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Why Do I Need To Wear A “Sun” Hat In The Wintertime?

Why Do I need to wear a “sun” hat in the wintertime? Or have you ignored how a hat can protect you from the sun?

A sun hat has a brim to keep the sun off your face, neck, ears, and out of your eyes.

Do you wear a “sun” hat in the wintertime? With the changes in transportation over the past 100 years, many people no longer wear a hat as much as was once customary.

The wide-brimmed hats were once considered a bit western for the city folks, mostly the men. And the pictures we have seen from 40 or 50 or more years ago do show people walking on city streets, wearing narrower brimmed dress hats.

Newer pictures may show an assortment of hats and caps in a wider range of styles. I can only speak about pictures of what people wear in more populated parts of the world.

In my part of central Texas, you will see hats and caps, winter, and summer. Unfortunately, mostly on men. Women need to protect their heads, faces, necks, noses, and ears too!

The major reason fewer hats can be found is because of improved transportation. We no longer have to walk everywhere. Or ride a horse. So there is no need to be protected with a hat, according to historians.

Women wore scarves to protect against the wind through the years, but even that form of protection has all but disappeared.

So what do you do? Continue to ignore an easy way to protect yourselves from the sun? Or do your wise up and find a sun hat that works for you?

What Qualifies As A Sun Hat

In order to qualify as a “sun” hat, a hat needs close to a 3-inch brim. The brim needs to be wide enough to block the sun off your head.

You need enough brim to protect your nose and ears, as well as your cheeks forehead, and chin from the sun. You also need to be able to keep the sun out of your eyes.

The material that the hat is made of can be anything that does not allow the sun to shine through. Straw is the popular fabric, very tightly woven straw. And in our part of the world, that is what you will see a lot hats made of.

Also to be considered is that we have more sun than in some parts of the world. Another thing that you will find in Central Texas is that sun hats are practical. Most of the time, men and women, if they are wearing hats, both wear hats to keep the sun off.

So to be a “sun” hat, a brim must be really close to 3 inches wide. It must be fairly tightly woven. Looser weaves will let too much sun though, as well as a looser woven one generally doesn’t hold up well to wear.

How high of the crown is a bit individual preference. I have a couple of hats that have nearly a 5-inch high crown. They are “Farmer’s” hats and are made of tightly woven straw.

The air that the high crown and vents make this a breathable hat for me. The brim is a cone-shape and easier to keep on in the wind.

By the brim being woven downwards instead of flat like a plate, it doesn’t catch so much wind. I do also have a leather strap to adjust under my chin when it is extra windy.

I wear it in the winter when we are working in the yard. It is comfortable and easy to wear, year around. I have not yet made the move to wearing a sun hat all the time in the car.

When I walk after 8 AM over in the park, I wear my hat. The sun is bright, and having my hat enables me to keep the sun out of my eyes.

Is It Bad To Wear A Hat Every Day?

Most of the men in our family wear a hat or cap every day when outside. One of the reasons for the popularity of wearing a cap is the wind. Yes, a hat with a brim can be “planted on your head firmly” and withstand a lot of wind.

But we all know, there is wind, and then there is WIND! The caps are just easier to keep on your head in cases of extreme wind. Guys and girls alike will opt for the cap choice in windy times.

Often the choice to wear or not wear a hat every day is swayed by what is popular in your group of friends. For others, it is what seems to be whatever is more convenient.

I fear that the younger kids in our family are very slowly getting the message that you need a sun hat to keep the sun off. They hear us tell them to grab their hat, but reminders are oft on repeat.

In our society here in the US, daily showers and shampoo will usually do away with any problems due to wearing a cap or hat during the day, and the build-up of the flakes of skin that shed off your scalp each day. So, there should not be any problem with wearing a hat all day, every day.

If you are working out in the weather, you need the hat’s protection.

Do You Refuse To Wear A Hat In The Winter?

If you find it difficult to wear a hat in the winter, how will you plan to keep the sun off your neck and ears? This is where the majority of people find they first have skin cancer to appear. The skin on the neck and ears is thin and often gets little protection or moisturizing.

The knit caps will keep your ear tops covered, but not your neck. A cap also leaves these areas unprotected. A brim is so practical. The military-style hats made of cloth with brims will give you more protection.

In today’s world, there are choices to look cool as well as keep your head, face, neck, ears, and nose protected.

Why Men Don’t Wear Hats Any More

Being able to drive to work, or ride other public transportation sources allows men to wear a hat if they want to, or not. They don’t have to walk long distances anymore. In the past, hats kept dirt and dust out of and off of their hair while walking from one place to another.

As to the practical side, we have several members of our family who have experience with skin cancer treatments.

Hats provide UV protection.

Just like men’s hats, hats for women grew less popular for much the same reason. When everyone was driving everywhere they went in cars with tops, the need for hats to protect a woman’s head was not as important.

Also, when it rains, a well-brimmed hat not only keeps the rain out of my face and off my neck. Change happens, but hat-wearing is one of those things that serves many good purposes.

Getting back to wearing sun hats is worth cultivating. We are more protected than when we were walking everywhere or riding a horse.

However, time is proving we need more protection from the sun and skin cancer.

Sun Blocking Clothing For Wintertime

When the general population has lifestyle changes, like from walking to riding, maybe continuing to wear a hat is important.

Being able to protect yourself from the sun, summer and winter is the main reason for hats in our world today. UV rays are dangerous, summer or winter.

Others just like the way they look with a hat on. Not always for fashion, but for that feeling of self-confidence.

When we are able to have a hat that we enjoy, we will be more ready to put it on for skin protection from too much sun. Skin cancer is serious enough that it should be reason alone for wearing a hat.

A sun blocking hat is the start of any sun blocking wardrobe.

How Do You Feel About Wearing A Hat In The Winter?

Learning to be comfortable wearing a hat is a change. Like anything, you have to learn to put that hat on and wear it.

I started again, learning to wear a sun hat as an adult. It was a practical decision. At first, I would wear it to the yard, and every time I took a break from pushing those wheelbarrows of leaves, I removed my hat.

We don’t do all-day yard cleanings, although it would help. We work a while, then come back tomorrow. However, in just a few days I was accustomed to the hat and wore it all the time I was out.

I did apply sunscreen before I went out. The other hat, I wore to the grandson’s baseball and football games. I made it through the season without getting any sunburn.

You know the saying about wish I had known what I know now back when my kids were young and we were doing the ball games. However, I intend to make sure as many as possible are going to know.

Will you be wearing your sun hat when you are out in the sun? When you are driving in the car? So much area to reflect the sun back on you. If you will put on a good layer of sunscreen and reapply it in a timely manner, you can leave the hat off in the car. If not, you will need to leave your sun hat on.

With my family’s experience with sunburn, we are learning.

Learn How To Protect Your Skin
Sami’s Take On Do I Need To Wear A Sun Hat In The Wintertime

Yes, I need to wear a sun hat in the wintertime. Our central Texas sun is warm enough that the danger of sunburn is present in all seasons.

Sometimes, a sun hat must be tied down and tied on. A good pair of sunglasses will be important as well.

I have often felt that our efforts to escape the sun are fruitless. There have been times I was half-hearted in my attempts. Those times usually resulted in little protection. I do plead ignorance. I really was not aware of how to protect my skin from the sun.

Now that I know the basics, it is easier, and I have better results. Starting with my sun hat. When I go out, one of the hats goes with me. I do start the day with sunscreen. However, reapplication is sometimes sketchy.

I do wear my loose-fitting long sleeve sun blocking shirt. Wearing sunglasses with oversized lenses that fit close to my face is automatic. Keeping my arms and legs covered with sun blocking clothing is helping to keep my skin looking less dried out and old.

Better still, I haven’t had a basal cell carcinoma or a squamous cell carcinoma in over 3 years. Hopefully, new scars will not happen.

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