Which color umbrella blocks the sun best is important. They look so pretty in all the lovely colors. I always choose mine due to what color I liked. I didn’t know it mattered! Did you?
Which color umbrella blocks the sun best? Why, of course, a black one! Or A nice royal blue. Best Color To Help Block Sun
While considering this next layer of your defense from the sun, this color question came to mind. As you think about what you want your sun blocking umbrella to look like, what comes to your mind?
I think that I want a happy-looking one! One that will be fun to use. It will need to fit in the car door storage area, so it will be handy. The opening mechanism on my sun blocking umbrella will need to work easily.
In more recent times, sun hats are common in places around the world. Yes, mainly in holiday resorts with plentiful direct sunlight. And usually in tropical countries close to the Earth’s equator.
Wearing a sun hat and using an umbrella may seem like overkill. However, this is a good example of layering your sun protection. This will insure better sun protection.
Sun hats are particularly useful for protecting your face and head from UV-induced sunburns and skin cancers on the face and neck. Not to be overlooked, they also protect from the UVA rays that cause early aging. Wikipedia
Let’s Get Real
Ok, so all that stuff about being “pretty” is great, but really this purchase needs to make sense for the one who is supposed to use it! Does your mind get caught in some movie scene you remember? How your umbrella will transport you to a perfect world where the wind doesn’t blow? Where you can keep your umbrella out of other people’s way?
Sounds great, but back here in Central Texas where I live and will be using this sun blocking umbrella, the wind blows. The kid sitting on the row behind me will probably be eating a snowcone and drip on my “pretty umbrella.”
If not the boy then his baby sister will throw her food pouch of mixed berry and a good dollop of purple goop will drip down. You know right where too, don’t you? On my pretty umbrella.
For those of us who have no experience with umbrellas at the ballpark grandstand, we need to think practically. We need to cut the daydreaming and get on track with which color umbrella blocks the sun from our skin.
We already know that it needs to be black or royal blue for the best sun blocking help.
The question for me has always been price. I have always considered an umbrella and a raincoat to be an accessory. If it is raining, stay in the house! Plain and simple. So, as you can imagine we are starting out with a new mindset for getting this part of my sun blocking clothing in place.
A Bit Of Trivia
As with other technologies, ranging from radios to thermos bottles, mass production through the innovative ability of the 20th-century mass production capabilities, everyone soon could have an umbrella.
For protection from the sun, women use umbrellas far more than men. Men seem to think they are protected by the hat perched on their heads, even if the brim is too narrow, or as my Dad called them, stingy brim hats!
During the 19-century in Western Cultures, lighter skin was considered a sign of beauty. In Asia, lighter skin is still appreciated as more attractive, even today, and as a result, there is a lower skin cancer rate.
Lighter skin has also been a sign of wealth. Lighter skin was proof you were wealthy enough to not have to work outdoors. You could afford help and didn’t have to hang laundry in the sun, you didn’t have to work your own garden or take care of the yard.
Because more women used the umbrella it was associated with feminine frailty. This made umbrellas even more useless or desirable to men.
The umbrella also became associated with feminine frailty, probably because it was mainly used by women at this point. Naturally, this made the umbrellas less attractive to men.
So why did American women stop using the umbrella for sun protection?
Automobiles allow us to ride, and not walk! They also provide a private shield from the sun for the driver and the passengers in the vehicle.
Yes, it is surprising when you consider why we do what we do.
When Shopping For Umbrellas
When shopping for your umbrella, here are some suggestions to help when selecting your sun blocking umbrella. Your goal should be to make the umbrella into a tool that will be easier for you to use.
How do you do this? You consider the fabric in the umbrella as well as the color.
The fabric for a moderately priced durable sun blocking umbrella is usually a nylon taffeta. This is a shiny and soft but strong fabric. It also ensures less sun ray penetration due to the process of making the fabric.
There are usually several layers of sun protection finishes applied to the fabric to help deflect the sun even more. So the fabric is very important.
You might also consider the handle of the umbrella. The standard umbrella handle with the crook is what I think of.
However, if you have arthritis, maybe a shaped handle like bicycle grips might be better. I think it should also double as a walking cane. However, I don’t know if that is practical. Just a thought that comes to mind.
In our awareness of what we can do to protect ourselves from too much sun, will a sun blocking umbrella help you? Have you decided on a color for the answer to the “which color blocks the sun best” to shop for your sun blocking umbrella?
Is It True An Umbrella Can Protect Me From UV Rays?
Yes, it is true, umbrellas can protect you from UV rays. They are better than nothing. However, sitting under an umbrella all day in the direct sun on a beach or most anywhere else, can result in some sun on your skin.
Like sunscreen, a full day in the sun, even with sunscreen will probably result in some sun.
The fabric does not completely block the sun. Just as with sunscreen, you will get sun on your skin. According to the genetics of your skin, you will turn red, or tan.
If your use sunblock creams, you will get less sun on your skin. However, due to the difficulty of getting complete coverage with any product because of application flaws, you should also use your umbrella.
Manufacturing companies are seeing the demand and improving the fabric that umbrellas are made of, and the protection is better. Just check your umbrella labels when you buy it for the amount of sun blocking ability they have.
There is no sane reason to stay on the beach all day. Nothing can keep you from burning all day in the direct UV rays except clothing that covers your skin. When planning a full day in the sun, be sure and layer your skin protection. You will need all the layers you can get to protect your skin.
Sun blocking clothing, including your sun hat and sunglasses, are important. Then you will need sunscreen on the parts of your skin that are not covered by your clothing. Reapplications are important, even late if you are in the longer days.
A better option would be to go out to the beach after 4 PM. It will be easier to protect your skin and prevent sunburn. Then go back tomorrow as well if you are still enjoying the beach.
If you are going to be in the sun in the stronger UV rays of the day, wear UPF Clothing, sunscreen on parts not covered, and add umbrellas and pop-up tents. look for shade to cool off in and reapply sunscreen after swimming or sweating.
Is The Color Or Your Umbrella Really That Important?
With all the pretty colorful umbrellas, how do you reach for the sensible black one?
Here again, it is important to consider your lifestyle. Like all parts of the skin protection that we must do to have healthier skin, and hopefully not contact skin cancer, our lifestyle is important.
If you live where it rains a lot, your needs are different from mine.
Getting your sun blocking clothing together so you are protected is important. We all ignored the necessity of taking care of and protecting our skin from the sun for as long as we could. There is no statics to support a need for doing things differently.
That is no longer true and as we are learning about the disappearing Ozone layers, we can no longer do this. Preparing to be healthy throughout our lives involves protecting our skin from the sun.
So a brief reminder of color selection and why.
Darker colors, black, dark blue, dark brown and green, and even darker red absorb the sun’s rays so they won’t reflect on your head and face.
This is good because your head and face are the first places the sun reaches from above. You will be warmer under a darker-colored umbrella. If you are out at the times of the year when it is cooler, being warmer will work well.
Color Is Important For Wintertime Excursions Too
Yes, in our part of the Texas hill country, we may need umbrellas in the cooler season of the year. The sun can be beaming down on you, even as you have your jacket. All too often you may find yourself outdoors, and no sunscreen if you are just now growing your skin protection habits.
Having an umbrella is a perfect solution for preventing sunburn. In the winter, the perfect umbrella is the darker-colored one. Sitting outside for a ball game, or attending a theme park on a sunny day are examples of times an umbrella will be a good additional layer of sun protection, even with sunscreen.
As science brings more information to us on how we can protect ourselves, we are seeing color being used differently.
Your umbrella for winter can be a lighter color on top, to reflect the sun’s rays. You will be cooler if your umbrella reflects those rays. However, if the color is the same underneath, those rays can be reflected on your face. This allows the aging UVA rays to do their damage.
You will be warmer with a darker-colored underside.
So, while summertime umbrellas with a light top side will reflect light, a darker underside will help absorb the light, not reflecting on your face.
There are many things to think about when you make umbrella decisions.
Umbrellas Are Another Part Of Your Sun Blocking Defense
Are you wearing your sun blocking hats and sunglasses? The UPF shirt? Is your day starting with sunscreen? As you are making healthier lifestyle choices, like being aware of the hours you are in the sun? The hours you might be out and not get a sunburn?
Had you considered that umbrellas can help?
Even the color of the umbrella can play a part in the success of protecting your skin from the sun. There are many working parts to a sun-blocking wardrobe and tool chest.
Umbrellas Are Available At Walmart
Now that you have a better idea of what can help you protect your skin from the sun, where can you find these items?
Walmart usually has a supply of umbrellas. You don’t have to go to the exclusive UPF stores to get your skin protection if you don’t want to. There are places to find sun blocking clothing that will be priced more modestly.
Having a better idea of what sun blocking clothing is, what to expect from it, and the shopping options will help you build your wardrobe.
The companies that offer UPF clothing have developed some great blends and have some items that can offer great sun protection, as well as look sharp. You will probably want to include some from both sources. Read labels carefully, and know how to care for your sun blocking clothing to make it work for you.
Your sun blocking hat is a very important part of the basic wardrobe for protecting your skin. Shopping for a sun hat can also be done at Walmart. Check for color and fit. Make sure the fabric or whatever it is made of does not allow light through. Check here for some sun hat tips.
Sami’s Take On Which Color Umbrella Blocks Sun Best The Best
With more attention on protecting our skin from the sun in the warmer times of the year, you may feel that you have to get everything at once. I have been pleasantly surprised to see that you can get quality at all price levels.
More expensive UPF clothing lines continue to improve their clothing, and the more modestly priced garments are too. The secret to finding what you need at a lower price is to think about the purchase and decide what you need.
Do you want to protect your skin from the sun? Or are you more concerned about how you look? If a certain style is what you want in your sun blocking clothing you may need to shop Coolibar or one of the other name brands. Hanes has quality sun blocking clothing and can be found in Walmart or other big box stores.
Having some idea of what you want and need will make finding those items at a lower cost possible. You just have to think about it, have an idea of what you need, and get online.
The main thing is that you know that umbrellas are a part of a good skin protection plan. Now that you know about color and the difference that color makes, you can shop knowing your purchase will work for you.
Thank you,
Sami