Protecting your skin from harmful UV rays is essential, whether you’re on vacation or out and about enjoying sun-drenched days. We’re all familiar with the importance of SPF in our skincare but what about UPF when it comes to hats?
In this article, we’re sharing everything you need to know about UPF and why it’s important to consider when choosing a hat.
How Does UPF Work?
While most hats shield your face from the sun, not all materials provide equal protection, and that’s where UPF comes in. Short for Ultraviolet Protection Factor, UPF indicates the level of UV radiation a fabric allows to reach your skin.
Generally, tighter fabric composition & wider brims allow less UV radiation to pass through to the skin, so hats with a high UPF rating will reduce the amount of Ultraviolet A and B rays, preventing sunburn, premature aging and other damaging effects of the sun.
Understanding UPF Rating
The UPF rating system measures the level of protection a type of fabric offers:
- UPF 40-50+: Excellent protection
- UPF 25-39: Very good protection
- UPF 40-50+: Excellent protection
What Determines a Hat’s UPF?*
Many factors determine a hat’s UPF rating, such construction and coverage. Generally, hats with high UPF will have the following qualities:
Tight fabric or material structure: Dense fabrics like cotton, denim, canvas and wool or tightly woven materials like raffia braid and Panama fine weave offer better sun protection as there is little opportunity for sunlight to pass through the fibers, while loosely woven fabrics like lace and crochet often score low on UPF rating.
Condition: The condition of your hat will largely affect it’s UPF rating. If fibers have become loose over time, and the structure of your hat has started to break down due, use or water damage, the UPF rating may decrease up to 50%*. This is why it is important to correctly care for your hat to preserve its longevity.
Dark colours: Dyes absorb different levels of UV radiation depending on the colour. Darker colours like black and navy can absorb more radiation than lighter shades like white and pastels.
Brim Length: The more coverage your hat provides, the greater the sun protection. A protective sun hat should shield your face, ears and neck from the sun. A brim length of at least 6cm is essential. Visors, caps, and baker boy hats cannot be classified with this rating as they do not offer all-round coverage.
UPF 50 Hats at Helen Kaminski
We believe that design should blend fashion with functionality. This is why we carefully design and handcraft hats with materials and silhouettes that priorities sun protection. We outline our favorite summer hat styles below:
1. UPF 50 Wide Brim Hats
Our wide brim hats blend style and practicality perfectly. Due to their generous brims, they shield your face, neck, and shoulders from the sun. To ensure UPF 50+ protection, our collection of wide brim hats have a minimum brim width of 8cm, offering optimal sun coverage and allowing you to be protected in style.
2. UPF 50 Bucket Hats
With bucket hats resurging as a beloved year-round staple, rafting styles that are both current and wearable is essential. We design our bucket hats in various fabrications and brim widths that comply with UPF50+requirements, ensuring you can enjoy the sunshine with peace of mind. For UPF 50+ protection, look for fabric and raffia braid bucket hats that have a minimum brim width of 6cm.
3. UPF 50 Raffia Hats
Available in a collection of modern, classic and wide brim silhouettes, raffia hats remain the epitome of summer sophistication. Many of our raffia braid styles offer UPF 50+ protection.
From our stylish raffia braid hats to bucket hats and wide brims, UPF 50+ hats from Helen Kaminski provide an additional layer of protection for all sun-soaked occasions.
Don’t forgot wear an SPF50+ sun cream and apply at least 20 minutes before sun exposure for maximum protection.
**The following resources have been utilized to compose this article:
https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-prevention/sun-protection/sun-protective-clothing/
https://www.sunsmart.com.au/downloads/resources/info-sheets/sun-protective-clothing-info-sheet.pdf
https://www.arpansa.gov.au/our-services/testing-and-calibration/ultraviolet-services/labelling-sun-protective-clothing/au-standard
https://visionsafe.com.au/upf-ratings-and-the-australian-sun-protective-clothing-standard/