Let's Talk Summer! Can Summer Hats Provide Additional Sun Protection?

Summer ante portas! So, why not talk about hats? We all know that sun protection is a must all year round, but special attention is necessarily during the summer. We all know the importance of regular application of sun screen. Most of us do our best to find good sun protection products, but sometimes we forget that fashion can be helpful in protecting ourselves against the sun. Fashion can be useful that way!  Cheers to the fact that we can be both stylish and protected during the summer months. That's all I want to talk about today. Using clothes and fashion accessories as a protection against the sun.  It is worth noting that while sun screen is mandatory, there are other things, such as clothing and accessories (most notably hats) that can offer additional protection against the sun. With that in mind I created this fashion illustration. If you want to found out more, scroll down. I've prepared tons of summer hat style and outfit ideas & inspiration for you. A bit of fashion illustration mixed with some outfits and we're ready to talk summer hats.

Recently I came across a piece of information according to which every additional inch of a brim  hat lowers the chance of skin cancer by ten percent. I'm not sure was that information based on an actual study, but it is certainly something to keep in mind. Wide brim hats are a wonderful choice for summer. I have quite a few of them. Even without the sun protection benefit, I would probably still wear hats because they look tres chic. The best thing about wide brim straw hat is that you can buy them for practically nothing. I'm pretty sure that I didn't pay more than three euros for any of the summer hats I own, and let me tell you they have all withstood the test of time- I've had them for years. To buy a nice summer hat, one doesn't have to break the bank. I'm not a snob when it comes to the material, some of my hats are made from polyester imitating straw, some are regular straw hats. I enjoy wearing them all. When I get bored of the hats I have, I tend to just paint on them or freshen them up by wrapping a scarf around them.  

 

You can also opt for a small brim hats if oversize hats makes you uncomfortable. Any kind of additional protection comes in handy! Keep in mind that the thicker the material the hat is made of, better the sun protection. The same goes for the brim, the wider it is, the better. Naturally, if you're already wearings tons of sun cream and sunglasses, you can also opt for a lighter model.  There are many things to consider when buying a summer hat. It all depends on what you want and need. Speaking of which, I think there is absolutely  no need to limit ourselves to a certain style. A nice cotton basketball cap can be a lovely choice as well. Captain hats and baker boy hats are good options too, since they allow you to tuck your hair in. If you are worried about sun damage to your hair, you can even tuck your hair in completely. Anyway, there are a lot of options to choose from.  If you ask me, the more the merrier. I'm not a fan of hoarding things, but when it comes to summer hat, I think it's good to have a few options available. You don't need to have a dozen of them, a few summer hats is probably all you will need. You can always customize your hats or style them differently, if you are in mood for a change. When it comes to summer hats, I don't have any special store or site to recommend, over the years I bought hats from different stores. Generally speaking, these days finding a nice hat isn't that hard. Do you agree? Where do you buy your hats from?  

I honestly can't think of any down sides to wearing summer hats. Can you? Maybe there are downsides for certain people, for example their hair can get a little flat or their head a bit sweaty, but all of this can happen even if you don't wear a hat. When sun is strong, it is literally impossible not to sweat. One of the things to note is that a wide brim hat doesn't only protect your face from the sun, it also protects your hair and shoulders. So, it is definitely something you might want to consider trying. while I was preparing this post, I dug out one of my old illustrations done in pencil and acrylic paints. Perhaps I should tackle that medium again. I do love illustrating hats, especially wide brim hats. There is somethings so lady like in an outfit featuring a wide brim hat. A wide brim hat can even add a bit of mystery to any outfit. Don't you agree?  

Once the sun gets really strong, I always pull out my wide brim hats. I found it easier to cope with the heat if I'm wearing a hat. Typically, when I'm in shade and I feel I need to cool down, I'll take my hat off and then I'll put it on again once I'm under direct sunlight again. Another reason why I love hats so much is that they make it easier for my skin to cope for the sun. I've been heavily medicated for years. I still take a lot of medication on daily basis and let me tell you, my medications don't play well with the sun. The combination of steroid medication and sun exposure can make my skin skin looks dreadful. I find that hats helps me with that. So, basically for me hats are a winning combination of style and comfort. During the summer months, wide brim hats are my favourite choice for a number of reason, most of which I have explained in this post. My mother also likes wide brim hats, so we can switch hats sometimes. 

This year I have started wearing wide brim hats as early as April. We had a lot of sun this April, while May and June were a combination of sunny days and rainy afternoons. I wonder what this summer will be like. Probably very hot. I'm pretty sure I'll keep wearing hats. While I'm on the subject, I'll just let you know that I don't have any plans for the summer. My health is still quite bad, so I'm not sure will I be able to travel anywhere. What I have planned for this blog is more art and outfit posts. That's probably what summer on this blog will look like. Let me know do you like this post. Would you like to see more posts like this one? Do you like wearing hats in summertime?  Thank you for reading. Have a lovely day everyone!

To see some of my favourite 'hat moments', check out these old posts in which I wore hats for:

1. a visit to Blidinje national park/ reservoir here (2016)

2.  a sunny spring day in Split city here (2016)

3. a summer day in Mostar city here (2015)

4. a visit to Hutovo Blato national park here (2016)

5. a visit to Mostar lake here (2015)

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