Do I need to wear a sun hat in the fall and winter? Of course, you do if you are going to be out in the sun.
We are taking skin protection from the sun, not fashion. I do not profess to be a fashionista here. Anything but! However, I do claim that I have become a very knowledgeable person about the importance of protecting our skin. Important for me, and for you.
For more information about how to choose your sun hat, check here for some ideas about what may already be in your closet!
We can do things we didn’t know we could when the reasons are big enough. My reasons are to help keep my family from any more skin cancer. Will I succeed, time will tell. Will the lack of any more cases of skin cancer in our family be a sign I have succeeded?
No, it won’t. I have found that you can lead a horse to water, but you can force them to drink. How much I have learned and shared on this journey will be measured in how few cases of skin cancer my grandkids have. They are younger and have been easier to persuade to be careful with their skin.
My kids were right in the group that was beginning to be aware of sun damage, but not thought they were immune. None of us knew, and we all thought we were bulletproof.
What Shape Hat Is Best For Sun Protection In The Fall And Winter?
With so many styles and shapes for you, it is no wonder there are questions. So let’s talk about protecting. The brim needs to be at least 3 inches wide to protect you from the sun. Any less, and you are less protected. There are many styles that fit this particular requirement.
To give your head some breathing room having a crown space of 1 or 2 inches is also practical. There usually needs to be some sort of vents or air holes in the crown to allow your head to cool some.
Only in the very coldest temperatures will you want a toboggan or
You aren’t limited to one style. You can have your protective sun hat and a style that appeals as well.
A knit cap is simply a piece of knitted headwear. It is designed to provide warmth in cold weather. Most usually knitted caps have a simple tapered shape, although more elaborate styles do exist. These were historically made of wool but now are often made of synthetic fibers. This style will not protect you from the sun.
If you choose a knit cap because it is really cold and you want to keep your head warm, be sure to keep your face covered in sunscreen to keep the sun from leaving you with sunburn. Don’t neglect your sunglasses, you need them as well.
How To Make Your Hat Protect You Better During The Fall And Winter
To assure that you are getting the protection you need from your sun hat, in addition to the width of the brim, the fabric is a major consideration.
In my part of the Texas Hill Country, straw hats are worn year around. For the day or two during the winter when the weather is so cold a knitted cap is preferred for warmth.
A tightly woven straw will protect your head and face. So will a felt hat, or the popular bucket-shaped hat, made of a tightly woven fabric. Men and women both have many choices when it comes to hats to protect their faces, and help protect their eyes.
If you live where it is summer almost all year, you need protection more than if you only have limited amounts of sunny days. You may be willing to go through the hassle of depending on sunscreen and reapplication every couple of hours while outside if it is needed only a few days in the fall and winter.
That is just too much for those of us who do have much more sun in our lives. To add to the hassle, if you live where the sun shines a lot, you have probably had more than your share of sunburn already! Like I have!
Sun protection is a serious business for sunny climates. The last thing I need or want is more sun exposure.
What Happens If You Don’t Wear A Hat In The Fall And Winter?
For people who live in the part of the world that I do, fall and winter are prime sunburn times. Because we are out in the sun more during the middle parts of the day, and for longer periods because it is some cooler.
Failure to keep your skin covered in sunscreen can cause sunburn. Having a wide-brimmed hat just makes it easier to stay safe in the sun. I thought as I learned about UPF clothing, wearing sunglasses and sun hats that I could forget the sunscreen. But using it on my face gives me extra insurance for keeping my skin safe from sunburn.
Yes, I am a bit vain, and keeping my face covered in sunscreen every day is easier to do because I don’t want to look any older than I am. For the rest of my body, sun blocking clothing is my choice.
What are you using to keep your skin safe? How are you choosing the sun hat are you using? What about your kids? Do you have the wearing sun hats and sunglasses?
As we become aware of the choices we have for protecting ourselves from sun-related skin damage, it becomes apparent that we can keep ourselves safer from sun damage to our skin. We can stay safer from skin cancer.
Most of us have thought that skin cancer happens when you get old. And, to some point this is true. However, each year skin cancer is found in younger and younger people. Many of us live a good portion of our lives outside. From the time we are young children.
Many of us are getting involved in outdoor sports earlier in life. This allows the sun exposure to accumulate, and sunburn to happen more often. Becoming aware of how we can protect our skin will allow us to have fun in the sun, and stay safe from skin cancer.
Sami’s Take On Do I Need To Wear A Sun Hat In The Fall And Winter
With fall and winter coming, it is a logical question to ask about wearing a sun hat in fall and winter. In the past, I thought I could relax my kin protection efforts, and every year I would end up with too much sun at some point.
Now I know we just can’t do that, not in my part of the world. What are your plans for protecting your skin from the sun this fall and winter? Will you grab a sun blocking shirt? Your sun hat and sunglasses? Staying safe is possible, and I plan to do so.
Wearing hats is easier to do than I thought. When out, for more than 30 minutes in the sun, that is it for me. I will sunburn, even in the fall and winter. There are no excuses for allowing the sun to burn my skin in any season.
Living without skin cancer is what I hope to have out of this. I have had enough exposure already, so covering up is important. Yes, I know I am older, and old people wear more clothes easier than younger ones.
Maybe so, but do you really want to deal with the effects of too much sun when you could have avoided it? Help yourself with healthier skin. Common sense changes your everyday habits will allow you to stay safe. Your kids are watching you, and the example you are sitting.
Thanks for taking the time to read my thoughts on protecting your skin from the sun. Do you have advice to help others learn to be more proactive with skin protection? Please live your hints in the comment section below.