Here’s a riddle for you:

Q- What do Queen Elizabeth, the Kentucky Derby and the Wicked Witch of the West all have in common?

A – They are all famous in part for their use of hats.

Hats have long been a linchpin of functionality and fashion. They’ve been created out of almost every possible material, in every conceivable size, shape, and colour. Hats have been adorned, adored, and worn for centuries, covering the heads of warriors and housewives, construction workers and models, and men and women from every walk of life on every part of the planet. It’s possible that a great deal of the history of the human race could be told through the virtual “eyes” of the humble hat.

And just when you thought there were no possible new kinds of hats, scientists come up with one. While hats have long been worn for sun protection, they have always relied simply on its coverage – be it the beanie portion and/or the brim – to provide that protection. Now, thanks to researchers trying to find ways to protect human skin from the harmful rays of the sun, materials have been created that have ultraviolet (UV) protection built right in to the sun hat’s fabric in the form of UPF 50+ sun protection. Et voila, the UV protective sun hat is born.

So why do you need to wear a UV protective sun hat?

Here’s another riddle that will give you a clue:

Q – What’s black and white and red all over?

A – A sunburned zebra.

While sunburn for a zebra may not be a problem, it definitely is for human skin. Sunburn is painful, annoying, and it’s hard to wear anything over top of it due to the painful irritation. But more importantly, sunburn – as well as too much exposure to the sun in general – has more long lasting negative effects on your health.

Looking at these negative effects of the sun, here are four primary reasons to wear a UV protective sun hat:

1. Sun hats are the first line of defense against sunburn, sun rash, sun stroke, and heat exhaustion. They will block the harmful UV rays and work to keep your body cooler.
2. By blocking UV rays, sun hats lessen the damage to your skin by those rays. Wrinkles, spots, and discoloration can all be minimized or lessened by the use of sun hats.
3. By blocking the sun’s harmful UV rays, these hats also help minimize the risk of skin cancers and melanoma especially when worn in conjunction with sun block or sun blocking cosmetics.
4. Sun hats also help protect your eyes. Research indicates that UV rays from the sun increase the risk of cataracts (and possibly increases the risk of ocular melanoma) and blocking those rays lessens the risk.

So there you have four great reasons to be sure to wear a UV protective sun hat, and to make sure your loved ones are wearing one as well.