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| Marmot Women's Annika LS Shirt |
I grew up in southern California during the 50s and 60s. I’m red haired, freckled and fair-skinned, but back then I slathered myself with cocoa butter and baby oil and would lie on the beach for hours, wondering why I couldn’t achieve the gorgeous tans my girlfriends had. My father also took us deep-sea fishing and we only put zinc oxide on our noses. Now in my 60s, I’ve had dozens of pre-cancerous actinic keratoses burned off, five surgeries for squamous cell carcinoma, and my freckles are now big age spots. Yes, I’ve worn sunscreen the latter half of my life, but in the last 10 years I’ve added in some important other sun guards: SPF clothing and hats.
SPF-rated shirts
What makes these work? According to the Sun Protection site by
REI:
- Darker fabrics will usually perform better than light ones
- Denser weaves are better than loose weaves
- Polyester and nylon do better at sun protection than natural fibers
Besides these criteria, manufacturers sometimes add in
chemicals and dyes that are effective at absorbing UV light to enhance the UPF.
The REI site has a lot of very useful information I found helpful.
https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/sun-protection.html
SPF-rated hats
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Tilley LTM6 Airflo Hat |
I confess I’m not very good at wearing a hat. They
seem too hot and my hair is so thick I can never get anything to fit. I started
shopping in men’s hats and have found a few that really work for me like the Tilley Airflo hat.
SPF gloves and sleeves
I like the fingerless SPF gloves when I’m not wearing my
usual gardening gloves. I have found these on fly-fishing supply sites. The SPF-rated sun sleeves are useful because they are not as hot as wearing a full sun shirt.
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| Orvis Sungloves |
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Coolibar LumaLeo Sleeves UPF 50+ |
Colorado can get so wickedly hot in the summer that
sometimes those SPF shirts can be stifling despite their little air vents. Last year I
discovered just what I needed and it’s been a godsend. I bought a UPF
50 shrug from Coolibar, a company that specializes in sun protection. It only
covers your neck, chest and arms and you wear it over any shirt you’d like. I used
it working in our demonstration gardens this past year.
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| Coolibar Luca Pullover SPF 50+ |
I go for my annual full-body check at the dermatologist this
week and hopefully won’t have any more surgeries. I still only work
outside before 10 am and after 6 pm.
Disclaimer: Jefferson County Master Gardener does not endorse any commercial products. Mention of products in articles, photographs, or videos does not mean endorsement.