Is white or black clothing better for kids’ sun protection? Black will protect your child better. As the short video below shows, it will also make them warmer in the sun. This makes the fabric important.
Finding clothing to protect your kids’ skin from the sun is important when keeping them safe from sunburn. Sunburns in kids’ younger years tend to leave more damage than sunburns after they are grown. Their skin is still maturing and damages quicker in the sun.
Black will block more sun because it absorbs more of the sun’s UV heat. However, a black shirt may be less comfortable to wear in warmer weather.
White does not absorb heat. The heat is reflected. This keeps the heat energy off your child’s body and keeps them cooler. The shadows indicate that it is either early morning or later afternoon in the image above.
Either of these times is a safer time to be outside. The ability of the white shirt to protect this little girl depends on the fabric. The white shirt can be a good choice if the fabric is tightly woven. Tightly woven fabric will help keep the sun off our skin.
Keeping kids safe from the sun and comfortable is important. Often black is a better choice. Breathable fabrics take some of the heat that the black color can absorb, and allow it to escape away from your kid’s body. Fabrics that wick will keep your kids cooler. Allow the sweat to evaporate.
Why Black Protects Better Than White, All Things Being Equal
The color black absorbs the sun’s rays.
And, the color white reflects the sun’s rays.
Either color will keep the sun off your kid’s skin. At least everywhere the shirt covers the skin. So, as long as the sun is hitting black or white clothes, your kids are better protected.
The difference that makes black better is that the white color reflects the rays, not absorb them. White allows the sun’s rays to bounce off a white shirt to your child’s face. This allows sunburn on your child’s face if you don’t apply sunscreen.
A sun hat will protect your kid’s face, but the reflection is from under his or her face, not from above. The brim can help with the sun from above. You will need sunscreen for reflections from below.
Can You Get Sunburn Through Black Clothes?
Yes, you can get sunburned through black clothes. The color black alone is not enough to protect your skin. The cloth that is dyed black is an important part of your skin’s safety from the sun.
Loosely woven fabric will allow the sun to shine through. Even the pinpoint holes where the fibers are woven across each other will allow the sun’s UV rays through. Tightly woven fabric or fabric that is UPF rated and especially woven and treated is your best bet.
If you are wondering if your fabric is tightly woven, hold it up to the sun and check, do you see the weave holes. It is safe to say the sun can get through. While this is not a foolproof test, if you can see the sun, it isn’t sunproof.
A new tee shirt is safer than one that has been washed too often, whether it is black or white. A newer garment that isn’t worn is safer than one that has visible wear, like a denim shirt or favorite pair of black jeans.
You can improve your older worn clothing and get more protected wear by using RitGuard to treat them when washing. This is great for denim, and your often-washed UPF clothing too.
Is Black The Best Color To Wear In The Sun
Black still comes up as the better choice for protecting your skin when out in the sun. Your kids will be better protected as well. However, darker colors in general are very effective. Dark blues, reds, and purples are good choices as well.
Black and white colors can help keep your family safe from sunburn, but the color alone is not enough. The fabric, the fit of the garment. The time of day and the time of the strongest sun rays also play a part. Summertime or wintertime, outdoor adventures mean sun protection is needed.
A sun-safe lifestyle will get your family through a lifetime of fun sun-day adventures. Helping your kids develop a sun safety mind for taking care of their skin can set them up for a healthier life as an adult.
How Black Can Keep You Cooler
All the clothes manufacturers encourage us to wear white during the summer. White clothing is supposed to keep us cool. But this is not always true.
Black clothing is the best way to keep cool when it gets hot. Do you know why? Well, it is just basic physics, with maybe a bit of biology added.
In the summer, retailers offer clothing that is summery and lightweight. The fashion photography shows us all this light fabric floating around the edges of a garden party. Where are the photos of the grass stains?
Yes, all this white light fabric reflects all the light, and the sun isn’t getting to our skin.
But you know what is really happening under all that white fabric? Just like white reflects the sun back away from your skin, it is reflecting all the heat your body produces right back at you. Non is evaporating! You are in a meltdown!
So, you see, if there’s even a little breeze, black clothing is the better choice for those who want to keep cool.
Sami’s Take On Is “White or Black Clothing” Better For Kid’s Sun Protection
Clothing color is important. But, with small kids, getting them to wear clothes is often a trial. Black will often get hot, and unless the fabric allows heat to be evaporated, they may not leave it on. Little ones are not bashful about making an unpleasant situation go away if they can.
Finding loose-fitting clothing that will allow air to circulate around the trunk of their body will help protect their skin as well as keep them comfortable.
Wearing a shirt is more important when being exposed to the sun. Any shirt is better than none. With protecting your kid’s skin from the sun, any shirt is preferred over bare skin in the sun. A shirtless kid has lots of skin, both front and back that can sunburn in a minute.
Learning to wear a sun hat and sunglasses with their black shirt will give your child better protection from the sun. As science is teaching us how dangerous too much sun can be to our skin health, we can no longer ignore the obvious things we can do.
Do you have some sun-safe hints to share? Just use the comment section and help us stay safe in the sun.
Thank you,
Sami