Sun Hat Recommendations

[Geoffrey]

Having undergone Moh’s surgery last year for a cancerous lesion on my ear, I’ve decided that wearing a sun hat is a smart move. And, because I have spent the last 6 months in Baghdad, I had the opportunity to research and subsequently order several sun hats from on-line sources. Because I’ve become such at convert with respect to sun protection, I’d like to share the sources I was particularly pleased with:

1) Sunday Afternoons (www.sundayafternoons.com). They offer an excellent assortment of quality sun hats that offer good protection for the top of your head, face and neck. Highly recommended.

2) GottaHavaHat (www.gottahavahat.com). This is a one-man (actually a gal) operation. She produces custom made sun hats in an extensive assortment of fabrics. I was particularly pleased with the Oblong Brimmed Super Sun Hat. It features a 5 inch brim in front and back, and a 4 inch brim on the sides. Looks good and offers superior protection and the selection of colors and fabrics is incredible.

3) Adam’s Extreme Condition Sun Hat (http://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Condition-Sun-STONE-color/dp/B000QCJS0U). Good basic protection, comfortable and economical. Packs and rolls up well (a plus for traveling).

I'd be very pleased if others shared other sources they were partcularly happy with.

 

[Dawg52]

I bought one of these to play golf in. I felt kind of stupid at first wearing it at first, but it beats getting sun cancer. Hopefully no more squamous cells. Don't forget the sun screen.

Mens Sun Hat, Sun Block Hats - Coolibar Inc.

 

[Cattusbabe]

I love straw hats. Two of my favorites are from The Vermont Country Store. It seems that Panama hat are THE thing this year on the streets of New York.

Oh forgot to add that Tilly hats are great also.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Cattusbabe, my thoughts exactly. Got a couple of straw hats which I love, but they don't travel well.

And I own at least 4 Tilleys. Indestructible - great hats.

 

[unclemick]

$6.99 Tractor Supply one size fits all/ men and women's straw and a 14.99 mesh camo safari for racing around pushing the lawnmower.

Uptown is Stetson summer styles - this being Stetson country and all.



heh heh heh - oh and ya gotta wear yer Schmidt bib overalls from Tractor Supply so you have a matching outfit. No ride around mower yet though. .

 

[freebird5825]

I wear my straw hats in the garden, while lawn mowing, just about everywhere. I am partial to the type that have a solid brim and a crown (right term?) with a loose weave halfway down the side for air circulation. My source? Grocery store, dollar store, wherever. I buy several leftovers at end of season for less than $5 and use them during the next season.
I just wore my last one out in Europe. I placed it upside down in my suitcase, filled the middle and packed all my clothes around it.

 

[TromboneAl]

I splurged on the Sunday Afternoons Adventure Hat, and I'm glad I did. It stays on in the wind, it's light and packs well, it looks cool and feels good.

 

[BunsGettingFirm]

I have tried some of these Panama and Safari hats. The problem is that I feel that I look like a mushroom.

 

[haha]

I love straw hats. Two of my favorites are from The Vermont Country Store. It seems that Panama hat are THE thing this year on the streets of New York.

I have 3 variations on the Panama- including a very nice tightly woven Borsalino that my son gave me because he got caught in the rain and it shrunk. Almost white, and almost capable of making an old man look young. I may even splurge on some cream colored linen pants to complete the picture.

So far no more keratoses.

Here is the downtown store where we buy our hats.

http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/MsXNhTwunTxuhUGCr78-aQ?select=nR5QaZS7Y1f0c1uf894F4g

Ha

 

[Geoffrey]

Trombone-Al, I have the "Derma-Safe" version of the Sunday Afternoons Adventure Hat. I agree with your comments -- very light, very comfortable and very effective. And, they don't look too shabby as well.

The dermatologist I saw recently recommended sun screen in addition to a good hat. I hate wearing sun screen -- especially on my face. Does anyone have any recommendatioins for a sun screen that is 1) effective, 2) long-lasting, 3) doesn't feel oily/greasy or "heavy" and 4) doesn't give you heart failure at the checkout stand. I've searched high and low for the perfect sun screen with little success . . .

 

[Dawg52]

The dermatologist I saw recently recommended sun screen in addition to a good hat. I hate wearing sun screen -- especially on my face. Does anyone have any recommendatioins for a sun screen that is 1) effective, 2) long-lasting, 3) doesn't feel oily/greasy or "heavy" and 4) doesn't give you heart failure at the checkout stand. I've searched high and low for the perfect sun screen with little success . . .

Here's one I have used on my face. What I like about it is easy to carry with you, in a pocket for quick touch up's. I use this more for football games and other outdoor public events. When I play golf, I use the paste stuff as I don't care how I look there. BTW, I showed my dermatologist this product and he said he had never seen it before. But he gave his blessing saying he approves of anything that is easy to carry around which might make one more inclined to use regularly. I found it at Walmart.

Ocean Potion Dab On Spot Stick SPF 50+

 

[simple girl]

The dermatologist I saw recently recommended sun screen in addition to a good hat. I hate wearing sun screen -- especially on my face. Does anyone have any recommendatioins for a sun screen that is 1) effective, 2) long-lasting, 3) doesn't feel oily/greasy or "heavy" and 4) doesn't give you heart failure at the checkout stand. I've searched high and low for the perfect sun screen with little success . . .

It's only SPF 15, but I use a simple product on a daily basis by Dove (inexpensive, too):

Amazon.com: Dove Deep Moisture Facial Lotion For Dry Skin, SPF 15, 4.05 fl oz (120 ml): Health & Personal Care

I buy it at Walmart. It doesn't feel oily or greasy at all.

Any other body sunscreens have always somehow gotten into my eyes, which burns. This one does not. I stay in the shade or wear a hat on top of this. If I were to have to spend many hours in the sun, I would search for a facial lotion with a higher SPF, though. I'm sure there are better products out there, but this suffices for every day use.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

The dermatologist I saw recently recommended sun screen in addition to a good hat. I hate wearing sun screen -- especially on my face. Does anyone have any recommendatioins for a sun screen that is 1) effective, 2) long-lasting, 3) doesn't feel oily/greasy or "heavy" and 4) doesn't give you heart failure at the checkout stand. I've searched high and low for the perfect sun screen with little success . . .

Lubriderm with SPF 15. You don't know you put it on, face or elsewhere, within 10 minutes of applying - just sees to disappear and doesn't burn the eyes.

I supplement with something stronger on my arms, nose etc for serious sunny activities like beach, golf.

 

[samclem]

The dermatologist I saw recently recommended sun screen in addition to a good hat. I hate wearing sun screen -- especially on my face. Does anyone have any recommendatioins for a sun screen that is 1) effective, 2) long-lasting, 3) doesn't feel oily/greasy or "heavy" and 4) doesn't give you heart failure at the checkout stand. I've searched high and low for the perfect sun screen with little success . . .

I also don't like the feel of most sunscreens (especially the oiliness of them). The only kind I use now is BullFrog QuickGel. It truly isn't oil/greasy at all, you really can't tell it is there. SPF 35. It's not the cheapest stuff out there, but they don't keep it locked up in the glass cosmetics case, either. And, a little bit seems to do the job well.

 

[Dudester]

The dermatologist I saw recently recommended sun screen in addition to a good hat. I hate wearing sun screen -- especially on my face. Does anyone have any recommendatioins for a sun screen that is 1) effective, 2) long-lasting, 3) doesn't feel oily/greasy or "heavy" and 4) doesn't give you heart failure at the checkout stand. I've searched high and low for the perfect sun screen with little success . . .

If "doesn't give you heart failure at the checkout stand" is your highest priority, I recommend the NO-AD brand of sunscreen. A 16 oz bottle of this stuff costs about the same as an 8 oz tube of just about any other brand. In other words, it's about half as expensive per unit volume as any other brand. And it seems to work, e.g., for me, it works for several hours in the sun.

The NO-AD name apparently refers to the claim that the NO-AD Company doesn't spend any money on advertising.

There are some downsides to NO-AD

• It's hard to find. It might be easiest to order online from somebody like Amazon. But I did find some at a Rite Aid yesterday.
  
• I hate putting the stuff on. When I first put the stuff on, my face is all white. If I put a red ball on my nose, I'd look like a clown. However, after a few minutes, my natural complexion returns. After an hour or so, the sensation of greasiness goes away. Genetically, I'm northern European, and I fry to a crisp after a few minutes in the sun. I have to wear sunscreen.

 

[CoolChange]

I second the NO-AD recommendation for body use. But, it does burn if you get it in your eyes.

Most Wal-Mart stores seem to carry the stuff.

Another source of recommendation: Most of the dive boats I've been on in Mexico and Central America have a bottle or two of this stuff stashed somewhere; and, these guys are in the sun all day long. This stuff is cheap enough that you don't worry about using a bunch. (Not using enough sunblock when applying as well as not reapplying often enough are a couple of problems I've seen dermatologists warn people about in the past.)

 

[Dawg52]

I second the NO-AD recommendation for body use. But, it does burn if you get it in your eyes.

I found out the hard way. But I use it on my arms and neck.

 

[Nords]

The dermatologist I saw recently recommended sun screen in addition to a good hat. I hate wearing sun screen -- especially on my face. Does anyone have any recommendatioins for a sun screen that is 1) effective, 2) long-lasting, 3) doesn't feel oily/greasy or "heavy" and 4) doesn't give you heart failure at the checkout stand. I've searched high and low for the perfect sun screen with little success . . .

A surfer's vote for No-AD. Reapply when you crawl out of the water.

I buy all my surfing hats at Goodwill so that I don't have to worry about losing them. For everything else it's a straw lifeguard hat.

 

[Urchina]

I use Neutrogena face sunblock (spf 70) on my face, and then a Banana Boat spray sunscreen (spf 50) on my arms each morning. I get them all at Costco, in double packs. The Neutrogena is $14 for 2 8-oz bottles and a bottle lasts me at least three months; the spray we blow through because I use it daily on me and the kids. Like them both.

 

[Zoocat]

My dermatologist recommends Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch sunblock 44. I like it and my face never gets sunburnt.

Here's a review from Sunscreen Reviews: Best Sunscreen, Best Sunblock
Sunscreen reviews say Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock is an excellent general-use sunscreen. It has avobenzone and oxybenzone for broad-spectrum protection against short- and long-wave UVA rays (the main culprit… responsible for long-term skin damage). It also has Helioplex, which can help the active ingredients protect skin for up to five hours. Neutrogena claims this sunscreen will neither run into the eyes nor sweat or towel off. User reviews are generally positive. Keep in mind that although Neutrogena calls this product a sunblock, no sunscreen can completely protect you from damaging rays. SPF 30 and 45 formulations contain antioxidants and are more lightweight, but the SPF 55 formula is recommended most often.


I also recommend Wallaroo hats with spf 50.
Wallaroo Hat Company - You Can't Beat Our UPF 50+ Rating

 

[RustyShackleford]

OR (Outdoor Research) makes a nice hat called the Sonora Sombrero.
Their stuff is well-made but expensive. I like mine.

 

[DWPC]

Its a dirty job but somebody's gotta say it...

I see my dermo every 90 days to get my a regular crop of actenic precancers and basal cells frozen off, and had a melanoma removed with a large chunk of bicep and a bunch of lymph nodes three years ago. But you couldn't pay me to wear one of those shapeless preposterous-looking floppy adjustable things in public. Get a big brimmed straw, or a western hat, or a big booney hat. Or a burnoose. Anything but one of those dopey things like the "derma safe". Avoiding skin cancer doesn't mean forgoing your dignity.

 

[freebird5825]

And having a cool backdrop (Pompeii) makes the common straw hat from the grocery store look even better.
.

 

[Geoffrey]

Get a big brimmed straw, or a western hat, or a big booney hat. Or a burnoose. Anything but one of those dopey things like the "derma safe". Avoiding skin cancer doesn't mean forgoing your dignity.

To each his own. Dignity is one's self respect. Frankly, I have more respect for myself when I have enough sense to protect myself against a serious threat to which I am susceptable. At 60 years, I don't really care what strangers think about my sense of aesthetics and style. Personnally, I think the "derma safe" hats look just fine.

For those that would rather visit their dermatologist every 3 months to have skin cancers burned off . . . well, whatever floats your boat is fine with me.

As an aside, I'm presently finishing up treatment with efudex (destroys pre-cancers). I look like a teen-ager with a terminal case of acne. I've looked this way for 2 months. But, I'm damn glad I did it. My dermatologist told me quite a few patients refuse to undergo treatment with efudex simply because it makes your face "break out." Seems like a silly reason to me, but we all make our own choices.

 

[Nords]

At age 20, you're sure that everyone's looking at you and you're worried what they think about you.

At age 40, you stop worrying what people think about you.

At age 60, you realize that they were never looking at you in the first place...