The Best Hats for the Sun

The best hats for sun protection should include a wide brim, tightly woven fabric and a dark-colored under brim. Any hat used for sun protection should completely cover the entire head, including the ears. Baseball caps do not provide as much sun protection as hats designed for sun protection, as the bill is only in the front. Hats with a brim greater than three inches provide a sun protection factor of three for the cheeks, seven for the nose, five for the neck and two for the chin.

Brim

• The brim blocks direct UV rays.

  The size of the hat's brim is the most important aspect when you are attempting to protect yourself from the sun. The brim of a hat blocks direct UV rays that hit the face in a straight line. The shape of the brim is also of great importance as some places or areas have reflected UV rays. Reflected UV rays can bounce up underneath a sun hat's brim, hitting areas of the cheeks and chin. Look for brims that curve down towards the face to protect against the sun's rays. Broad brim hats that go around the entire hat, such as crusher hats, shade the most skin and cover the ears. Choose hats with brims three to five inches wide for optimal sun protection. Small brim hats (less than one inch) provide much less sun protection, particularly around the chin and nose.

Fabric

• If going with straw or raffia hats choose those with sun protection liner.

  Sun hats are usually made from either natural fibers like straw, cotton and raffia or synthetic fabrics like nylon and polyester-based fabrics. Tightly woven fabrics offer the best protection for the face, neck and scalp as they allow the least amount of light to penetrate the hat. Dense fabrics like canvas are always a good choice. Should you choose a straw or raffia hat, make sure it has a sun protection line,r otherwise it is too porous and allows too much sun to reach the skin. The best protective hats will be made from materials with a rating of UPF 50 or higher, which means the fabric will block 98 percent of the sun's harmful rays. There are also hats available made from lightweight plastic made specifically to block UV radiation.

Color

• Darker hats provide better protection.

  Hats that are darker in color provide better sun protection then lighter hats that allow more light to come through the fabric. The color of the under brim can also provide protection. A sun hat with a dark under brim absorbs more reflected UV rays that can potentially hit the face. Darker under brims therefore help lesson the effects of UV rays and provide less glare on the eyes.