SPF Protection for Skin Cancer Awareness Month

As we head into some glorious, longer, sunny days… the month of May is dedicated to Skin Cancer Awareness. It’s the perfect time of year to give thought to this topic that is ever increasing in importance.  And it’s the time to make sure your family is ready to have safe fun this summer – with SPF protection from sun hats, sunscreen, and SPF clothing.

Did you know that more people have been diagnosed with skin cancer than all other cancers combined?  It’s been described as a “lifestyle disease”, affecting people of all ages.   One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime.

The good news is, because skin cancer is primarily a lifestyle disease, it is also highly preventable.  

SPF Clothing

All clothing is not created equal, when it comes to sun protection.  It’s the same concept as sun screen, which have varying SPF levels of protection.

Well, the same holds true of that tee shirt you think is keeping harmful rays off of you while gardening… it’s just not doing as thorough of a job as SPF clothing could do.

The neat thing is, they’ve advanced the technology used for SPF clothing to the point where they are really nice to wear:  moisture wicking, extremely lightweight, soft, and surprisingly cool (even long sleeved garments).  One of the best brands I’ve found, with a well establish good reputation for providing quality, comfortable, and long lasting SPF clothing, is Coolibar.

Coolibar offers all kinds of great swimwear options, rash guards, even cute swim skirts with capris that also serve as active wear.  They have styles and sizes for the entire family, including kids.  For either a sunny vacation, or just a desert hike, I tried the ZnO Seaside Hoodie.

The fabric is lovely.  I found this hoodie to be super soft, a pretty and vibrant color, and very lightweight.  The Coolibar ZnO clothing gives you SPF 50+ sun protection!  Definitely something I’m grateful to wear when out in that intense sun, for “foolproof” sun protection of my arms.

 

Sun Hats

For years, I stuck to just a ball cap style when out in the sun… feeling silly in anything bigger or floppier.  As you know, this may cover your forehead, but it doesn’t protect much else.

Now after experiencing skin cancer on my face, I’m much more conscious of sun protection.  I strive to keep my face and neck out of the sun for both safety and anti-aging skin care reasons.  And I’ve gotten a little more adventurous with my hat selection.

So I absolutely love a good sun hat!  If you get a high quality one, they are adjustable, so comfortable you barely know you are wearing it, and as a bonus they literally keep you cooler than if you just let the sun beat down directly on your head.

Colorado Mountain Mom picks:

Coolibar’s Shapeable Sun Catcher.  There is zero room for improvement with this sun hat!  It’s feather weight, highly adjustable, and the dark underside brim is so effective I often don’t even wear my sunglasses.  Easily folded and stuffed into my backpack on hikes, to be ready when needed.

Wallaroo’s Tahiti Cowboy.  This sucker’s gorgeous.  Believe it or not, it’s packable!  I’m not sure how but it seems to rebound into it’s shape readily, and the brim is easily adjusted.

The interior hat band is also adjustable for size, and the fun stone headband design comes in three great colors.  (You can also get the Tahiti in a more urban style hat… but personally I dig the Cowboy!)

Check out the Coolibar and Wallaroo Hat Company sites, as both of these brands have a fantastic selection of sun hats, in sizes and styles for men, women, and children.

#SkinSmart Tips

This month Coolibar launched a #SkinSmart campaign, in support of helping spread awareness during Skin Cancer Awareness month.  Here are some great tips they posted:

 

SPF Protection for your Family

You can also find a lot of helpful information on the Skin Cancer Foundation site.   It’s fairly easy to alleviate the threat of skin cancer, through sun-smart tips, and use of sun protection products.

Please enjoy the outdoors safely this summer!

Wallaroo Hat Company – Giveaway

Wallaroo Hat Company, from right here in Colorado (woo hoo!) has offered to send one of my winning readers a Tahiti Cowboy hat!  So exciting.  I’m excited.  Are you excited??

Enter using the form below.  Open to US Residents, ages 18+.  Void where prohibited.

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I received product samples from Coolibar and Wallaroo Hat Company at no charge.  All opinions are my own.

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