Why You Need a UPF Certified Garden Hat This Summer
For those with a green thumb, the summer presents a wonderful time to spend in the garden! Gardening is an activity that gives you an excellent opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. However, that factor also exposes you to the sun's harmful UV rays. These damaging UV rays not only can cause irritating and painful sunburns, but can leave you at risk to skin cancer. Each year millions of people are diagnosed with skin cancer. Fortunately, skin cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer. The tips provided in this article will help you pick out a good garden hat and keep you safe this summer while growing your garden.
The Importance of a Good Hat
Gardening is a daily and laborious activity, but this labor of love is incredibly rewarding. Regardless of the temperature and cloud cover, the sun's harsh UV rays are unforgiving to unprotected skin. Harmful UV rays not only put you at risk of skin cancer, but can also cause wrinkles and other early signs of aging. Therefore, a good sun hat for your gardening needs is very important. But, how do you pick one?
What to Look for in a Garden Hat
Gardeners need a go-to hat when working outside, whether in a greenhouse, out in the field or just off the patio. A good gardening hat will have a wide brim that covers not just your face, but neck and shoulders as well. However, a wide brim alone may not be enough to properly protect you from the sun's UV rays. This is why you need a garden hat with a high UPF score of 30 or greater. UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) is determined by testing a fabric's ability to block UV light. For your go-to gardening hat, make sure that it has a UPF score of UPF 30 or greater. This will give you the Skin Cancer Foundation's recommended level of protection when tending to your garden.
On top of that, the ability of a garden hat to protect you comes down to its material composition, size, design and overall structure. Additionally, even the color can impact a hat's UPF protection and ultimate effectiveness for your gardening needs. For those in year-round warmer climates, make sure you get a hat with a clearly listed UPF rating. Beyond that, and with all else equal, lighter and brighter colors tend to be cooler because they reflect more sunlight.
On top of the materials and build, high quality hats will also feature ventilation and cooling for those super hot and sunny summer days. You also want a hat that allows you to secure it around your neck. Gardeners are often on the move, frequently squatting up and down or bending to lean over plants, so gardening hats need to be suitably secured. A secure fit also provides added sun protection as it ensures that your hat protects you from the sun at all times.
Where to Find a Garden Hat
Now you know why you need a garden hat. On top of that, you know what you need in a garden hat. The question now is where can you get the perfect garden hat? At Rayward Apparel, we specialize exclusively in UPF rated clothing and accessories. One of our most popular items is our Sun Ops UPF 50 bucket hat, which provides all of the qualities mentioned above. Grab yours today and dig into another fruitful and safe summer!
