Packing excitedly for my vacation to the beach house, I wonder: are trendy sun hats a summer essential?

A hat is definitely an essential summer accessory for women as it gives a finishing touch to your dashing outfit. When you dress to impress, a trendy hat adds to your style. More importantly, your headgear gives you protection against the scorching sun. Your summer checklist will be incomplete without a gorgeous sun hat as it makes your chic look perfect and ensures better protection against UV rays.

Are Hats Good for Sun Protection?

The most common beauty regime for an average girl during the summers is to slather on some high SPF sunscreen lotion while stepping out in the sun. What most women don’t know is that their sunscreen protection lasts only a few hours. Shocked? Well, not to worry as this is when a trendy sun hat comes to the rescue for you. I love how a hat offers you protection as well as style for your outfit at the same time.

Before finding out how to upgrade your wardrobe with some trendy summer hats, let’s look at how effective this headgear is at providing protection to your hair and skin against the sun.

Prevent Pre-mature Ageing of the Skin

An outdoor activity on a hot summer day may be fun, but it may also lead to permanent damage to your skin. Imagine how all those exciting days spent at the beach can be behind the early appearance of wrinkles on your face! Let me quickly summarize the basic science behind it. When the skin is exposed to the sun, it loses its vitality. The cruel ultra-violet rays penetrate the layers of the skin right down to the two compounds which maintain the youthfulness of your skin – collagen and elastin. When these are damaged, skin sagging and wrinkles are the unfortunate result even if you are quite young to have a wrinkly face. This is why skin specialists recommend wearing a hat along with your sunscreen lotion so that UV rays are blocked more effectively.

I enjoy warm, sunny days for recreational activities as much as any other woman does. But I make sure I am well protected against the sun so that I don’t have to face pre-mature ageing. A hat is without doubt my favorite summer accessory.

Protect your Beautiful Complexion

Another nasty effect of sun exposure is a damaged complexion. As the sunlight takes away the glow of your face, brown spots and freckles also appear to tarnish your once smooth complexion. How to protect your healthy glow? The simple solution is to wear a hat whenever you are out during the day. A hat keeps your face well-shaded against UV rays.

Maintain a Cool Body Temperature

Being out in the sun can get pretty uncomfortable if you are not well protected. Sweat, heat rash, dehydration – been there, done that! However, I have noticed, whenever I wear a hat during my outdoor activities, I feel comparatively much better. This is because a hat keeps the heat away while it shades the head. The body feels cooler as compared to when I’m out without my headgear. An outdoor activity then becomes much more enjoyable.

Prevent Deadly Skin Cancer

Your smallest concern about sun exposure may be a temporary heat rash. However, on a more serious note, constant exposure may result in skin cancer. Once again, hats appear as a great solution. When a hat covers your head, it shades your scalp, face, neck and ears from the cancerous UV rays of the sun.

You give yourself better protection by opting for a hat with a wide brim. In fact, the wider the brim, the better is your hat at blocking harmful radiation from falling on your skin. Trendy sun hats are indeed a stylish solution for protecting yourself against this deadly yet common disease. Here you will find some more useful tips about how to protect yourself from the sun.

What are the Best Sun Hats?

Since now you know how crucial your headgear is for protection against the sun, you must be interested in finding out about cool hats for your trendy summer dresses. There is a large collection of styles available. I believe we should opt for the ones which look stylish and offer the most effective protection at the same time.

Here are some of the most chic hats to match your beautiful outfits this summer.

Bucket Hat for a Stylish Look

With a wide variety of colors, material and sizes, a bucket hat is one of the best sun hats women can opt for. Since it has a wide brim, it also offers protection to the ears and neck in addition to your head and face. This means you protect more of your exposed skin when you don a bucket hat. It is perfect for a day at the beach or as a women’s sun hat for boating, exploring the city or other similar activities. The best thing about these hats is that you can pair one with a casual dress for an everyday trendy look.

Fedora Hat for Classy Outfits

With a more formal outfit, you need a suitable hat like Fedora. It is dressy and classy while it provides the protection you need against the sun on a summer afternoon. Like a bucket hat, a fedora too offers a wide brim for more coverage against the UV rays.

Cloche Hat for Sun Good Protection

Another beautiful hat for your fashionable outfit is a Cloche. Being defined by its bell shape and fitted nature, this type of hat is another good option for blocking the sun’s rays. It is more effective at shading the face, particularly the forehead, cheeks and nose. At the same time, it keeps your  ears, neck and part of the neck covered too.

Victorian Hats for Classy Events

I thought it would have been a fashion disaster pairing an ordinary sun hat with my bridesmaid’s dress at an outdoor wedding ceremony. Thankfully, I came across the most elegant of all hats – a Victorian hat. It is perfect for a classy occasion like a wedding. You can pair it with your fanciest outfits. Not only does it give you good sun protection and coverage, it looks incredibly charming. A true head turner, this hat may be adorned and accessorized with ribbons, bows, feathers, flowers or sparkling jewels to create a look that is as bold as you like.

Floppy Hats for a Laid-back Look

This can be another awesome addition to your summer wardrobe. Floppy hats give great coverage and the sun is kept away from your face in quite a fashionable way. This hat also lets you dress up with versatility. Pair it with an elegant maxi or with casual t-shirt and jeans. You may let your flocks down or tie them up in a messy bun. Whatever way you dress up, a floppy hat will always make you look flattering.

Panama Hats for a Refined Style

Originating in the Ecuador, a Panama hat can be another graceful addition to your summer wardrobe. Mostly available in light and neutral shades, the finely woven texture of the hat makes it perfect for an elegant summer dress. At the same time, it offers good fitting for the head and a wide brim for ample sun protection.

Sun Visor for a Sporty Look

This one is for all you sporty girls out there. A sun visor or visor cap provides sufficient shade to your forehead. The rest of the face receives a decent coverage as well while your eyes are also protected against intense sunlight. Although it is a crownless cap, it is suitable for sport activities. You may also wear one while you are out gardening or going for your regular run. Look as trendy as you desire by choosing from a variety of colors and materials. Check here what the world famous fashion magazine, Vogue says about the best hats for your summer vacation.

What is the Best Color for a Sun Hat?

The color for most of my trendy beach hats is neutral. That way I can pair one with any outfit as neutral colors go well with everything. However, once I asked an expert about it and discovered you don’t pick the color of your hats on whim. There should be a scientific approach towards it if you want your hats to give you effective protection against UV light. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a highly qualified scientist to understand the logic. Here are simple guidelines to help you select the best color for your summer headgear for the optimum sun protection. A Light Top for Maximum Reflection

A Dark Under-brim for UV Absorption

If the top of your hat is light, it will effectively reflect UV radiation. Remember primary grade science? Dark colors absorb while light colors reflect light and heat. So opt for light shades when you go hat shopping. It doesn’t necessarily have to be white and beige. You can break the boring routine and sport a more attractively colored hat like pink, yellow and blue. Just make sure these are light, pastel shades which reflect light.

Dark Under-brim

It is best to look for dual shaded hats which are light colored at the top but are darker underneath. As the dark color absorbs light, it prevents the heat and UV rays from bouncing off the hat towards your face. As a result, your hat keeps you feeling cool and prevents UV damage to your face.

There you go. Simple logics explained to help you pick the right hat this summer.

Colors to Match your Outfit

As I said before, your sun hats do not have to be boring. While neutral shades are definitely more elegant as well as more protective, you can also choose one that expresses your style statement better.  I love going for red, orange, green or purple sun hats every once in a while for a bold, diva-like look.

What are Summer Hats Made of?

The variety of materials available for summer hats is quite large. Cotton, canvas, polyester, straw – it is easy to get confused about which one is the best. I have to admit I have wasted quite a lot of money making the wrong purchase often. However, these wrong choices have made me discover a few useful things about what is the best material to go for when buying a good sun hat. Simply look for style, comfort as well as the amount of UV protection a hat offers before heading towards the checkout counter.

When I go hat shopping, I look for the following qualities.

Check for Optimum Breathability

The most comfortable hats are made of breathable material, such as cotton. In fact, cotton is your safest bet for summers when the heat and sweating can get pretty unbearable. So, make sure your trendy bucket hats are made of pure cotton.

Ensure a Tight Weave

Whether it is cotton, canvas, straw or any other material, the weave should be tight. Loose weave lets sun rays penetrate, rendering the whole point of wearing a sun hat useless.

Look for High UPF Rating

For those who haven’t heard the term before, UPF stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor. It is a number that determines how effectively your hat blocks UV radiation. So, if you want your hat to offer the best protection against the sun for your skin, look for a material offering a high UPF rating.

Examine the Hat’s Durability

Of course, this is another important factor when you want value for your money. Usually, blending cotton hats with polyester adds durability to hats. Although polyester offers low breathability, it does make the hat more long lasting. Plus, the hat becomes more packable or crushable. What you can do is look for caps with a high cotton ratio as compared to polyester so that you can enjoy the benefits of both materials without compromising on your comfort.

Evaluate the Cost Effectiveness

Whether you are looking for a trendy beach hat or a stylish sun hat outfit, it does not have to cost you much. Look for Toyo hats. These are also known as paper braids as they are made of paper strands woven together finely. These hats are inexpensive, fashionable as well as comfortable.

Conclusion

Giving yourself protection against UV rays of the sun is just as important as it is to dress up stylishly for your summer activities. A tasteful hat can help you achieve both. In fact, it is an important fashion accessory for all trendy girls.

Up your fashion game and ensure protection for your hair, face, ears and neck by choosing from a pleasantly large variety of sun hats. So, while you put on your sunscreen lotion, grab your sunglasses and reach for an umbrella before stepping out of the house, do not forget a stylish hat to complete your look.