By now you’d have to have just emerged from a 100 years’ sleep to not know that the sun’s rays can be seriously damaging. Therefore, it’s important to wear sun protection every day. But if you won’t wear sun block, or can’t be bothered to re-apply it often, you can still shade your eyes, hair and face with UPF-rated accessories. For example, this Stylish Scala Collezione Hat with UPF 50 Protection from Dorfman Pacific can shield your face with the equivalent sun protection of SPF 50.
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What does SPF Mean?
SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. It is the ratio of UV radiation dose required to produce recognizable redness on skin that has been protected with a sunscreen from the UV radiation dose required to produce the same redness on unprotected skin (using a clinical test procedure on human skin). An SPF rating tells you how much longer it will take for your skin to begin to redden with the product on than if your skin was unprotected.
What Does UPF Mean?
UPF stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor. It is the ratio of the average effective ultraviolet radiation (UVR) irradiance transmitted and calculated through the air to the average effective UVR irradiance transmitted and calculated through the fabric. In other words, it is the amount of ultraviolet radiation that a fabric blocks. When you see a UPF rating you are looking at fabric. Believe it or not, clothing provides one of the most convenient forms of protection against ultraviolet radiation. For more information on SPF and UPF and the new regulations governing these ratings, please click here.
Scala Crusher Hat
The Scala Collezione crusher hat I tried and shown in “celery” in the photo, above, (style No. LC511 ), is just one of many Scala Collezione hats and visors. It has a lot of benefits besides protecting your skin with UPF 50. It packs nearly flat, so you can pop it into your suitcase or beach tote, and still have room for all those other things you can’t live without. And while it has a suggested retail price of a modest, $30.00, it is nicely crafted. The fabric is 100% polyester that feels soft like cotton, but you can get it wet, or wash it, block it out to dry, and it will still look fine.
Personally, I do not look good in hats, but this one-size-fits-nearly-all hat just magically seems to look good on everyone. I like the effect of rows and rows of ribbons wound around and around to make the hat. You can get it in pretty colors, or basic black or white, and it is just pretty, and feminine. It’s unlined so it won’t hold in sweat, and the brim is wide, but not so big you look like you’re waiting for the Kentucky Derby to begin.
A UPF 50 hat like can be dressed up by pinning on a silk flower, ribbon, or brooch. The black crusher looks especially eye-catching, festooned with a neon ribbon or pin for a pop of color.
Testing the Scala UPF 50 hat
But of course, the point of these UPF 50-rated hats is to protect your skin. I tested the Scala crusher hat on a very sunny beach day, and it did help protect my skin from sunburn, but it also did something else: the hat kept me cooler. Every time I removed it, I felt the full force of the heat of the sun, and immediately, gratefully, put it back on. It’s definitely a nice addition to your sun protection arsenal.
The brim gives you good protection against the sun’s damaging UV rays, for true, broad-spectrum protection, you should still also use a sun block or at least cosmetics with UVA/UVB protection in them. Also, be sure to wear sunglasses to keep your eyes safe (who wants eye damage or crow’s feet?).
The prices of the hats seem to vary but they average around $30.00 average. You can buy them in a wide variety of retail outlets. Get More information on the Dorfman Pacific Web Site
About Dorfman Pacific: Dorfman Pacific is one of the largest full-line, in-stock headwear companies in the world. The business, founded in 1921, began with a 5,000 square foot facility in Oakland, California as a small woolen dress cap manufacturer. Today, Dorfman Pacific has a 287,000 square foot facility in Stockton, California, showrooms throughout the USA (Atlanta, Dallas, Boston, Honolulu), satellite headquarters in New York, New York and sells its product worldwide. Categories include a comprehensive collection of men’s and children’s headwear, women’s and teens headwear, handbags and winter accessories.
