5 Reasons To Wear a Sun Hat will answer some of your questions about adding a hat to your sun blocking clothing wardrobe.
Why Is It Important To Wear A Sun Hat
A sun hat will help protect you from the sun‘s harsh UV rays.
- Your skin must be protected from the sun
- Protect your eyes from sun damage
- Hats can keep you cooler in summer
- Winter time chill is more comfortable when you wear a hat.
- You will look really cool with a hat year around.
Protect Your Skin From The Sun #1
Ultra Violet Rays do such a bad number on your skin. Both the UVA and UVB are dangerous and when combined they leave their mark.
Included in this “mark” that the sun leaves on your skin is cellular damage that allows skin cancers to form. The sun’s rays can cause your skin to be unable to heal if you get too many sunburns.
Melanoma is the most dangerous of the skin cancers and too much sunlight on your skin will encourage this most deadly form of skin cancer.
Your head is the first place the sun reaches on your body. So it stands to reason that it should be the first place to start when protecting you from the sun.
Becaause your head is the first thing the sun reaches, your face, ears, neck, nose, and lips need the protection of a hat. This is what people usually notice first about you. The sun sees your face and head first as well.
A sun hat is “the item” to start your sun blocking clothing wardrobe. Sunglasses to protect your eyes shares the top of the “needs” list for sun blocking.
Within a short time the will be baking your skin. This will give you the worst kinds of sunburns. We know sunburns are dangerous and destructive for your skin’s health.
Grab a hat! summer and winter.
Sun Block Hat To Protect Your Eyes #2
Why is wearing a hat so important?
We know that protection from the sun is the reason for wearing a sun blocking hat. The same sun that beats down summer and winter contains the dangerous UVA and UVB rays.
These rays are dangerous for you eyes, as they are for your skin. When out in the bright sunshine the brim of your hat will offer some shade for your eyes. Adding sunglasses will give you a more complete protection.
Shielding some of the bright rays from your eyes will keep your eyes from getting so tired when you are out for a day of fun in the sun.
Wearing a sun hat with a brim to help protect your eyes can delay your appointment for cataract surgery.
What is a sun blocking hat?
A sun blocking hat has a 3-inch brim that can turn down and shade your face, neck, and ears from the sun.
When you are shopping for your hat, look at the material it is made of. This material, straw, canvas, felt or whatever else hats are made of should not allow the sun to shine through the material.
Where ever you see even a pinprick of light from the sun shining through, you will have the sun directly on your head. Make sure this part is tightly woven.
Finding a hat you are comfortable wearing is the next step. Even a perfect sun hat does you no good if you aren’t wearing it.
A Sun Blocking Hat Keeps You Cooler In Summer #3
Another reason why you should wear a hat in hot weather?
Your sun hat can protect your scalp from radiant heat. If your hat has no vents, there may be less evaporative and convection cooling. Vents may up your risk of sun reaching your skin.
For me and my family, we have found that the trade-off of complete blocking with no vents ends up with our hats being set aside. That means more exposure overall.
So we go for tightly woven hats, with vents!
In the hot summertime, getting into a shaded area for a bit, and cooling down is also a good way to help your hat be more effective. We seem to feel that working in the hot sun, with direct rays is OK.
Hear me now! You have to be more accountable for your health and safety in the hot summer. Take breaks in the shade. If you have work to do outside, work in the safer hours of the early morning, before 10 AM.
For hot weather afternoon, the break time between 10 AM and 4 PM will allow you to stay safer, and keep your skin protected from skin cancer/
Why Wear A Hat In The Winter #4
This is where some people really miss the boat when taking care of their skin in the wintertime. Just because you aren’t hot, when you are out in the sun does not mean you are safe.
We often mix up the messages that we don’t have to worry about the sun in the winter. And we don’t have to worry as much about the sun being so hot. However, it is the sun.
The sun’s rays still contain UVA and UVB. If you get too much sun you will get skin damage. Most of the time you can be out longer before you will get sunburn from the UVB.
UVA rays are there too. They are hitting your face, the corners of your eyes. Those rays are causing your skin to slowly loose the ability to be healthy and pink. You will see sagging skin earlier in life.
No, your parents didn’t know this. They weren’t leading you astray in taking care of yourself, so much of what they did think they knew was wrong.
We have not realized the danger of the summer sun. A hat worn year around can help you be safer in the winter sun.
We loose 10 to 20% of our body heat from our head. Wearing a hat helps in the winter keeping your warmer. Your summer hat should allow for the heat to leave your head, with vents and some hight in the crown area.
The Fashion Statement #5
While in the face of things, this may sound unimportant. However when you are trying to trade good habits for careless ones that put your skin at risk, it is important to look good.
Hats can reflect your personality and still give you a put together look that will make you want to wear the hat.
Make you more ready to make those changes and start protecting your skin from the sun.
When you are shopping, give yourself a few minutes to consider the way it looks on you. How comfortable it is.
Hold it up to the sun, or a bright light. Can you see through the hat? Any little pinpricks of light? The tighter weave is important.
What Color Hat Is Better
The color of the hat you choose is less important than how tightly the hat is woven.
Black will absorb the sun’s rays. Leaving no reflections from your hat on your face and neck. However, it will be warmer.
A light-colored one will be cooler to wear but will reflect some of the rays onto your face.
To protect yourself if you have a light-colored sun hat, be prepared to keep the sunscreen going. You shouldn’t be sweating or rubbing the sunscreen off as frequently as you would be with no hat.
Paying attention to these things will allow more fun in the sun, and keep you safe.
Your head and all that is attached to your head get more sun than any other part of your body. If you are sitting on a rock fishing, mowing the grass, sitting in a sports stadium, on a bike, or wherever you are.
The sun reaches your head first! This is where you start with the protection. You can use sunscreen if you prefer but start with your head. Remember to reapply often. Protect yourself from the sun, winter and summer
Benefits Of Wearing Hats For Everyone
Wearing a hat will protect your face and head from sunburn.
The brim on your sun hat will protect your eyes from the glare of the sun, which can cause sun damage as you age.
So wearing a sun hat will help to prevent skin damage that can lead to skin cancer.
Protecting your head, face, and ears from cold weather conditions is important as well. When your skin is cold, you may not realize how much sun you are getting. The brim will protect better if it turns down.
Protecting your head, face, and ears from the cold and winter weather conditions is an additional benefit of wearing your sun hat.
Does Wearing A Hat In The Sun Help
Your hat should provide shade to your head, ears, face, and neck. Try the hat on and check in a mirror that the brim does take care of you.
When you wear a hat, you will appreciate its useful addition for sun protection of your head, ears, face, and neck.
However, you may need to layer up with sunscreen as well if you are going to be out a long time on, particularly high UV level days.
You may find your skin protection works better when you layer your sunscreen and hat. Either can work well for a short time. But for all day, you need both. Finding some shade, and taking a break is important.
Have You Wondered Why You Should Wear A Hat In The Summer?
Why is it good to wear a hat in the summer?
A wide-brimmed straw hat looks amazing at the beach. This hat also protects you from the sun’s damaging rays!
Wearing hats in the summer keeps you cooler. Yes, this is true. Hats that keep the hot rays off your head will keep you cooler than if you let the sun directly blast you.
For the most protection, wear a hat that has a brim all the way around that shades your face, ears, and the back of your neck.
A tightly woven fabric, such as canvas, works best to protect your skin from UV rays. Avoid straw hats with holes that let sunlight through. A darker hat may offer more UV protection.
Now there is the question of how much brim you can handle when you need to wear your sun hat.
The 3-inch brim that is universally recommended will do a good job of protecting your skin. Also, a hat with a bucket shape brim will be easier to handle in the wind.
Does A Hat Protect You From The Heat?
All types of headgear will reduce forced convective heat loss. This is heat dissipation due to forced air, such as an outdoor breeze or a fan.
However, baseball caps seem to be the one hat style to slow this heat loss the most, by 60%.
However, the same baseball caps were also effective in reducing radiant heat flow by approximately 80%. So baseball caps are better than nothing on your head. Hats, with a brim, protect you better.
Sami’s Take On 5 Reasons ‘To Wear A Sun Hat’
While learning to be more careful of the sun, I get overwhelmed trying to remember all the reasons, and act on those reasons. I know changing our habits will take some time.
I am learning to be happy with some change. If we didn’t remember sunscreen, we have our sunglasses and sun hats.
If the grandkids don’t leave their sun hats on all day, they wore them part of the day, and protected their skin part of the time we were having fun in the sun.
I know that it will take some more time for the habits to become automatic. We aren’t that quick to change.
I have learned to be happy with small changes.
Where are you in taking care of yourself and your family? Will you improve how your family takes care of your skin?