Summer Hats
Reasons to Wear a Hat
Everyone know how damaging the sun's rays can be and it's not just because of the premature wrinkles, sun spots and leathery texture years of sun worshipping can give you. There's worse things, such as melanoma, eye-damage and ugly superficial skin cancers. According to the ant-cancer council, It's been estimated that up to 90 percent of skin cancer could potentially be prevented if people reduced their exposure to the sun.
In Australia we have one of the highest UV levels in the world and it shows in our skin - as we also have the highest skin cancer rate in the world. I once heard a dermatologist, who was based in England, say he could tell an Australian as soon as they walked into his surgery because of the skin damage - many of us look ten years older than our European counterparts due to our powerful UV. The other benefit is that if you have coloured or permed hair a hat will protect the colour from fading and keep processed hair from drying out. Hair can get sunburnt too.
Save your skin: reasons to wear a hat in Summer
- Helps you to guard against melanoma
- Protects your eyes
- Keeps you looking younger
- They look great and help you to stand out in a crowd
- The right hat can give you an air of intrigue
- They show that you're smart (sun smart at least)
- Means you can get away with a bad hair day
Summer Hats for Women
When choosing a hat for sun protection, it's wise to go for a wide brim for maximum shelter from those penetrating rays. Ideally, brims on broad brimmed hats should be 8-10cm wide. These hats reduce the amount of ultraviolet radiation reaching the face and eyes by up to
50%.
There are plenty of styles to choose from mysterious Mata Hari to Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and in a range of colours too.
Summer Hats for Men
It's easier to find very broadbrimmed hats for women than men but they are available - the Panama is fairly wide as is a Mexican sombrero style hat (best of all). Still, any hat is better than none at all, so if you don't fancy the ultra-wide brim, compromise with an in-between.
Baseball caps don't really cut it when it comes to sun protection as they leave your ears and neck exposed to damage and sun rays can hit you from the open sides.
Summer Hats for Kids
Protection from summer sun for kids is even more imortant than it is for adults as much of the damage in done in childhood.Up to 70% of Australians have detectable sun damage of the skin by the age of 14.
The best hats for small children are those which protect the face, back of the neck and ears from overexposure to UVR. They're the best hats for older children too but realistically, young teens will probably refuse to wear this kind of hat, so you'd be better off opting for a surf brand like roxy or Quicksilver.
Best Materials for a Summer Hat
For Summer you don't want anything to heavy, so a closely woven straw or cotton hat is an excellent choice as it let's your head 'breathe' and offers protection as well. In the case of straw, it's important to try not to get one too widely woven as the holes will let that destructive sun in.
The anti-cancer councuil and selected pharmicies and department stores also offer sun-smart material which has a very high protection factor. Don't forget to use sunscreen as well..and remeber, only mad dogs an Englishman go out in the midday sun...try to enjoy your beach and sunshine exposure before 11 am and after 3 pm, especially if you are an Australian.
- Retro Rayban Sunglasses
The original Rayban Wayfarer sunglasses were designed in 1952 and in their day, were a revolution in eyewear, as they departed from the traditional metal frame that had previously dominated the sunglasses scene. - Best Beach Umbrellas
A beach umbrella provides great protection from those harsh, penetrating rays of the sun and if you're going to take the family out to spend a long afternoon at the beach, they really are a must. Umbrella's for sun protection have been around since a - Sun protection - SunSmart
Prevention is better than cure. Protect yourself in five ways from skin cancer: Slip! Slop! Slip! Seek! Slide!
- Mad Hats!
Nothing says look at me quite like an outlandish hat and every celebrity knows that if you want to be noticed on the world stage a mad hat will do it every time. True, not every celebrity wants to be known in that particular way but over the years, t
- Old Fashioned Deckchairs
Traditional deck chairs feature in many old family photographs and on the covers of old ocean liner brochures. They also conjure up images of boater hats, gardens, Brighton Beach and summer fun and relaxation.
