tonic

Singapore is 85 miles north of the equator which means anytime you step outside your door on a clear sunny day, the sweat begins. It also means that I often shower three times a day. Even with all the moisture in Singapore, all of this showering can really dry out your skin. I recently picked up these cleansing grains from Escential The Body Tonic and I’m in love.

It’s a powder wash made with all-natural, all-vegan ingredients. It doesn’t lather like a traditional body wash instead, you mix the powder with a bit of water and rub it on your skin. Despite the missing bubbles, I feel clean and my skin doesn’t have that tight feeling you get from so much showering.

This is a young Singapore brand so I’m including a link since most of these other products are readily available in the States.

Supergoop Sunscreen

The UV index is very high in Singapore but strangely, the use of sunscreen is comparably very low. It’s surprisingly hard to find reef-safe, water/sweatproof, responsible sunscreens. These I can get pretty easily.

I love the Glowscreen for when I don’t feel like putting on makeup but want a little extra. The Daily Dose is just a great multitasker and I don’t leave home without a travel-sized, (Re)setting Refreshing Mist in my purse. No more wrinkles for me, please!

Mini-fridge

You know all those expiration dates on skincare and cosmetics we all ignore? In tropical climates, you are dancing with the devil if you choose to disregard the expiration date. In fact, things go bad before the expiration date! These have been trendy for awhile but I find them to be a necessity in tropical Singapore. I use it for when I stockpile products from the US or for my travel sizes.

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I do not make any commission from these products. These are simply products that I never used prior to living in Singapore and solve unique problems that come with living in a tropical country.

Even if you don’t live in a tropical country, I can assure you that these products will perform well in hot, humid summers as well! If you want to live vicariously, check out my Singapore Mornings post for a window into my life.

Drop me a line below, with some of your favorite humidity-busting recommendations.