Hats and Sun Protection

ACCESSORIES · GLOBAL

Hats and Sun Protection

Brim width and coverage, UPF ratings, straw and felt, and sizing a hat

A hat is the most effective sun protection available for the face and neck, and the specifications that matter are the brim and the weave rather than the style.

Brim width does the work

Public health guidance generally recommends a brim of at least seven and a half centimetres all the way round, which shades the face, ears and neck. A baseball cap protects the forehead and leaves the ears and neck exposed.

A legionnaire style with a neck flap is the most protective option for children.

UPF and weave

UPF measures how much ultraviolet a fabric blocks, and UPF 50 or above is the useful threshold. A loosely woven straw hat with visible gaps lets a surprising amount through.

Hold a hat up to a light. If you can see daylight through the crown, so can ultraviolet.

Straw and felt

Straw is cooler and lighter and suits summer. Felt, usually wool or fur felt, holds its shape better, handles rain and suits cooler weather.

Check whether a hat is packable if you travel with it, since a crushed non-packable hat does not recover.

Sizing

Measure around the head roughly a centimetre above the ears and across the forehead. A hat should sit firmly without pressing, and sizing tape inside adjusts a slightly large one.

A chin cord matters more than people expect on a beach or a boat.

Care

Store on the crown or upside down rather than on the brim, which flattens it. Brush felt with a soft brush and keep straw out of prolonged damp.

Children and sun

Children burn more easily and the damage is cumulative, so a wide-brimmed or legionnaire hat, high-factor sunscreen and shade in the middle of the day matter more for them, not less.

Look for a chin strap so that a hat actually stays on, and check the neck and the tops of the ears, which are the areas most often missed.

Hats and hair

A satin or silk lining reduces friction on hair, which matters for textured and fragile hair. A hat worn very tightly every day can also contribute to breakage around the hairline over time.

Sun safety generally

Shade between eleven and three, clothing that covers, sunglasses with proper ultraviolet protection, and sunscreen applied generously and reapplied every two hours.

Most people apply far less sunscreen than the amount used in testing, which reduces the protection actually achieved quite substantially.

Alongside a hat

Sunscreen on the face, neck and ears, sunglasses with proper ultraviolet protection, and shade through the middle of the day.

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