Why You Need a Sun Hat AND Sunscreen
Worn properly, and together, the combination of broad spectrum sunscreen and sun hats with UV protection creates an excellent barrier against UV damage. The key, of course, is wearing them together. If sun hats and sunscreen are great individually, they’re practically unbeatable when teamed up. They both have their strengths, and also their limitations, so let’s dig into why you need to wear BOTH for the best sun protection.
For Constant Protection Against Direct UV Rays...
It’s hard to beat a sun hat with UV protection. When made with lightweight, breathable, moisture-wicking fabrics, such as those from Rayward Apparel, sun hats comfortably and instantly shield against harmful UV rays. Here are but a few of the reasons our sun hats with UV protection are a must-have for sun safety:
- UPF-rated sun hats are always broad spectrum.
- Nothing’s easier than putting on a sun hat (and you never have to “reapply”)
- UPF sun hats are instantly UV-protective; no need to wait 30 minutes.
- Sun hats are odorless and don’t feel greasy or sticky.
- Your hair is better protected with a sun hat.
- The shade of a sun hat helps keep your head and body cool.
Given a sun hat’s advantages over sunscreen, especially in quickly protecting your scalp, it’s hard to imagine looking anywhere else as the first step in daily sun protection. This is especially true during the midday hours between 10 AM and 4 PM when the sun’s UV rays are most intense. Therefore, whenever you head outside, wear your sun hat! But remember...
Don’t Forget About Indirect UV Rays
Did you know that the sun’s harmful UV rays don’t only come from above? In fact, UV rays can reflect off many surfaces. Worse yet, these reflected UV rays, known as indirect UV radiation, are still strong enough to damage your skin. Therefore, even if you wear an extremely wide-brimmed hat, it’s nearly impossible to block the UV rays reflecting upwards at your face from reflective surfaces like water, sand, snow and ice.
So, what do you do? Don’t worry, we’re not about to tell you to constantly cover your entire face with UPF fabrics, which isn’t always comfortable or convenient. The simple alternative is to wear your sun hat with UV protection, which takes care of the direct UV rays from above, while also applying broad spectrum sunscreen to your face, neck and all other areas that could be exposed to indirect sun damage. Easy enough, right?
There are a few key things to consider when using sunscreen in addition to your sun hats with UV protection:
- Always wear a broad spectrum sunscreen to block both UVA and UVB rays.
- As with any sunscreen, remember to reapply every two hours, and more frequently if submerged in water or sweating.
- If available, choose a water-resistant sunscreen (but still reapply every two hours).
- Apply your sunscreen about 30 minutes before you’ll be out in the sun.
And there you have it:
Applying broad spectrum sunscreen = good.
Wearing sun hats with UV protection = better!
Wearing UPF sun hats AND sunscreen = BEST!!!
To shop Rayward Apparel’s collection of UPF apparel and sun hats with UV protection, visit our online store today!
For additional sun protection tips, check out this helpful skin cancer awareness guide from the CDC. Plus, for an illustration of how to apply sunscreen to your face, along with how it looks through UV cameras, check out this interesting video:
