How to hide sweat stains? (3 things you need to know)

This picture shows all my t-shirts, shirts, and sweaters in my closet: as you can see, it’s mainly black, white, and a few patterns.

I think you’ll agree when I say there’s nothing more embarrassing than having sweat stains show through your outfits, right? Some colors will show sweat more than others tough, no matter the fabric or the fit.

In this post, I’m going to show you which colors can hide sweat stains, and which colors are to avoid. I’ll also give you tricks to work around the ‘bad colors’.

Colors that hide sweat

1. DO: BLACK OR WHITE

I know this does not sound exciting but hear me out here! I’m sure you have already noticed how black or white clothes don’t show sweat as much. Black in particular because it can’t get much darker than it already is, contrary to how a blue pastel for instance would become a dark blue when it’s wet.

You want to have black everything: black pants, black shirts, black jackets, black shoes, black sweaters, etc. Black is the best color that hide sweat and stays on top of all other colors. You get my point. That should always be your go-to option and safe heaven when you want to make sure wet stains won’t show. Plus, black is always classy, so that’s a win-win!

Tips to pick black and white clothes:

• Black clothes need to be very black – not light black/greyish- and white clothes need to be pure white – not beige, cream, ivory, or whatever. Pure black and white.

• Get your black and white clothes in cotton or denim because natural fabrics are more breathable, comfortable, cheap, and easy to find and care for. But most fabrics, when in black and white, should be okay.

• Pick the top or bottom a bit loose so it won’t stick to your skin and will let you breeze more.

Tips to spice up a black and white outfit:

Are you afraid your look might be boring if wear only black and white? Why? There are plenty of things you can do to add color to your outfit!

Below are some ideas:

• Accessories: add color to your black and white look by picking colorful shoes, bags, jewelry (necklaces, watches, brooches) scarves, gloves, and belts!

• Embroideries: they can a little touch of color to an outfit.

• Beauty: Your body is your canvas too! Women have more options here, but you can add color via your nail polish, your hair, your lipstick, etc.!

2. DO WEAR PATTERNS (plaid, leopard, floral)

I know, patterns are not a color per say, it’s a bunch of colors. But patterns are great because you can wear color and still hide sweat stains! As long as you pick the right pattern of course.

 You can wear patterned everything: patterned jacket, patterned t-shirt, patterned pants, you name it!

Tips to pick clothes with patterns:

• Wear one item with pattern, and the rest in plain black or white. For example, wear a t-shirt with a pattern on a black pair of jeans.
• Pick a pattern that has a lot of black and/or white in it (since black and white show sweat the least)
• Avoid patterns with too much bright or pastel colors (or they would get darker when wet and show sweat marks)

Examples of patterns include plaid, leopard, or floral.

Here is my post on DO’s and Don’ts about patterns.

And another post on what colors and patterns to pick for t-shirts in particular.

Colors That Will Show Sweat

DON’T: WEAR SOLID AND PASTEL

• Bright Red
• Pastel Red
• Blue
• Green
• Orange
• Yellow
• Brown
• Grey
• Purple
• …

These colors show sweat like crazy.

We’ve all seen these people with a drenched pastel blue dress shirt going to the office on a summer day. Or we’ve been that person…

Or that guy at the gym sweating through a light grey t-shirt…

Keep that in mind as the best illustration that bright and pastel colors will show sweat stains too much!

Tips to wear solid and pastel colors anyways:

My best advice is to simply avoid bright and pastel colors all together… But if you really want to wear these colors while not showing sweat marks, then there are a set of rules you’ll need to follow:

• Pick fabrics that won’t show: spandex yoga pants or nylon swim suits for example. Here’s my guide on how to pick fabrics when you sweat.
• Wear undershirts under your colorful items: that will absorb some of the sweat, and when your colorful sweater starts to show sweat  then you can remove it and let it dry out. Here are some tips on how to use layers to hide sweat marks.
• Wear the colors in your accessories: the colors don’t need to be on your clothes that get wet, they can be on your bag, on your scarf etc.
• Lick you finger: what? Let me explain. Imagine you are at a store shopping for new clothes, and you see that nice red sweater, or blue shirt, etc. But you are not sure whether it will show sweat stains. My trick is simple: discreetly lick your finger and put your wet finger on the fabric. You’ll instantly know whether it would hide or show your sweat stains!

Conclusion

To recap, to hide sweat stains you want to avoid wearing bright and pastel colors. The best colors that don’t show sweat stains are simply black and white. Wearing patterned clothes can also be a fun way to get away with wearing colors while not showing sweat marks.

Ideally, you’ll want to stick to black outfits, and add colors with patterns or colorful accessories.

Wearing black outfits is for everyone, no matter what your style is.

Here are some posts I wrote on how to dress in all black, no matter the occasion:

Women’s guide to dressing in black

Men’s guide to dressing in black

Do you have any other tricks and colors you recommend to hide sweat stains?