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When i volunteer at a local historic site, i end up spending half the time explaining that our clothes help keep us from both burning and over heating.
Same! After explaining it, people are always like "makes sense". Also up here in Finland and Scandinavia long sleeves and hems are extremely useful against mosquitoes (locals usually know that, but the discussions I had of Facebook with people not from the area...).
Full historically accurate plague doctor outfit. Wore it once to a Ren Faire in September. Was very safe from the sun. Almost passed out from dehydration. No, I will not stop wearing it.
Fun fact that I learned in grad school: those black vizard masks were also sometimes worn by upper-class women in the evenings, when they wanted to do things like go to the theatre but didn’t want to be seen in public for whatever reason. Samuel Pepys actually writes in his diary about taking his wife out to buy one.
Yeah, I remember reading about similar-looking masks being worn at festivals in 18thC Italy! I hadn't gotten a chance to look into the continuity between them.
Venice Carnival masks are fascinating, but also the 'everyday' masks like the moretta, black velvet, full face, and held on by gripping a button between your teeth. the lady could decide when she wanted to talk to a would-be-suiter, but also had a built in reason not to. or the Bauta, a black silk and lace hood falling to the mid upper arm, with a white volto, which was, at one point, required for women going to the theater. their use of masks, and standardized masks, to allow gender and class mixing, is such a weird segment of history you don't see to such an extent other places.
I play a bard in my local Ren Faire and always wear my high neckline chemise on the hotter sunnier days. Also my character is known for her giant straw hat. It covers my face and neck so I'm not squinting in the sun without sunglasses. Also I know this is well known but I am the biggest fan of making my garb out of linen! It's the actual best!
@@SnappyDragon you definitely need those ties! I didn't have them at first and my hat kept blowing off my head as I played and I really couldn't chase after it with my hurdy gurdy strapped to me 🤣 luckily a gracious patron grabbed it for me!
The year I got this hat, there was a torrential rainstorm on the opening weekend of one of my local Faires. I ended up needing both the ties *and* a giant hatpin to keep the hat on from the wind, but getting wet in the rain gave it the most perfect curve!
Ren fair costume director here. In my experience, having skin completely covered does prevent sunburn and heat exhaustion in the majority of my cast (dehydrated teens and armor wearers being the exception). We weather temps from mid fifties up to 90 depending on the year. But I'm in Alaska, so im sure that's a factor for the sunburn aspect.
I'm an African American who's spent the last 20+ years living in central Texas. I don't really burn, but the sun _stings_ in summer. As in, it's uncomfortable for it to hit exposed skin while I'm driving. The difference between the permanent tan on my limbs and face and unexposed torso concerns me. I took a hint from my South Asian and Middle Eastern neighbors' summer clothes- long, loose traditional clothing in white, lightweight cotton- and started wearing white cotton button-down tops as jackets when I go out. It's been working great to make me feel better. Wide leg, lightweight cotton or flax pants work better than shorts, too. I've shopped around online for a parasol, because just walking out into the Texas sun is like getting hit with a hammer, and I'd like to have a shield on hand to at least minimize the blow. I wouldn't mind a whole bit on specifically on parasols from around the world, and their different designs. With maybe some links to artisans? Or even just tips for spotting the good stuff?
It's not nearly as cool as a properly historical looking parasol, but you can buy SPF umbrellas online and I find them quite good. I burn easy, but with a broad hat, t shirt, and umbrella I can stay out all day without needing sunscreen.
I did a test of cotton, silk and linen chemises at TnRF back in the 90s. They all helped with sun damage. Linen was coolest in heat and warmest in cold. Silk best in cold and cotton best in heat. I wear a lot of linen.
As someone who likes to dress like a witch even in summer, I'm loving this veil idea. Especially since my sun hat is a bit loose and keeps trying to fly away
@@SnappyDragon Had to look up henin and 🤣 I was actually thinking more veil fabric coming down from some kind of wide brimmed hat but now I think I have to at least try a henin. Just for the laugh😜✨ Thanks Snappy👍
@@spencertrusque7966 I've seen a lot of bonnet-shaped sun hats in stores lately, with no back brim. Could be a good base. And as it's August, summer hats may be on discount.
I'm allergic to UVA radiation - I'll get hives and systemic symptoms in as little as 3-5 minutes in our peak summer here in the American Midwest. And honestly trying to use sunscreen to control the condition is borderline impossible. I tried. For years. I had a lot of awful reactions and always felt sticky. Eventually I started to take inspiration from Arabic and West Asian fashion and realized that covering up > slathering yourself in chemicals. No contest. I now wear long sleeved, full length, high neck, natural fiber clothes all the time. Oversized chambray and cotton-selvage button downs are a go-to as are midweight linen maxi skirts. I typically wear a short sleeved or sleeveless layer underneath (and around the house) and then pop on the long sleeved "duster" over top. I also wear wide brimmed hats, scarves (sometimes on my head sometimes not) and a UPF ultralight backpacking umbrella. I wear SPF on my face, and sometimes on my hands. I have exponentially fewer reactions now, treating my condition this way, than I did before. AND I don't feel sticky. It was a learning curve to get the breathability to UV protectiveness ratio right. And to find a good umbrella. And to find a way to style these clothes that felt authentic to me. But it's great!
I have lupus (SLE) and sun exposure is a no-no. I'm also prone to itching and breaking out from sunscreen... Even the lightest gentlest sunscreen feels like hell after a few minutes. I've been wearing hats and covering up for a few years now, but my rheumatologist insisted that I get some mineral sunscreen... After she looked at my face and saw red patches from my eczema. I got some cera ve lightweight moisturizing sunscreen and it left my face looking like I was trying out clown paint. I'm pale (obv) but this stuff looked awful, and it irritated the eczema. I'm just going to do what I found that works for me. If it's too sunny I'll just use an umbrella.
@@fjolliff6308 I can totally empathize! A few more detailed things I've found that work for me. The hiking umbrellas from ultralight company Six Moon Designs are my favorite for UV protection, they're comfortable to hold, durable, and really work. The UPF hats from Outback Trading Company and Wallaroo are also a go-to for me. In terms of sunscreen, the only one I've consistently had luck with for my face is a 100% mineral from Mad Hippie, it's like a serum texture and doesn't leave any white residue.
@@anaerobic I make most of my own skirts and dresses and can highly recommend using midweight linen or linen blends for those. I typically wear Onno brand bamboo t shirts as a base layer and then pop on any opaque oversized button down. Marine Layer and Pact and Patagonia all make good ones and have nice transparent supply chain practices.
I’m from NZ and tourists from the northern hemisphere always underestimate how strong the sun is in the southern hemisphere. I have been known to get sunburnt in the middle of winter! (I am very pale)
Europeans in particular are very likely to underestimate how intense the sun is when we’re visiting places outside of Europe because the European climate throws off our “sun intensity calibration” (New Zealand is as close to the equator as Spain but has a climate more similar to that of England).
I've struggled with acne since I was a tween, and after starting to use rice berry sunscreen by liittllextra, my skin is very sensitive, extremely dry, and still very prone to breakouts and flare-ups. I strongly suggest this sunscreen if you have sensitive, dry skin and are dealing with acne. I usually apply it over rice berry moisturizer and it feels amazing! It's so moisturizing and makes my skin feel so plump, it doesn’t sting my eyes or any part of my face, and as far as I can tell, it hasn’t caused any breakouts. It imparts a lovely glow, which boosts my confidence about my skin despite the severe acne. Highly recommend this sunscreen! There’s hope for all my acne-struggling friends out there!
I recall a friend suggested riceberry sunscreen to me over the summer, and I immediately bought it. I’ve been applying it since then, and I’ve absolutely loved it! I’m combination skin type. I’ve even introduced my mom to this product. It gives such a good finish. I’ve also tried the Requil one, but for some reason I don’t like how it just sits on my skin. So, riceberry any day.
In Australia, where ozone depletion is worse, SPF 50 is the norm. But even that doesn’t go far these days. In summer my English skin can burn just walking 5 mins to the bus - so roll on long sleeves, higher necklines and my light, reflective hiking umbrella as a parasol. Yay fore cottage core fashions that make this less outlandish!
I have oily skin and hate how heavy most sunscreens are (I'm in the usa) and they can make me break out. Can't wait to look in to Korean sunscreens, if they keep my face from feeling like a bucket of oil I would love it.
I also recently found out about this lovely lightweight facial sunscreen, it's by this brand called Acure? I picked it up at the grocery store because it was the cheapest face lotion they had with built in sunscreen, but wow, it's just a joy to use. I have oily skin, so I get worried about moisturising my face in general (bc yeah it makes me break out like crazy), but this one is really airy and smooth, and doesn't leave little white streaks or feel greasy or anything. I'm actually wearing sunscreen daily now for the first time in my life.
I dislike sunscreen on my face. When I sweat, it runs into my eyes and make my eyeballs sting. If there’s a formula without that problem, I’m happily use it.
I used to get very irritated eyes from sunscreen, and I found that using either newer UV filters (uvinul, tinosorb, all the stuff the US FDA hasn't caught up to) or zinc oxide solves that problem.
@@saraquill I find I'm much happier using the mineral based water resistant "Simply Protect" kid or baby lotionfrom Banana Boat, it's only greasy if I overapply, it stays on my arms even after washing garden dirt off and it doesn't sting my eyes when I sweat or taste bad if I get it on my lips.
I've been wearing spf religiously since 2018 thanks to Dr. Dray lol! I also discovered a love for wearing historical-ish clothing around that time as well. I'm a happy happy gal with my long sleeves and high collars in the summer. I also use an umbrella as well but I've actually had people rudely confront me about this in the wild (I know it's not raining!!) Skin Aqua super moisture UV gel is my daily sunscreen of choice btw. It's a lovely lightweight Japanese sunscreen.
I was taught to wear face SPF daily as a teenager, but I had to get really serious about it when I started using perscription acne treatments 😅 How silly of people to bother you about the parasol! Worst case, I hear they're good for smacking people
I am a bus driver and in my previous job I opted for the white long sleeved shirt for my uniform which puzzled my co workers who had the short sleeved versions as they thought the long sleeves would have been hotter. I was more concerned with keeping the sun off my skin and not getting sunburned or courting more skin damage. I wish long sleeves for summer were an option for my current work uniform - but I'm considering making under sleeves that will attach to my bra straps to keep the sun off my arms.
Sun exposure is such a thing while in vehicles! I don't drive and am usually in the passenger seat when in a car, and I have noticeably more freckles on my right side than my left.
It took me over a decade to find a sunscreen that I don't hate (and thus avoid using). Korean sunscreen is the best, no sensory issues, no weird smell, no grease, just hydrated and velvety smooth skin. Didn't have a sunburn since then. Also I stocked up on good hats and look into historic clothing for other sunprotection inspirations. Thanks for this video!
I definitely had to try several before I found the right fit for my face, but it's so worth it! And even the ones that weren't quite right for me were still much more pleasant than American sunscreens.
They really are fabulous. I've got 4, one is tinted, one is more moisturizing, one is super lightweight, and one is soothing. I tend to skip moisturizer and just go straight to the nice sunscreens.
I love having a giant sun hat in the summer! It protects my face and shoulders from the sun, I don't have to squint to see and it helps reinforce my personal space so people don't get too close to my face. I generally don't burn in the sun (unless I travel closer to the equator), but my body has the temperature regulation skills of a lizard, so I like wearing a spaghetti strap top under a light long-sleeved shirt or cardigan so I can easily adjust when I get too hot or cold.
I too have the temperature regulation skills of a lizard, and I love lightweight overlayers. Ex : Today it is Warm But Not Hot, and breezy out. I walked to the cafe I like to work in wearing a sleeveless jumpsuit and a linen overshirt. I am now sitting in the cafe, drinking tea with the overshirt off and pant legs rolled up.
Re: Ren faire sun protection: my nearly identically - complected bestie and I went to a Ren faire last weekend. She sunburnt a bit through her cotton muslin smock, but I didn't through my handkerchief weight linen one. They feel similar in weight and weave density, so I wonder if it's due to mine being bleached and hers not. Like white zinc and titanium pigments reflect UV, maybe the bleached linen reflected light?
There has been a really good marketing campaign for years here in Oz where school kids aren't allowed out to play without a hat. More people seem to wear hats when outside here in Oz than i was aware of doing so on my recent trip to LA. SLIP SLOP SLAP (slip on a tshirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat) was the tv ad . Im sure you can find it on UA-cam if you look for it.
I wore my Greenland Viking wool dress, hood, stockings, etc to a festival this summer with a linen shift underneath. It was 37 degrees celcius. I spent the entire time explaining that I was not hot, but comfortable and any breeze flowed easily through to my skin. No sunburn trouble nor overheating!
My coloring is similar to yours (well, my hair is highlighted blond, but you get the idea). I am also older than you are. I grew up in the 70s, when sunscreens were sold as, "Bronze Tan," and "Golden Tan." You can just imagine. I got a lot of painful, blistery sunburns as a kid, because I would go into the water and play for too long before coming back out to put on a shirt. I have had several pre-cancerous moles removed, and one cancerous lesion (thankfully, just basal cell carcinoma). My dad had several bouts of melanoma, and since then (I was in my twenties), I have been conscientious about wearing sunscreen every day and using my clothes as a shield against the sun (full or three-quarter inch sleeves, higher necklines, wide-brimmed hats when outdoors in the sun.
I feel really lucky I didn't get too many sunburns as a kid! The only really bad one was from sitting outside for 6 hours fishing because my cousins-by-friendship were annoying me and I'd run out of books. My nose peeled for the rest of the vacation 😵
UV clothing has been a life saver for me a pale person and mom of a small pale person living in Arizona. Trying to get sunscreen on a kid is not easy though the spray on stuff helps. I will definitely look into the Korean stuff since skin cancer runs in my family and I want to keep myself self and especially my young daughter safe from the sun. I also love my hat.
In Brisbane where I used to live and work - I used an umbrella in the morning to walk across the bridge into the city to work. I'm not the only one and it's been some years that quite a few people have used umbrellas to escape the blazing morning sun - you just melt and you're dressed in your office gear and a full face of make up and you start to sweat and it's all very unpleasant. I saw one lady with the most beautiful umbrella with dense frill circles covering the entire outside - and if I'd stayed there I would certainly have invested in a beautiful umbrella.
saw someone compare and test Australian and Korean sunscreens and from what I understand Korean is better for comfortable everyday wear while Australian ones are designed with lots of water sports and physical activity in mind
I walk a lot and always use a parasol and SPF (unless it's cold and I'm covered with clothing) I get some weird looks but also a lot of nice compliments.
In 8th grade, I was pondering why suntans were in vogue, when untanned skin used to be a status symbol. I asked a classmate, who said “Tans look good.” I was unimpressed at this non answer.
Crazy as it may sound at first: wear two shifts/smocks; you get a better cooling system with the breeze and it stops you getting sunburnt through your clothes (which sadly happens to me a lot here Downunder); also highly recommend the wet chemise trick - it's especially great if it's hot and windy; just chuck it in the washing machine for a rinse and spin cycle or wring it out in cold water, works a treat and helped me survive a bushfire conditions day with almost 40 degree (104 Fahrenheit) temperatures and crazy high winds when I was dressed as a Viking (admittedly not the best era to go for at the time)
I prefer wearing covering clothes, rather than using sunscreens. I hate sunscreen because all sunscreens are very oily, greasy and sticky. The best option for me is to cover up to stay protected from the sun. The clothes from soft, breathable fabrics, and loose clothes, are the most comfortable ones, especially for hot weather. Big sunhats are great for protecting the face and eyes, as I don't particularly enjoy wearing dark sunglasses, as I can't see properly in them. Historical clothing does great job protecting me from the sun.
I never actually wore my long sleeve white chemise when I worked at the faire except on cloudy days. I always wore darker long sleeves and they worked great. I wore lighter colors for my skirts since there were at least 3 layers, which despite most people's assumptions, keep your legs a lot cooler than a pair of shorts, lol.
I am autistic with some light sensitivity. I love hats! I also have autistic friends who hate wearing sunscreen for sensory reasons so they wear long sleeves, carry umbrellas, and hats.
It’s so funny, I was just thinking about the sun protective clothing stuff in the last few days, and here you are talking about it, so wonderful! And I actually did the wet shirt thing recently: I live in Oregon, and during the heat wave last month (on the hottest day, I actually took a picture of the thermometer on my front porch showing almost 115 degrees!), I had to go outside to feed and refresh the water for a local outdoor cat I provide for. So I got a thin, lightweight long sleeve shirt, soaked it in cold water and put it on before going out. It made all the difference… and dried almost completely in the ten minutes I was out there 😳. I used to do a similar thing every summer when I would spend a month in L.A. at my son and daughter-in-law’s place sitting for their cats while they traveled-when the heat would become intolerable, I’d hop in the shower under cold water fully clothed and get thoroughly damp, put a towel on the couch, point the fan at me and be a cooling puddle for a bit (usually with one or more cats on top of me!). Thank you as always for your excellent coverage (hee 😏) of an interesting topic!
I can't wear chemical sunscreens on my face and neck because my skin reacts badly to them, but mineral ones feel kinda gross. I've tried ones that have both those components combined but my skin still breaks out. This is a nice reminder that hats and parasols are things i should genuinely consider
I only wear sunscreen for swimming these days, because I dislike the feel so much. Broad brimmed hats that cover face, ears, and neck work well, and a parasol/umbrella and a shirt that covers my shoulders does the rest. The trick is to think about where gets burned and make sure it's shaded or covered in fabric.
I'm a natural redhead, and now that I'm an adult and care far less about following trends than I did as a teenager, sun avoidance is my habit. I lived in China for a few years, and I love the parasol I bought there. When I garden, I wear long pants, boots, a wide-brimmed hat (mine has holes for my headphones to go through!), and one of my husband's old long-sleeved cotton shirts after I discovered that it kept me cooler AND covered more than the swim/rash shirts I'd been wearing previously. I'm also in the SCA, and find that long sleeved linen dresses with a wide-brimmed hat (and a wet linen coif) help a lot with sun-protection and avoid heat problems during summer events.
I am Catherine of Aragon at the TX Renfest; we joke about the "Tudor tan" lines those whose chemises are low cut get (I wear a high neck chemise or use a partlet).
I am one of those people who has tactile issues with wearing sunscreen. I also burn easily. I’ve recently started making a point to start wearing linen long sleeved shirts (not a fan of shorts either and usually wear long pants). It’s been really nice even in the heat. Going from heat into cold A/C buildings is easier too since linen helps moderate body temperature, No burning and easier body moderating are huge wins.
Gotta love my thin, long sleeves in summer. Long (ish) dresses, too! I burn just thinking about the sun, so I try to minimize unprotected exposure. If I have to work outside or spend a lot of time in nature, sunscreen is a must! I've tried to use ocean-friendly brands recently, but they still feel like you're greasing yourself up to bake in a cake pan. 😂 I'll be looking into the Korean sunscreen for sure.
I spent years as a kid and teen getting burned before the advent of sunblocking lotions. I still remember the joy of finding real sunscreen before we went to Jamaica back in the mid 70s. It was wonderful to go out in the sun without fear. The only thing i had to watch out for was it washing off. Unfortunately i went snorkeling and my butt was up out of the water and this was a clothing optional resort. Yes my butt got burned and i had to sit very carefully for a few days. But a lot of time i simply cover up. For years i bought mens shirts to use as a jacket to avoid the sun and i am never out without a hat.
I hate it when the sunscreen is not as water-resistant as it needs to be! The only time I got burned on vacation in Hawaii is when my sunscreen wasn't sweat-resistant enough to handle two hours standing on the deck of whale-watching boat
Even today in the west not all tans are equal. If you have a "farmers tan" you are not seen as fashionable, but as a low class worker compared to those with full body tans who "got them at the beach on their vacation"
I watched a recent video of Lab Muffin regarding spray sun screen. Its best to spray on your hand then apply, as you waste a lot of the spray if you try to spray around your face and body. Sheer sunscreen lotions might be better for this reason.
Could there be a potential video surrounding how well mixed fiber fabrics work for cooling. A lot of stores sell linnen blends to reduce costs, but I wonder how effective they really are
A lot of them will end up being in-between linen and whatever the other fiber is. Linen-cotton or linen-rayon will still breathe pretty well, linen-poly probably a lot less so.
At a LARP this summer, at several points, I was out in the sun and used my giant (as long as my lower arm+ a good bit of my hand) folding fan as a makeshift shade provider. Was quite nice for my eyes.
Just wanted to add that Australia has some great guidelines about sun exposure accounting for skin tone that were developed to balance the need for vitamin D and the risk of skin cancer! The guardian has an article about it (which includes a link to the research, the research has more detail than the article does on recommendations) called “Australia’s sun safety guidelines updated to take account of diverse skin types”
Sunscreen X - I see its ad in Weston country: ''This will protect you AND help you look tanned!" I see its ad in Asian country: ''This will protect you AND help you stay as pale as possible!"
I'm slowly changing my wardrobe because my fibromyalgia just can't handle the heat of summer anymore (plus my area has gotten measurably hotter in the past 20 years). High temperature drains me and the feeling of infrared from the sun/pavement is awful. I need 2 layers at least to not feel like my skin is being broiled :( I'm moving to looser clothes i can layer to accommodate the temp change over the course of a day
An important aspect of sunbathing history is missing: wide spread of rickets due to lack of sun exposure and poor nutrition. Especially the growing industrial cities offered poor cousing conditions to the poor. With the growing understanding of the disease at the end of the 19 th century, sunbathing and cod liver oil became associated with a healthy body. The reform movement made bathing and sunbathing a symbol for health and vitality. The first products and clubs for sunbathing and public pools were founded. And rickets became a thing of the past.
Light colored and loose weave fabrics tend to allow more sunshine through, so a loose, densly knit (better than woven) and darkly dyed fabric will block more sun than those airy, transluscent whites. Also, wet fabric also blocks less than dry fabric due to the water shrinking the fibers and stretching the weave / knit.
I don't have a lot of experience with ren faire clothing but for the last twenty years or so I've started my day by washing my face and applying sunblock. I still freckle and blotch a bit on my arms and neck, but I haven't actually had a sunburn in years (the one time I did in recent memory was from going out on the water for longer than expected, wearing a lot less than I usually do and I missed a few spots with the extra sunblock). And I rarely leave the house without a ballcap on because I get a headache from sun on my head within half an hour being outside bare-headed in the sun. But my experience with steel plate armour at medieval festivals definitely shows that that I'm much happier when my skin is out of the sun, and we joke in my fight group that plate mail is SPF 1 million. Though some airflow through the cotton gambeson underneath would be preferable when the outdoor temperature is 30c/85F with humidity and we're fighting in what amounts to a winter coat under a steel shell.... we hydrate A LOT and hope we don't have to pee before we can get out of armour. My mom can do the wet shirt thing (she is very sensitive ot hear and has a specific cooling vest for when we have to go out in beekeeping equipment when it's hot) but my skin gets really irritated when left damp, and in Ontario, heat almost always comes with humidity, and even my own sweat can make me itchy enough that I'll give myself minor skin rubs from scratching sensitive areas like the insides of my wrist, and anywhere I've got skin on skin when it's hot and the seat can't evaporate quickly, I need to tuck fabric in if I'm sweating and it's not evaporating. I find it very interesting that her vented bee suit (three layers of synthetic netting) can actually be warmer than my cotton coverall style bee suit if there's not enough of a breeze to force air through it. I've been contemplating making my own bee suit out of linen, maybe multiple layers for better sting protection (been stung through my suit three times, usually when a bee has been pinched in a fold of my clothing up against my skin).
@@SnappyDragon Honestly, when wearing it, the gambeson does a great job of protecton, and heat dissipation there's a HUGE difference in the surface temperature of the amour I'm wearing vs if I'd taken it off and left it in the sun (bad plan, don't ever do that, throw a blanket over it or you probably could fry an egg on it, but if I've been out in the sun wearing it, it's quite safe to touch.
If you haven't, you should listen to the This Podcast Will Kill You episode on skin cancer. They cover the history of sunscreen as well, and it is fascinating!
When I went to China in the summer, practically nobody dared to keep skin in the sun. Umbrellas, visors, upf sleeves - the norm was to use sun protection.
I want parasols back but the only parasols these days are made by overpriced EGL brands. I'm not paying a fortune just because they slapped the Angelic Pretty logo on it. We need affordable parasols.
Try searching for sun protection umbrellas. I get them for like $25 each, and they last a couple years of frequent use and being chucked in the back of the car. They also have pretty patterns on them!
As a fair skinned blonde living in the Middle East, I've come up with a few ways over the years to prevent sunburn. I do wear loose, light colored natural fiber blouses and skirts, but I also wear tightly woven natural fiber underlayers (tank tops, pettipants, etc). A mitpachat or tichel is a great way to keep the sun off your scalp and the back of your neck. However, this is only a supplement to SPF 50 sunscreen - I never leave the house without it. Fair skin + certain medications = vampire. Mostly I stay comfy. Also I avoid leaving the house between 11 AM and 4 PM.
See that schedule would *wreck* me. I'm rarely out of my pajamas and fit for public consumption before 11, but I also go to sleep at 10pm like the old lady I secretly am.
@minngael Believe it or not I've never felt safer. I don't live in a gated community but my neighborhood is quiet, lots of kids, lots of dogs. There are places you don't go after dark but everywhere is like that.
Complete body coverage was my discovery of lifetime this year, actually. I am a person with ridiculous megabolism who overheats in an instant, and with bad skin reaction to sun at that (it's not even a matter of tan, I get called a vampire by friends because even in winter exposure to direct sunlight can lead to impedigo-like skin changes). This combo has been a nightmare for me for years, because on one hand, I should be covering myself up to avoid the skin reaction, but it would also lead to me overheating and getting dizzy and just.... overall wanting to die. So instead, I'd just go out in as skimpy a clothing as I could get away with withing my comfort zone and slather myself with SPF creams. But this year, I have finally made myself an 18th century Scottissh petticoat with a cotton flannel, ankle-length and all and....... it has been the coolest I have ever had my legs feel in summer in my entire life? So I went, hey, I only live once. Let me just get a parasol and get some secondhand linen and cotton tops. Oddly enough, so far my best combination for going out ended up being the petticoat (with a secondry petticoat underneath for volume, cause we're not about to get half-assed with anything in this house!), a form-fitting old crop-top I nicked from my mother made of thick linen with cotton satin inner layer, and a black cotton long-sleeve tied shirt over it (think "pirate" in terms of the overall cut of that one, I suppose). Complete the look with a cotton parasol and........ I suddenly have spent a whole day out walking around St. Dominic's Fair where previously I'd call for a break in the shadow after an hour, maybe two hours tops. Not a single adverse reaction from my skin in sight. Can't guarantee how good the actual sun protection is with the (rather thin, all in all) cotton shirt, but I have not noticed any tanning whatsoever, and no skin reaction, either, so.... seems to be working just fine! I've also had a similar experience with a thicker cotton 18th century shirt I had made for the historical dance group I'm a part of before, though that one tended to be less comfortable to use in heat due to a thick woolen vest we wore it with. Though this said, it actually worked just fine even WITH that thick black wool, so long as we were only walking around. Spending two hours dancing in the getup around noon outdoors is when things started getting a bit too sweaty XD tl;dr: reject SPF, return to parasol and organic long sleeves!! Gods know I'm not gonna look back from this clothing choice.
I have a friend that is as sensitive to the sun as you. She likes to wear a dark colored veil and gloves to protect herself in the summer, as she is unable to use a lot of sunscreen due to some ingredients. It also fits her aesthetic.
I hate the feel of sunscreen here in the US. I will have to look into Korean and Japanese brands. I currently wear long sleeves and use a hat and parasol. My parasol is pretty purple on the oustide and black on the inside(I dont remember its rating). I have had a number of people comment that its not raining when I'm out walking with my parasol, but I have just as many say they need to get themselves one. Oddly, security at parks and fairs seem to hate my parasol and frequently tell me to put it away.
I grew up in the late 70s early 80s, and the SPF numbers/strengths that were available and sold, were ridiculously (aka dangerously) low. I can remember my Mom using NR 10 and NR 16 on me. Only putting the cream on once and never "topping up"/renewing a the layer of lotion after we had been swimming. 'Back in the day' it was trendy & very hip to come back from a Summer vacation in France, Spain or Italy: being "dark" brown. I wonder how many people from those Baby Boomers developed skin Cancer. These days we have Government & Health Insurance Companies warning us, citizens, to use high protective Sunscreen lotion and stay out of the sun if possible. And that having suffered sunburnt in your youth seriously increases the chances for developing skin Cancer at a later stage. Times sure have changed for the better. 👍🏻😊
I can instantly think of two relatives of that generation who have suffered the consequences of sun exposure, both of pale white European origin and spent a lot of time in tropical sunshine when it wasn't a thing to use sunscreen. They have been blessed with access to decent medical interventions.
Yeah dear @@tiandao8503, many of my friends here in The Netherlands did the same thing here in The Netherlands 🇳🇱. I had/have an 🇺🇲 Family friend, of my age, would use 😯Coca Cola as an "accelerant" to get really brown. I think that some people do that while cooking Hams to give them a golden glow during backing/grilling. 😅
I can report on my Baby Boomer mom, certainly. Slathering yourself in not only baby oil but also iodine was all the rage to get those bronze tans, and my mom in her twenties was all over that! At 67 years old and with arms covered in sun spots both darker and lighter than her skin, it's something she regrets now and really stressed sun protection to me when I was little. She caught a skin cancer or two on her and fully removed it when it was super early, so she's thankfully experienced nothing in the way of serious complications.
I keep hearing about korean and Japanese sunscreen but I have absolutely no idea where to start looking for that. If anyone has suggestions for european based online store I would greatly appreciate it
I usually have to order from Korean online stores that ship worldwide. The shipping can be slower because of the distance, but it's not too expensive in my experience.
Not fashion related, but if you drive to the Ren faire, and leave your car there for a full day, put a tinfoil base on your dashboard, core some apples, fill with cinnamon and sugar and cloves and things and then leave them there in the sun all day. Your car will smell lovely and you will have a baked apple waiting for you at the end of the day!
My favourite sun protection is a combination of a long fluffy flowing skirt to keep the sun off of my feet and legs, preferably brightly coloured or floral or my favourite one that wore out several years ago was a very fine and thin cotton batik that had so much more fabric in the skirt than most of the skirts I’ve had since then because it could be pleated down much more densely into the waistband which made it so much more pretty fluffy airy and comfortable, and a loose fitting open long sleeve top over my tank top to keep the sun off of my arms and back, and a giant golf umbrella for general shade and to keep the sun off of my head neck chest and hands and to provide additional cooling by keeping the sun off of my other loose outer layers. Having a good sun umbrella makes a huge difference to how comfortable I am when I have to go outdoors in the summer in the daytime.
I get headaches from the sun so I often use an umbrella. I also wear, after a long and steep learning curve, long skirts and long sleeves as they are right for me. Ramie, hemp, linen or a blend of these keep me the coolest. They are a pain to find in clothing weights if I do not want to break the bank.
Giant Patio umbrella FTW shade, and it doesn't block the breeze. but also, cotton lawn. fine weave, breezy, you don't notice you're wearing sleeves. and a yearly mole measure with a qualified person, because it's best to catch 'em small when you can shave off the problematic bit and only have to wear a bandaid for a few days.
Goodness, I want a shade for my patio so much! Unfortunately I'd have to get permission from building management, they don't like people setting up umbrellas because the wind can literally blow them off the balcony if not properly secured.
@@SnappyDragon very true. Ours gets taken down over the bay area rainy season. And for sunny days with wind I have the porch awning or the lemon tree for shade. And windy + lemon tree risks softball sized lemons to the head. I do have a little portable shade umbrella that clips to my folding camp chair, it takes forever to adjust properly, but it's useful for kiddo soccer games.
Pro tip for long-distance road trips - fishing gloves for your hands. They have sun protection and also a bit of grip. I tried hiking gloves, but my hands slipped around on the steering wheel too much. Also removable sun sleeves or a long sleeved button down to wear over your driving clothes when the sun comes out.
my basic outfit is trousers/jeans a t shirt and a shirt/overshirt/jacket and so far in extreme heatwaves i still feel more comfortable in short sleeves or linen openweave than in most of my shirts, the tightweaves and stiffer cottons somehow clig more to my skin and make things warmer. I plan on sewing a caftan-like garment to replace my bathrobes i wear to cover myself when i wake up in the summertime (i have those heavy towel like robes with are way too warm); and i figured it would a nice esthetic/dressy layer to replace my handknit cardigans and shirts during the day. The fabric is a tighter weave, possibly in cotton (i think an opaque cotton lawn) printed in a dark indian pattern and the design will be covering and really flowy so it should tick all the marks of heat and sun protecting
I love a good lightweight robe! My usual one is made from an old duvet cover, and i'm currently finishing one made from leftover printed cotton lawn from a dress.
I made a lovely silk caftan out of half of a vintage sari found on ebay. Basically, a full width length of fabric to cover ankle to shoulder to ankle. A T shaped slit with a matching facing placed just behind the centre shoulder line. The old hem - a strip of cotton sewn along the sari hem - made an inner casing at waist level across the centre half. Two buttonholes centre front allowed a tie to be threaded through. Minimal sewing, maximum comfort, totally elegant. £12 so < $20. Probably have to pay 8 to 10 times that to buy.
Rewatching this excellent video i can highly recommend importing german "sun milk" and sun spray! gets absorbed very quickly (within seconds), is available in SPF 50, and doesn't wash away like older creams. You should still reapply it after exiting the water, but it doesn't gunk up pools, and it doesn't leave a greasy, sweaty residue in one's folds.
Your comment about darker fabrics being cooler makes me wonder about the burkas of the middle east that tend to be black or dark colors. As a westerner, I think of those as being very hot and uncomfortable, but now I'm wondering if that's just a bias from my own culture.
Oo a couple things; 1) although the Saudi niqab style that has become ubiquitous recently is usually black, cultural dress in the (VERY diverse and sometimes cold) Islamicate world has frequently opted for white and light colors. Larger draped white veils were standard in North Africa, Türkiye, other hot places probably, while black or brown face veils (often but not always worn with colorful clothing) were standard in the balkans and asia, generally cooler climates than n.Africa. There is a huge variety of cultural dress across both the “Middle East” and in the larger world of Muslim societies that is SO under appreciated with Arab supremacy and lack of accessible literature. 2) due to the looseness of the clothing creating a sort of insulation, we tend to see that the shade of fabric has less of an effect on body temperature than western clothing that, even when loose, usually tightened in at the waist, sleeve cuffs, etc, reducing the efficaciousness of looseness. (I remember a specific study where they wore identical thobes in black and white on a walk in the desert and saw little difference in thermometers placed on the body, but cannot track down on my mobile device, aaaaa!!!)
I figure in that climate, you're going to be a certain amount of hot and uncomfortable-until-you-get-accustomed, so you might as well keep the sun off?
I have wondered the same thing! I work outside and always wear a bandanna over my face and a big sun hat for sun protection and I have come to realize that when the temperatures go above 98° outside, having my face and skin totally covered actually makes me cooler because the temperature outside is above my normal body temperature. So I could imagine that wearing a Burka in temperatures above 98° would actually keep somebody much cooler than wearing less covering clothes would.
That's very true about the ren faire too. I wore a wool cloak last time and it was so much cooler with the cloak than without. And I convinced my dad to wear a cloak too (though he chose a cotton/poly blend) and he was like "I'll probably take it off when it gets too hot" and then proceeded to attempt to do this and found the same thing - cloak on was better.
Love a good cloak! I often wear or bring my arisaidh to Faires when I'm a patron, it's been super useful in rain and I imagine it could help with sun too!
A good facial sunscreen for not too much money: Trader Joe's. The tube is small enough to go in a purse or pocket (for reapplication) and not so pricey that you'll apply less than you should. It is on the oily side, but it rubs on clear so there will never be streaks. Heard about it on Lab Muffin Beauty...she knows her stuff
I’ve worn a smock and linen partlet with a square necked Elizabethan Kirtle. Never burned through the handkerchief weight white linen. Bonus I’ve done the soak your linen cap in water and wear it. Very cooling. Especially where I live, that’s very dry.
As someone whose face burns SO easily and also hates the greasy texture of western sunscreens, I am now very intrigued about Korean sunscreens...do you have any recommendations?
UPF clothing in East Asia has a bigger diversity of styles at an affordable price due to the higher usage. I’ve found that US sun protection is either very sporty or very expensive resort/vacation wear. I think the middle ground is often forgotten.
As a natural red head I started using Neutrogena Helioplex products for sunscreen a few years back and it has been great. Light-weight formula that isn’t greasy and doesn’t wear off. They even have a sport version for when you know you’re going to be more active. (5K walks because why not 😂)
One of the midwest festivals I used to work has a queen who wears the low square neckline on her chemise. One day she forgot her sunscreen and burned bad enough to leave a line until the start of the next season, not a spec of burn or tan on her arms though.
I recently went to a Ren Faire in a black linen historical pirate shirt that I made and I was SO hot in it. Rolling up the sleeves to expose my bare skin greatly helped cool me down. Sunburns aren't a thing that really happen to me so I can't speak to that, but I felt a notably heat difference once I had some of the fabric off my skin.
I knew about using clothes for sun protection already, but I've been having a such a nicer summer than usual because I've actually been wearing sunscreen this year. I have really oily skin, so the heavy American sunscreens really got on my nerves. But I recently started a very light skincare routine (I'd had this weird macho hangup about not wanting to wash my face outside the shower because it was overly fussy, and I struggle to create routines due to ADHD, but I decided enough was enough and I'd go decipher all them facial washes at the store), which involves a light lotion in the morning. WOW. This stuff is magic. It's really light and airy, but it's got a built in sunscreen, so I don't have to get all that grease all over my face to wear sunscreen anymore. It's AWESOME. I've also been wearing hats and sunglasses more (I'd just been forgetting to do so, and I'm placing my sunglasses and hats by the door so I remember they exist). And, I got a Mandalorian helmet for this upcoming Halloween, which is really fun because if I'm sitting in my backyard with that on (listen we all have our hobbies), I've got basically a hat with built-in sunglasses on. Since I wear an arming cap under it (I've been wearing the helmet to get accustomed to the feel of it and get the padding in the cap to settle Just So), which is shaped much like a balaclava, so long as I'm wearing pants or a long skirt and a short sleeved shirt, literally the only bit I have to put sunscreen on is my arms. I don't even get the back of neck gap I usually end up getting a burn on from my sunhat. Anyways! My main point is please, people, find sunscreen you like, it's not all that heavy stuff! Save the heavy sunscreen for things like your arms, sure, but for the face and neck, there are better, more pleasant sunscreens. We have the technology!
Personally, I know everyone gives crap to the people playing pirates at ren faire, but I gotta say a huge poofy linen poet shirt and cavalier hat does "faire"ly well
I’m not an expert on this so hopefully someone who knows has commented, but I understood that the UV rays that cause sunburn and those that cause long term skin damage are different. So that might be the factor in why light clothes have a low UPF: enough to prevent sunburn but not long term damage?
The vizard was even worse than that for women because there was nothing to attach it to the head. There was a little button at the mouth part that women had to hold with lips or teeth effectively keeping them silent the whole time
I use everything - Japanese sunscreens, long sleeves, long skirts, stockings, special upf clothing, hats, gloves. I sew my own clothing so I use linen and lyocell and they are good both in summer and in winter. Thinking about buying a weimao - a Chinese bamboo hat with a veil. I've tried modern hats that cover the face but they are definitely not comfy. I also suffer from heat so fans and cooling neck rings are helpful. Maybe, I wouldn't try to cover everything but I get bad reactions from the sun.
As someone who works with women migrants I find our western norms not so normal when it comes to the sun, especially in Australia where the UV is so high- they will say that they hate how even with pants and long sleeved garments especially in summer they notice how fast they tan. As a white woman with a genetic predisposition to skin cancer (seriously- brca2), I avoid the sun, so we have that in common. Going abroad it feels weird that the sun and heat which mean danger here are almost okay sometimes. In terms of colour- definitely lighter coloured garments fare better in Australia- I love black, but me and my students - women migrants who usually have to cover up- find that in hot dry heat- up to 45 degrees Celsius/114 Fahrenheit- light coloured and lighter fabrics suit best. If we’re showing our cultural capital in Australia-it’s the western norm of a tan (fake and sun with fake) or the eastern ideal being fair complexion for those communities- mostly speaking. Which speaks to the leisure class theories (ie Veblen, sociologist here) - for western women with fair skin being tanned shows we have time to vacation in the sun, for non white cultures being fair shows they don’t need to work in the sun- I wouldn’t say just east Asia but all Asian cultures have this as their ideal. The visard sounds like a burka? But maybe less comfortable? In terms of times to use the pool (or beach) look at when the high UV times are and avoid them!
Please, do not wish me a bright and hot summer! I live in Brazil, summers here are hell! This year we have *finally* been getting some chilly winter days the lats few days, I don't even want to think about when the heat comes back! 😩
i have had some truly epic sunburns. i usually turn in to a lobster or rudolf. problem is that i hate tan lines on my self. i usually wear sleeveless in the summer. i have dry skin but i don't like most lotions because it feels like cake batter or it smells bad. i need to change!
About sun protection. A lot of UV exposure depends on how far poleward one is. I currently live near Moscow, and here, I spent a lot of time at the beach and still barely got tanned, as a fairly pale white woman, and it was despite the very sunny weather. Russian traditional wear doesn't contain nearly as many sun protection frilly bits, probably for this reason, with in some regions\social groups, unmarried women not wearing any hair covering. So, I would theorize that Northern Europe, because it has a climate were the zone of agriculture is far more poleward than the rest of the World because of the Gulf Stream, the local population, on average, didn't invest in creating sun-protective cosmetics. Now, I do consider most skin tones to be attractive in their own right, from snow-white to almost ebony, in their own right. Near the Great Lakes, or near the Tropics, it doesn't matter how much sunscreen I apply, I will burn. Now, sunscreen, I don't mind in summer, the wet greesiness when it's hot to warm...In the Winter, sunscreen is a pain, with water-based ones being the worst. Like, were I live it's fairly cold, and most sunscreens contain moisturizer...Which my skin hates when it's cold. I feel like it's freezing from the inside out. I never spent winters were it's warm enough to wear moisturizers, so I never did. Petrolium jelly or pure fat is okay, anything else...No. In the winter, I can't exfoliate either...Now, my discomfort of moisturizers in the winter might come from sensory issues... Again, in Russia, callused or scarred skin in men isn't considered ugly, to the point female fans would gush over those of celebreties or fictional characters. And I see why: having thick, rough skin makes the continental climate a lot more pleasant to live in. Hydrated skin is a pain when you live in a cold, continental climate. Like, when I still lived in Sudbury, the climate was so dry I could spend weeks without washing my hair. Going in a moister area: two days. My skin hates moisturizers with a burning passion. It doesn't matter which ones, only petrolium jelly and lip balm is barable around the nose and lips, even if I have fairly oily skin that is very climate sensitive. As a teen, I had acne, but the weather was so dry it didn't form pimples, instead it just my skin peeling off around a ball of pus. Growing up, I had very delicate skin until puberty. Like, greesiness and and acne is a welcome break from having bad reactions to the most innocent of makeup or fun activities.
I hate the feeling of sunscreen on my face. I love my big, floppy hat. It even has a hole to put my ponytail through the back and is secured by elastic.
@@sarahr8311 It's a hat I found on Amazon a couple of years ago. Nothing fancy. It sort of looks like a fisherman's hat. "Muryobao Women's Ponytail Sun Hat UV Protection Foldable Mesh Wide Brim Beach Fishing Hat" is what they called it. Hope this helps.
My favourite thing about wearing all black in summer is that I can be goth and have UPF . . . but it makes making a character for myself and kids at the ren faire a little more complicated than 'local peasants turned out to gawk at the Queen'
Butbutbut! Black was a super high-class color in the 16th century because it was so hard and expensive to dye. So, if you're in all black, including your linens, you're definitely not peasants!
I volunteered at a fantasy Renaissance faire. Inevitably some young pale person would show up in an outfit that exposed lots of skin that doesn't usually see the sun. My character being brash, bold and forward would pounce on them offering very anachronistic spf 50 sports sunscreen in a can. One two many sunburns in my teens and 20s. . . I never worried about the people in long skirts and wrist length blouses. . .
I remember being part of a local theater group doing some bits of Shakespeare at a Ren Faire. First thing in the morning I waved the sunscreen at everyone and they dutifully applied it. Two hours later they ignored my suggestions to reapply. Guess who was the only one who didn't get sunburned...
When I go out to be in the sun, I dress in a full longish skirt, and carry a parasol, or wear a wide brimmed hat. If a hat, I also wear long sleeves long sleeve
No renfaire, but I Always found impressive how my grandma's gandoura is so much cooler while being dark intense blue and covering most of the body. I guess that now I know.
Etude House is a popular mid-price-range recommendation I hear a lot. Missha is usually more expensive but also has a wider range of sunscreens than Etude House. (And to add on to SnappyDragon's response, both can leave a white cast on darker skin. Actually that may be true for all Japanese and Korean sunscreens, but it also seems to vary by person, so YMMV.) Biore UV is possible *the* cheapest, and while I personally haven't tried it I've heard good things about it online (I need a matte sunscreen to combat my oily skin, and Korean and Japanese sunscreens tend to be 'dewy'). Anessa is another popular Japanese sunscreen brand I hear recommended a lot, as well as Omi. (I haven't tried either.) Finally, I personally like Beauty of Joseon. Hope that helps!
Usually it's the mineral UV filters that cause the white cast (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide). The other filters are transparent, so don't leave the cast.
I hate applying sunscreen to my body-- not just because it feels gross, but also just because it's a lot of skin!! So when I swim during the day, I wear a long sleeve sun shirt and usually a swim dress. Daytime swimming is usually in a kind of murky lake, so my legs aren't in too much danger. I usually choose to swim in the evening, though, so I don't need to worry much about covering up. I garden after my yard is in the shade (luckily, my house is 3 levels above my yard, so that happens no later than 6pm and before 5 now), and I seek out shade wherever possible. I'm all about parasols and have a collection of vintage umbrellas to match my wardrobe. Plus TONS of hats-- mostly vintage. I do have sunscreen, but because there's some worries about chemical sunscreens causing cancer, and I'm at high risk for skin cancer thanks to a genetic cancer causing syndrome, I'm a mineral sunscreen fan. I've got lots of good face sunscreens, but they're so expensive and small bottles, so I can't afford to slather my body with them. So I try to keep my face well sunscreened, but my body is mostly about keeping covered and in the shade
Yuuuup this is why I don't like to coat my whole body in sunscreen if I can get around it. I've found a few Japanese ones that come in big bottles, but it's still a *lot*.
I live in Florida, am fair skinned and my mother died of melanoma so I'm at a much higher risk of developing it as opposed to the general population. Oh, and I garden and work outside a lot. I wear (from top to bottom) a large brimmed hat, an extra large man's cotton long sleeve dress shirt (you can get these at thrift stores). It has a high color, can button up and long sleeves. I wear 3/4 length pants (think capris) and knee high rubber boots. So with the exception of my hands, I am completely covered from the sun. I don't know what my rating is, but I haven't had a sunburn in this outfit ever. And keeping the sun directly off my skin does help me not feel so hot.
I think we're told so often that the best way to stay cool is to wear *less* clothing, it doesn't occur to us that dressing as you do can actually keep you cooler! I have a friend who dresses similarly for outdoor work in hot weather, but he soaks the outer shirt in water to stay cool.
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When i volunteer at a local historic site, i end up spending half the time explaining that our clothes help keep us from both burning and over heating.
thank you for doing this important work! 💚
Same! After explaining it, people are always like "makes sense". Also up here in Finland and Scandinavia long sleeves and hems are extremely useful against mosquitoes (locals usually know that, but the discussions I had of Facebook with people not from the area...).
@@BethAge95 we have a mosquito problem here, too! People understand that better than it protecting us from the heat
Full historically accurate plague doctor outfit. Wore it once to a Ren Faire in September. Was very safe from the sun. Almost passed out from dehydration.
No, I will not stop wearing it.
Gotta hide a hydration pack in there!
@@SnappyDragon Oh now I'm absolutely gonna abuse my paramedic powers and hook myself up to IV fluids on the DL.
Fun fact that I learned in grad school: those black vizard masks were also sometimes worn by upper-class women in the evenings, when they wanted to do things like go to the theatre but didn’t want to be seen in public for whatever reason. Samuel Pepys actually writes in his diary about taking his wife out to buy one.
Yeah, I remember reading about similar-looking masks being worn at festivals in 18thC Italy! I hadn't gotten a chance to look into the continuity between them.
Venice Carnival masks are fascinating, but also the 'everyday' masks like the moretta, black velvet, full face, and held on by gripping a button between your teeth. the lady could decide when she wanted to talk to a would-be-suiter, but also had a built in reason not to. or the Bauta, a black silk and lace hood falling to the mid upper arm, with a white volto, which was, at one point, required for women going to the theater. their use of masks, and standardized masks, to allow gender and class mixing, is such a weird segment of history you don't see to such an extent other places.
@@sallythekolcatI'd like to learn more about the gender- and class-neutral masks!
What Era where? I'll look up "moretta" as a starting point 🤞
I play a bard in my local Ren Faire and always wear my high neckline chemise on the hotter sunnier days. Also my character is known for her giant straw hat. It covers my face and neck so I'm not squinting in the sun without sunglasses.
Also I know this is well known but I am the biggest fan of making my garb out of linen! It's the actual best!
this is reminding me, I gotta repair the ties on my ren faire hat before my next one!
@@SnappyDragon you definitely need those ties! I didn't have them at first and my hat kept blowing off my head as I played and I really couldn't chase after it with my hurdy gurdy strapped to me 🤣 luckily a gracious patron grabbed it for me!
The year I got this hat, there was a torrential rainstorm on the opening weekend of one of my local Faires. I ended up needing both the ties *and* a giant hatpin to keep the hat on from the wind, but getting wet in the rain gave it the most perfect curve!
Ren fair costume director here. In my experience, having skin completely covered does prevent sunburn and heat exhaustion in the majority of my cast (dehydrated teens and armor wearers being the exception). We weather temps from mid fifties up to 90 depending on the year. But I'm in Alaska, so im sure that's a factor for the sunburn aspect.
I've heard it's super helpful for dealing with the heat, at least as long as it's with breathable fibers!
I'm an African American who's spent the last 20+ years living in central Texas. I don't really burn, but the sun _stings_ in summer. As in, it's uncomfortable for it to hit exposed skin while I'm driving. The difference between the permanent tan on my limbs and face and unexposed torso concerns me. I took a hint from my South Asian and Middle Eastern neighbors' summer clothes- long, loose traditional clothing in white, lightweight cotton- and started wearing white cotton button-down tops as jackets when I go out. It's been working great to make me feel better. Wide leg, lightweight cotton or flax pants work better than shorts, too. I've shopped around online for a parasol, because just walking out into the Texas sun is like getting hit with a hammer, and I'd like to have a shield on hand to at least minimize the blow. I wouldn't mind a whole bit on specifically on parasols from around the world, and their different designs. With maybe some links to artisans? Or even just tips for spotting the good stuff?
It's not nearly as cool as a properly historical looking parasol, but you can buy SPF umbrellas online and I find them quite good. I burn easy, but with a broad hat, t shirt, and umbrella I can stay out all day without needing sunscreen.
I did a test of cotton, silk and linen chemises at TnRF back in the 90s. They all helped with sun damage. Linen was coolest in heat and warmest in cold. Silk best in cold and cotton best in heat. I wear a lot of linen.
That tracks! I'm looking forward to testing mine at a ren faire in the next few weeks-- we'll see if my arms burn through my chemise sleeves or not.
As someone who likes to dress like a witch even in summer, I'm loving this veil idea. Especially since my sun hat is a bit loose and keeps trying to fly away
Witch hat with a veil over it, a la 15thC pointed henins?
@@SnappyDragon Had to look up henin and 🤣 I was actually thinking more veil fabric coming down from some kind of wide brimmed hat but now I think I have to at least try a henin. Just for the laugh😜✨ Thanks Snappy👍
@@spencertrusque7966 regency bonnet veils may be your sort of thing
@@Sewcial-Anxietea Found a couple pics and am quite intrigued. The real question is am I too lazy to make a bonnet 😅
@@spencertrusque7966 I've seen a lot of bonnet-shaped sun hats in stores lately, with no back brim. Could be a good base. And as it's August, summer hats may be on discount.
I'm allergic to UVA radiation - I'll get hives and systemic symptoms in as little as 3-5 minutes in our peak summer here in the American Midwest. And honestly trying to use sunscreen to control the condition is borderline impossible. I tried. For years. I had a lot of awful reactions and always felt sticky. Eventually I started to take inspiration from Arabic and West Asian fashion and realized that covering up > slathering yourself in chemicals. No contest. I now wear long sleeved, full length, high neck, natural fiber clothes all the time. Oversized chambray and cotton-selvage button downs are a go-to as are midweight linen maxi skirts. I typically wear a short sleeved or sleeveless layer underneath (and around the house) and then pop on the long sleeved "duster" over top. I also wear wide brimmed hats, scarves (sometimes on my head sometimes not) and a UPF ultralight backpacking umbrella. I wear SPF on my face, and sometimes on my hands. I have exponentially fewer reactions now, treating my condition this way, than I did before. AND I don't feel sticky. It was a learning curve to get the breathability to UV protectiveness ratio right. And to find a good umbrella. And to find a way to style these clothes that felt authentic to me. But it's great!
Turns out, fashion developed in extremely sunny places is not bad for keeping the sun off!
I have lupus (SLE) and sun exposure is a no-no. I'm also prone to itching and breaking out from sunscreen... Even the lightest gentlest sunscreen feels like hell after a few minutes. I've been wearing hats and covering up for a few years now, but my rheumatologist insisted that I get some mineral sunscreen... After she looked at my face and saw red patches from my eczema. I got some cera ve lightweight moisturizing sunscreen and it left my face looking like I was trying out clown paint. I'm pale (obv) but this stuff looked awful, and it irritated the eczema.
I'm just going to do what I found that works for me. If it's too sunny I'll just use an umbrella.
@@fjolliff6308 I can totally empathize! A few more detailed things I've found that work for me. The hiking umbrellas from ultralight company Six Moon Designs are my favorite for UV protection, they're comfortable to hold, durable, and really work. The UPF hats from Outback Trading Company and Wallaroo are also a go-to for me. In terms of sunscreen, the only one I've consistently had luck with for my face is a 100% mineral from Mad Hippie, it's like a serum texture and doesn't leave any white residue.
Any brand recommendations for clothing?
@@anaerobic I make most of my own skirts and dresses and can highly recommend using midweight linen or linen blends for those. I typically wear Onno brand bamboo t shirts as a base layer and then pop on any opaque oversized button down. Marine Layer and Pact and Patagonia all make good ones and have nice transparent supply chain practices.
I'm here on Lady Knight The Brave's recommendation. This was interesting!
I’m from NZ and tourists from the northern hemisphere always underestimate how strong the sun is in the southern hemisphere. I have been known to get sunburnt in the middle of winter! (I am very pale)
Europeans in particular are very likely to underestimate how intense the sun is when we’re visiting places outside of Europe because the European climate throws off our “sun intensity calibration” (New Zealand is as close to the equator as Spain but has a climate more similar to that of England).
I've struggled with acne since I was a tween, and after starting to use rice berry sunscreen by liittllextra, my skin is very sensitive, extremely dry, and still very prone to breakouts and flare-ups. I strongly suggest this sunscreen if you have sensitive, dry skin and are dealing with acne. I usually apply it over rice berry moisturizer and it feels amazing! It's so moisturizing and makes my skin feel so plump, it doesn’t sting my eyes or any part of my face, and as far as I can tell, it hasn’t caused any breakouts. It imparts a lovely glow, which boosts my confidence about my skin despite the severe acne. Highly recommend this sunscreen! There’s hope for all my acne-struggling friends out there!
I recall a friend suggested riceberry sunscreen to me over the summer, and I immediately bought it. I’ve been applying it since then, and I’ve absolutely loved it! I’m combination skin type. I’ve even introduced my mom to this product. It gives such a good finish. I’ve also tried the Requil one, but for some reason I don’t like how it just sits on my skin. So, riceberry any day.
In Australia, where ozone depletion is worse, SPF 50 is the norm. But even that doesn’t go far these days. In summer my English skin can burn just walking 5 mins to the bus - so roll on long sleeves, higher necklines and my light, reflective hiking umbrella as a parasol.
Yay fore cottage core fashions that make this less outlandish!
I have oily skin and hate how heavy most sunscreens are (I'm in the usa) and they can make me break out. Can't wait to look in to Korean sunscreens, if they keep my face from feeling like a bucket of oil I would love it.
A lot of them are either very lightweight and absorb well so they don't add oil, or are pretty decently mattifying.
I also recently found out about this lovely lightweight facial sunscreen, it's by this brand called Acure? I picked it up at the grocery store because it was the cheapest face lotion they had with built in sunscreen, but wow, it's just a joy to use. I have oily skin, so I get worried about moisturising my face in general (bc yeah it makes me break out like crazy), but this one is really airy and smooth, and doesn't leave little white streaks or feel greasy or anything. I'm actually wearing sunscreen daily now for the first time in my life.
I dislike sunscreen on my face. When I sweat, it runs into my eyes and make my eyeballs sting. If there’s a formula without that problem, I’m happily use it.
I used to get very irritated eyes from sunscreen, and I found that using either newer UV filters (uvinul, tinosorb, all the stuff the US FDA hasn't caught up to) or zinc oxide solves that problem.
@@saraquill I find I'm much happier using the mineral based water resistant "Simply Protect" kid or baby lotionfrom Banana Boat, it's only greasy if I overapply, it stays on my arms even after washing garden dirt off and it doesn't sting my eyes when I sweat or taste bad if I get it on my lips.
I've been wearing spf religiously since 2018 thanks to Dr. Dray lol! I also discovered a love for wearing historical-ish clothing around that time as well. I'm a happy happy gal with my long sleeves and high collars in the summer. I also use an umbrella as well but I've actually had people rudely confront me about this in the wild (I know it's not raining!!) Skin Aqua super moisture UV gel is my daily sunscreen of choice btw. It's a lovely lightweight Japanese sunscreen.
I was taught to wear face SPF daily as a teenager, but I had to get really serious about it when I started using perscription acne treatments 😅 How silly of people to bother you about the parasol! Worst case, I hear they're good for smacking people
I am a bus driver and in my previous job I opted for the white long sleeved shirt for my uniform which puzzled my co workers who had the short sleeved versions as they thought the long sleeves would have been hotter. I was more concerned with keeping the sun off my skin and not getting sunburned or courting more skin damage. I wish long sleeves for summer were an option for my current work uniform - but I'm considering making under sleeves that will attach to my bra straps to keep the sun off my arms.
Sun exposure is such a thing while in vehicles! I don't drive and am usually in the passenger seat when in a car, and I have noticeably more freckles on my right side than my left.
It took me over a decade to find a sunscreen that I don't hate (and thus avoid using). Korean sunscreen is the best, no sensory issues, no weird smell, no grease, just hydrated and velvety smooth skin. Didn't have a sunburn since then. Also I stocked up on good hats and look into historic clothing for other sunprotection inspirations. Thanks for this video!
I definitely had to try several before I found the right fit for my face, but it's so worth it! And even the ones that weren't quite right for me were still much more pleasant than American sunscreens.
They really are fabulous. I've got 4, one is tinted, one is more moisturizing, one is super lightweight, and one is soothing. I tend to skip moisturizer and just go straight to the nice sunscreens.
Do you have brand(s) you would recommend? I'm wary of just googling Korean sunscreen because I have a limited budget
I love having a giant sun hat in the summer! It protects my face and shoulders from the sun, I don't have to squint to see and it helps reinforce my personal space so people don't get too close to my face.
I generally don't burn in the sun (unless I travel closer to the equator), but my body has the temperature regulation skills of a lizard, so I like wearing a spaghetti strap top under a light long-sleeved shirt or cardigan so I can easily adjust when I get too hot or cold.
I too have the temperature regulation skills of a lizard, and I love lightweight overlayers. Ex : Today it is Warm But Not Hot, and breezy out. I walked to the cafe I like to work in wearing a sleeveless jumpsuit and a linen overshirt. I am now sitting in the cafe, drinking tea with the overshirt off and pant legs rolled up.
Hello, fellow False Ginger With a Convincing Complexion! Commenting for the Al Gore Rhythm and to tell you I appreciate you!
Re: Ren faire sun protection: my nearly identically - complected bestie and I went to a Ren faire last weekend. She sunburnt a bit through her cotton muslin smock, but I didn't through my handkerchief weight linen one. They feel similar in weight and weave density, so I wonder if it's due to mine being bleached and hers not. Like white zinc and titanium pigments reflect UV, maybe the bleached linen reflected light?
There has been a really good marketing campaign for years here in Oz where school kids aren't allowed out to play without a hat. More people seem to wear hats when outside here in Oz than i was aware of doing so on my recent trip to LA.
SLIP SLOP SLAP (slip on a tshirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat) was the tv ad . Im sure you can find it on UA-cam if you look for it.
The bleaching wouldn't affect it, but if it's optically brightened, it might!
I wore my Greenland Viking wool dress, hood, stockings, etc to a festival this summer with a linen shift underneath. It was 37 degrees celcius. I spent the entire time explaining that I was not hot, but comfortable and any breeze flowed easily through to my skin. No sunburn trouble nor overheating!
My coloring is similar to yours (well, my hair is highlighted blond, but you get the idea). I am also older than you are. I grew up in the 70s, when sunscreens were sold as, "Bronze Tan," and "Golden Tan." You can just imagine. I got a lot of painful, blistery sunburns as a kid, because I would go into the water and play for too long before coming back out to put on a shirt. I have had several pre-cancerous moles removed, and one cancerous lesion (thankfully, just basal cell carcinoma). My dad had several bouts of melanoma, and since then (I was in my twenties), I have been conscientious about wearing sunscreen every day and using my clothes as a shield against the sun (full or three-quarter inch sleeves, higher necklines, wide-brimmed hats when outdoors in the sun.
I feel really lucky I didn't get too many sunburns as a kid! The only really bad one was from sitting outside for 6 hours fishing because my cousins-by-friendship were annoying me and I'd run out of books. My nose peeled for the rest of the vacation 😵
UV clothing has been a life saver for me a pale person and mom of a small pale person living in Arizona. Trying to get sunscreen on a kid is not easy though the spray on stuff helps. I will definitely look into the Korean stuff since skin cancer runs in my family and I want to keep myself self and especially my young daughter safe from the sun. I also love my hat.
Oh goodness, I can only imagine trying to get sunscreen onto an energetic kidlet!
In Brisbane where I used to live and work - I used an umbrella in the morning to walk across the bridge into the city to work. I'm not the only one and it's been some years that quite a few people have used umbrellas to escape the blazing morning sun - you just melt and you're dressed in your office gear and a full face of make up and you start to sweat and it's all very unpleasant. I saw one lady with the most beautiful umbrella with dense frill circles covering the entire outside - and if I'd stayed there I would certainly have invested in a beautiful umbrella.
saw someone compare and test Australian and Korean sunscreens and from what I understand Korean is better for comfortable everyday wear while Australian ones are designed with lots of water sports and physical activity in mind
I walk a lot and always use a parasol and SPF (unless it's cold and I'm covered with clothing) I get some weird looks but also a lot of nice compliments.
In 8th grade, I was pondering why suntans were in vogue, when untanned skin used to be a status symbol. I asked a classmate, who said “Tans look good.” I was unimpressed at this non answer.
Yeah I also am unimpressed with that answer. People of all skin colors look good???
Crazy as it may sound at first: wear two shifts/smocks; you get a better cooling system with the breeze and it stops you getting sunburnt through your clothes (which sadly happens to me a lot here Downunder); also highly recommend the wet chemise trick - it's especially great if it's hot and windy; just chuck it in the washing machine for a rinse and spin cycle or wring it out in cold water, works a treat and helped me survive a bushfire conditions day with almost 40 degree (104 Fahrenheit) temperatures and crazy high winds when I was dressed as a Viking (admittedly not the best era to go for at the time)
I prefer wearing covering clothes, rather than using sunscreens. I hate sunscreen because all sunscreens are very oily, greasy and sticky. The best option for me is to cover up to stay protected from the sun. The clothes from soft, breathable fabrics, and loose clothes, are the most comfortable ones, especially for hot weather. Big sunhats are great for protecting the face and eyes, as I don't particularly enjoy wearing dark sunglasses, as I can't see properly in them. Historical clothing does great job protecting me from the sun.
I never actually wore my long sleeve white chemise when I worked at the faire except on cloudy days. I always wore darker long sleeves and they worked great. I wore lighter colors for my skirts since there were at least 3 layers, which despite most people's assumptions, keep your legs a lot cooler than a pair of shorts, lol.
I am autistic with some light sensitivity. I love hats! I also have autistic friends who hate wearing sunscreen for sensory reasons so they wear long sleeves, carry umbrellas, and hats.
It’s so funny, I was just thinking about the sun protective clothing stuff in the last few days, and here you are talking about it, so wonderful! And I actually did the wet shirt thing recently: I live in Oregon, and during the heat wave last month (on the hottest day, I actually took a picture of the thermometer on my front porch showing almost 115 degrees!), I had to go outside to feed and refresh the water for a local outdoor cat I provide for. So I got a thin, lightweight long sleeve shirt, soaked it in cold water and put it on before going out. It made all the difference… and dried almost completely in the ten minutes I was out there 😳. I used to do a similar thing every summer when I would spend a month in L.A. at my son and daughter-in-law’s place sitting for their cats while they traveled-when the heat would become intolerable, I’d hop in the shower under cold water fully clothed and get thoroughly damp, put a towel on the couch, point the fan at me and be a cooling puddle for a bit (usually with one or more cats on top of me!).
Thank you as always for your excellent coverage (hee 😏) of an interesting topic!
I just love the image of a cat deciding it was too hot to be bothered by sitting on a human who was wearing wet clothes 🤣
I can't wear chemical sunscreens on my face and neck because my skin reacts badly to them, but mineral ones feel kinda gross. I've tried ones that have both those components combined but my skin still breaks out. This is a nice reminder that hats and parasols are things i should genuinely consider
I only wear sunscreen for swimming these days, because I dislike the feel so much. Broad brimmed hats that cover face, ears, and neck work well, and a parasol/umbrella and a shirt that covers my shoulders does the rest. The trick is to think about where gets burned and make sure it's shaded or covered in fabric.
I'm a natural redhead, and now that I'm an adult and care far less about following trends than I did as a teenager, sun avoidance is my habit. I lived in China for a few years, and I love the parasol I bought there. When I garden, I wear long pants, boots, a wide-brimmed hat (mine has holes for my headphones to go through!), and one of my husband's old long-sleeved cotton shirts after I discovered that it kept me cooler AND covered more than the swim/rash shirts I'd been wearing previously. I'm also in the SCA, and find that long sleeved linen dresses with a wide-brimmed hat (and a wet linen coif) help a lot with sun-protection and avoid heat problems during summer events.
I am Catherine of Aragon at the TX Renfest; we joke about the "Tudor tan" lines those whose chemises are low cut get (I wear a high neck chemise or use a partlet).
I am one of those people who has tactile issues with wearing sunscreen. I also burn easily. I’ve recently started making a point to start wearing linen long sleeved shirts (not a fan of shorts either and usually wear long pants). It’s been really nice even in the heat. Going from heat into cold A/C buildings is easier too since linen helps moderate body temperature, No burning and easier body moderating are huge wins.
Gotta love my thin, long sleeves in summer. Long (ish) dresses, too! I burn just thinking about the sun, so I try to minimize unprotected exposure. If I have to work outside or spend a lot of time in nature, sunscreen is a must! I've tried to use ocean-friendly brands recently, but they still feel like you're greasing yourself up to bake in a cake pan. 😂 I'll be looking into the Korean sunscreen for sure.
Yeah I basically can't deal with Western sunscreens anymore 😵
I spent years as a kid and teen getting burned before the advent of sunblocking lotions. I still remember the joy of finding real sunscreen before we went to Jamaica back in the mid 70s. It was wonderful to go out in the sun without fear. The only thing i had to watch out for was it washing off. Unfortunately i went snorkeling and my butt was up out of the water and this was a clothing optional resort. Yes my butt got burned and i had to sit very carefully for a few days.
But a lot of time i simply cover up. For years i bought mens shirts to use as a jacket to avoid the sun and i am never out without a hat.
I hate it when the sunscreen is not as water-resistant as it needs to be! The only time I got burned on vacation in Hawaii is when my sunscreen wasn't sweat-resistant enough to handle two hours standing on the deck of whale-watching boat
Even today in the west not all tans are equal. If you have a "farmers tan" you are not seen as fashionable, but as a low class worker compared to those with full body tans who "got them at the beach on their vacation"
I watched a recent video of Lab Muffin regarding spray sun screen. Its best to spray on your hand then apply, as you waste a lot of the spray if you try to spray around your face and body. Sheer sunscreen lotions might be better for this reason.
Could there be a potential video surrounding how well mixed fiber fabrics work for cooling. A lot of stores sell linnen blends to reduce costs, but I wonder how effective they really are
A lot of them will end up being in-between linen and whatever the other fiber is. Linen-cotton or linen-rayon will still breathe pretty well, linen-poly probably a lot less so.
At a LARP this summer, at several points, I was out in the sun and used my giant (as long as my lower arm+ a good bit of my hand) folding fan as a makeshift shade provider. Was quite nice for my eyes.
Oh that's so clever! None of my folding fans are that giant, they're small enough to go in my shoe bag for partner dance events.
Just wanted to add that Australia has some great guidelines about sun exposure accounting for skin tone that were developed to balance the need for vitamin D and the risk of skin cancer! The guardian has an article about it (which includes a link to the research, the research has more detail than the article does on recommendations) called “Australia’s sun safety guidelines updated to take account of diverse skin types”
Sunscreen X -
I see its ad in Weston country: ''This will protect you AND help you look tanned!"
I see its ad in Asian country: ''This will protect you AND help you stay as pale as possible!"
Oh, _marketing_
I'm slowly changing my wardrobe because my fibromyalgia just can't handle the heat of summer anymore (plus my area has gotten measurably hotter in the past 20 years). High temperature drains me and the feeling of infrared from the sun/pavement is awful. I need 2 layers at least to not feel like my skin is being broiled :( I'm moving to looser clothes i can layer to accommodate the temp change over the course of a day
I'm awful at remembering sunscreen, and have been working on switching to wearing more covering clothing in the summer this year
I'm sorry?! We've known there was a link between sun exposure and sun cancer since the 1880s?!
And there are STILL people trying to argue it? Dang!
An important aspect of sunbathing history is missing: wide spread of rickets due to lack of sun exposure and poor nutrition. Especially the growing industrial cities offered poor cousing conditions to the poor. With the growing understanding of the disease at the end of the 19 th century, sunbathing and cod liver oil became associated with a healthy body. The reform movement made bathing and sunbathing a symbol for health and vitality. The first products and clubs for sunbathing and public pools were founded. And rickets became a thing of the past.
Light colored and loose weave fabrics tend to allow more sunshine through, so a loose, densly knit (better than woven) and darkly dyed fabric will block more sun than those airy, transluscent whites. Also, wet fabric also blocks less than dry fabric due to the water shrinking the fibers and stretching the weave / knit.
Yup, that tracks with what I've read.
I don't have a lot of experience with ren faire clothing but for the last twenty years or so I've started my day by washing my face and applying sunblock. I still freckle and blotch a bit on my arms and neck, but I haven't actually had a sunburn in years (the one time I did in recent memory was from going out on the water for longer than expected, wearing a lot less than I usually do and I missed a few spots with the extra sunblock). And I rarely leave the house without a ballcap on because I get a headache from sun on my head within half an hour being outside bare-headed in the sun.
But my experience with steel plate armour at medieval festivals definitely shows that that I'm much happier when my skin is out of the sun, and we joke in my fight group that plate mail is SPF 1 million. Though some airflow through the cotton gambeson underneath would be preferable when the outdoor temperature is 30c/85F with humidity and we're fighting in what amounts to a winter coat under a steel shell.... we hydrate A LOT and hope we don't have to pee before we can get out of armour.
My mom can do the wet shirt thing (she is very sensitive ot hear and has a specific cooling vest for when we have to go out in beekeeping equipment when it's hot) but my skin gets really irritated when left damp, and in Ontario, heat almost always comes with humidity, and even my own sweat can make me itchy enough that I'll give myself minor skin rubs from scratching sensitive areas like the insides of my wrist, and anywhere I've got skin on skin when it's hot and the seat can't evaporate quickly, I need to tuck fabric in if I'm sweating and it's not evaporating. I find it very interesting that her vented bee suit (three layers of synthetic netting) can actually be warmer than my cotton coverall style bee suit if there's not enough of a breeze to force air through it. I've been contemplating making my own bee suit out of linen, maybe multiple layers for better sting protection (been stung through my suit three times, usually when a bee has been pinched in a fold of my clothing up against my skin).
"Plate mail is SPF 1 million". I imagine in direct sun it sometimes feels like being gently roasted, too!
@@SnappyDragon Honestly, when wearing it, the gambeson does a great job of protecton, and heat dissipation there's a HUGE difference in the surface temperature of the amour I'm wearing vs if I'd taken it off and left it in the sun (bad plan, don't ever do that, throw a blanket over it or you probably could fry an egg on it, but if I've been out in the sun wearing it, it's quite safe to touch.
If you haven't, you should listen to the This Podcast Will Kill You episode on skin cancer. They cover the history of sunscreen as well, and it is fascinating!
I'll add it to my list! What a title 🤣
When I went to China in the summer, practically nobody dared to keep skin in the sun. Umbrellas, visors, upf sleeves - the norm was to use sun protection.
We definitely tend to forget that it's even an option to do this in the US!
I want parasols back but the only parasols these days are made by overpriced EGL brands. I'm not paying a fortune just because they slapped the Angelic Pretty logo on it. We need affordable parasols.
Yeah, the one I'm getting isn't crazy expensive but it's definitely not cheap either.
I cheap out but using a dark colored umbrella. There's some out there which are cute.
I've found good generic brand UPF rated parasols from sites like Rakuten!
That sounds like the begging of a new craft project. One relatively cheap umbrella + choice of fabric 😊
Try searching for sun protection umbrellas. I get them for like $25 each, and they last a couple years of frequent use and being chucked in the back of the car. They also have pretty patterns on them!
As a fair skinned blonde living in the Middle East, I've come up with a few ways over the years to prevent sunburn. I do wear loose, light colored natural fiber blouses and skirts, but I also wear tightly woven natural fiber underlayers (tank tops, pettipants, etc). A mitpachat or tichel is a great way to keep the sun off your scalp and the back of your neck. However, this is only a supplement to SPF 50 sunscreen - I never leave the house without it. Fair skin + certain medications = vampire. Mostly I stay comfy. Also I avoid leaving the house between 11 AM and 4 PM.
See that schedule would *wreck* me. I'm rarely out of my pajamas and fit for public consumption before 11, but I also go to sleep at 10pm like the old lady I secretly am.
@@SnappyDragon it helps that both my husband and I work from home.
I hope you are safe over there! Pretty much no matter which country you're in...especially as a woman!
@minngael Believe it or not I've never felt safer. I don't live in a gated community but my neighborhood is quiet, lots of kids, lots of dogs. There are places you don't go after dark but everywhere is like that.
Complete body coverage was my discovery of lifetime this year, actually. I am a person with ridiculous megabolism who overheats in an instant, and with bad skin reaction to sun at that (it's not even a matter of tan, I get called a vampire by friends because even in winter exposure to direct sunlight can lead to impedigo-like skin changes). This combo has been a nightmare for me for years, because on one hand, I should be covering myself up to avoid the skin reaction, but it would also lead to me overheating and getting dizzy and just.... overall wanting to die. So instead, I'd just go out in as skimpy a clothing as I could get away with withing my comfort zone and slather myself with SPF creams. But this year, I have finally made myself an 18th century Scottissh petticoat with a cotton flannel, ankle-length and all and....... it has been the coolest I have ever had my legs feel in summer in my entire life? So I went, hey, I only live once. Let me just get a parasol and get some secondhand linen and cotton tops. Oddly enough, so far my best combination for going out ended up being the petticoat (with a secondry petticoat underneath for volume, cause we're not about to get half-assed with anything in this house!), a form-fitting old crop-top I nicked from my mother made of thick linen with cotton satin inner layer, and a black cotton long-sleeve tied shirt over it (think "pirate" in terms of the overall cut of that one, I suppose). Complete the look with a cotton parasol and........ I suddenly have spent a whole day out walking around St. Dominic's Fair where previously I'd call for a break in the shadow after an hour, maybe two hours tops. Not a single adverse reaction from my skin in sight. Can't guarantee how good the actual sun protection is with the (rather thin, all in all) cotton shirt, but I have not noticed any tanning whatsoever, and no skin reaction, either, so.... seems to be working just fine!
I've also had a similar experience with a thicker cotton 18th century shirt I had made for the historical dance group I'm a part of before, though that one tended to be less comfortable to use in heat due to a thick woolen vest we wore it with. Though this said, it actually worked just fine even WITH that thick black wool, so long as we were only walking around. Spending two hours dancing in the getup around noon outdoors is when things started getting a bit too sweaty XD
tl;dr: reject SPF, return to parasol and organic long sleeves!! Gods know I'm not gonna look back from this clothing choice.
Thank you for another great historically filled lesson on a very needed topic!!!
I have a friend that is as sensitive to the sun as you. She likes to wear a dark colored veil and gloves to protect herself in the summer, as she is unable to use a lot of sunscreen due to some ingredients. It also fits her aesthetic.
I hate the feel of sunscreen here in the US. I will have to look into Korean and Japanese brands. I currently wear long sleeves and use a hat and parasol. My parasol is pretty purple on the oustide and black on the inside(I dont remember its rating). I have had a number of people comment that its not raining when I'm out walking with my parasol, but I have just as many say they need to get themselves one. Oddly, security at parks and fairs seem to hate my parasol and frequently tell me to put it away.
I get having to stay on top of parasols for shows so they don't block anyone's view, but why would they be an issue at fairs???
@SnappyDragon 🤷♀️no clue. I just fold my parasol until I go around the corner or otherwise out of sight. Then I promptly open it again.
I grew up in the late 70s early 80s, and the SPF numbers/strengths that were available and sold, were ridiculously (aka dangerously) low. I can remember my Mom using NR 10 and NR 16 on me. Only putting the cream on once and never "topping up"/renewing a the layer of lotion after we had been swimming. 'Back in the day' it was trendy & very hip to come back from a Summer vacation in France, Spain or Italy: being "dark" brown. I wonder how many people from those Baby Boomers developed skin Cancer. These days we have Government & Health Insurance Companies warning us, citizens, to use high protective Sunscreen lotion and stay out of the sun if possible. And that having suffered sunburnt in your youth seriously increases the chances for developing skin Cancer at a later stage. Times sure have changed for the better. 👍🏻😊
I can instantly think of two relatives of that generation who have suffered the consequences of sun exposure, both of pale white European origin and spent a lot of time in tropical sunshine when it wasn't a thing to use sunscreen. They have been blessed with access to decent medical interventions.
We used to willingly lay out in the sun slathered in baby oil to increase the tanning potential.
Yeah dear @@tiandao8503, many of my friends here in The Netherlands did the same thing here in The Netherlands 🇳🇱.
I had/have an 🇺🇲 Family friend, of my age, would use 😯Coca Cola as an "accelerant" to get really brown. I think that some people do that while cooking Hams to give them a golden glow during backing/grilling. 😅
I can report on my Baby Boomer mom, certainly. Slathering yourself in not only baby oil but also iodine was all the rage to get those bronze tans, and my mom in her twenties was all over that! At 67 years old and with arms covered in sun spots both darker and lighter than her skin, it's something she regrets now and really stressed sun protection to me when I was little. She caught a skin cancer or two on her and fully removed it when it was super early, so she's thankfully experienced nothing in the way of serious complications.
I keep hearing about korean and Japanese sunscreen but I have absolutely no idea where to start looking for that. If anyone has suggestions for european based online store I would greatly appreciate it
@@ThePixiixiq I am in the United States, but I think Stylevana ships to the Eurozone.
I usually have to order from Korean online stores that ship worldwide. The shipping can be slower because of the distance, but it's not too expensive in my experience.
YesStyle and Stylevana could be good options! I order all my face sunscreen from Stylevana cause no one stocks the good East Asian brands near me.
Not fashion related, but if you drive to the Ren faire, and leave your car there for a full day, put a tinfoil base on your dashboard, core some apples, fill with cinnamon and sugar and cloves and things and then leave them there in the sun all day. Your car will smell lovely and you will have a baked apple waiting for you at the end of the day!
My favourite sun protection is a combination of a long fluffy flowing skirt to keep the sun off of my feet and legs, preferably brightly coloured or floral or my favourite one that wore out several years ago was a very fine and thin cotton batik that had so much more fabric in the skirt than most of the skirts I’ve had since then because it could be pleated down much more densely into the waistband which made it so much more pretty fluffy airy and comfortable, and a loose fitting open long sleeve top over my tank top to keep the sun off of my arms and back, and a giant golf umbrella for general shade and to keep the sun off of my head neck chest and hands and to provide additional cooling by keeping the sun off of my other loose outer layers. Having a good sun umbrella makes a huge difference to how comfortable I am when I have to go outdoors in the summer in the daytime.
I get headaches from the sun so I often use an umbrella. I also wear, after a long and steep learning curve, long skirts and long sleeves as they are right for me. Ramie, hemp, linen or a blend of these keep me the coolest. They are a pain to find in clothing weights if I do not want to break the bank.
Giant Patio umbrella FTW shade, and it doesn't block the breeze. but also, cotton lawn. fine weave, breezy, you don't notice you're wearing sleeves.
and a yearly mole measure with a qualified person, because it's best to catch 'em small when you can shave off the problematic bit and only have to wear a bandaid for a few days.
Goodness, I want a shade for my patio so much! Unfortunately I'd have to get permission from building management, they don't like people setting up umbrellas because the wind can literally blow them off the balcony if not properly secured.
@@SnappyDragon very true. Ours gets taken down over the bay area rainy season. And for sunny days with wind I have the porch awning or the lemon tree for shade. And windy + lemon tree risks softball sized lemons to the head. I do have a little portable shade umbrella that clips to my folding camp chair, it takes forever to adjust properly, but it's useful for kiddo soccer games.
@@sallythekolcat I envy you the lemon tree, though! Downside of having a balcony but not a yard, I don't get one.
Pro tip for long-distance road trips - fishing gloves for your hands. They have sun protection and also a bit of grip. I tried hiking gloves, but my hands slipped around on the steering wheel too much.
Also removable sun sleeves or a long sleeved button down to wear over your driving clothes when the sun comes out.
my basic outfit is trousers/jeans a t shirt and a shirt/overshirt/jacket and so far in extreme heatwaves i still feel more comfortable in short sleeves or linen openweave than in most of my shirts, the tightweaves and stiffer cottons somehow clig more to my skin and make things warmer. I plan on sewing a caftan-like garment to replace my bathrobes i wear to cover myself when i wake up in the summertime (i have those heavy towel like robes with are way too warm); and i figured it would a nice esthetic/dressy layer to replace my handknit cardigans and shirts during the day. The fabric is a tighter weave, possibly in cotton (i think an opaque cotton lawn) printed in a dark indian pattern and the design will be covering and really flowy so it should tick all the marks of heat and sun protecting
I love a good lightweight robe! My usual one is made from an old duvet cover, and i'm currently finishing one made from leftover printed cotton lawn from a dress.
I made a lovely silk caftan out of half of a vintage sari found on ebay. Basically, a full width length of fabric to cover ankle to shoulder to ankle. A T shaped slit with a matching facing placed just behind the centre shoulder line. The old hem - a strip of cotton sewn along the sari hem - made an inner casing at waist level across the centre half. Two buttonholes centre front allowed a tie to be threaded through. Minimal sewing, maximum comfort, totally elegant. £12 so < $20. Probably have to pay 8 to 10 times that to buy.
Rewatching this excellent video i can highly recommend importing german "sun milk" and sun spray! gets absorbed very quickly (within seconds), is available in SPF 50, and doesn't wash away like older creams. You should still reapply it after exiting the water, but it doesn't gunk up pools, and it doesn't leave a greasy, sweaty residue in one's folds.
Your comment about darker fabrics being cooler makes me wonder about the burkas of the middle east that tend to be black or dark colors. As a westerner, I think of those as being very hot and uncomfortable, but now I'm wondering if that's just a bias from my own culture.
Oo a couple things; 1) although the Saudi niqab style that has become ubiquitous recently is usually black, cultural dress in the (VERY diverse and sometimes cold) Islamicate world has frequently opted for white and light colors. Larger draped white veils were standard in North Africa, Türkiye, other hot places probably, while black or brown face veils (often but not always worn with colorful clothing) were standard in the balkans and asia, generally cooler climates than n.Africa. There is a huge variety of cultural dress across both the “Middle East” and in the larger world of Muslim societies that is SO under appreciated with Arab supremacy and lack of accessible literature. 2) due to the looseness of the clothing creating a sort of insulation, we tend to see that the shade of fabric has less of an effect on body temperature than western clothing that, even when loose, usually tightened in at the waist, sleeve cuffs, etc, reducing the efficaciousness of looseness. (I remember a specific study where they wore identical thobes in black and white on a walk in the desert and saw little difference in thermometers placed on the body, but cannot track down on my mobile device, aaaaa!!!)
I figure in that climate, you're going to be a certain amount of hot and uncomfortable-until-you-get-accustomed, so you might as well keep the sun off?
I have wondered the same thing! I work outside and always wear a bandanna over my face and a big sun hat for sun protection and I have come to realize that when the temperatures go above 98° outside, having my face and skin totally covered actually makes me cooler because the temperature outside is above my normal body temperature. So I could imagine that wearing a Burka in temperatures above 98° would actually keep somebody much cooler than wearing less covering clothes would.
I'm curious about this because I thought that white fabric would help reflect more of the light, do we know why darker fabrics would help more??
That's very true about the ren faire too. I wore a wool cloak last time and it was so much cooler with the cloak than without. And I convinced my dad to wear a cloak too (though he chose a cotton/poly blend) and he was like "I'll probably take it off when it gets too hot" and then proceeded to attempt to do this and found the same thing - cloak on was better.
Love a good cloak! I often wear or bring my arisaidh to Faires when I'm a patron, it's been super useful in rain and I imagine it could help with sun too!
A good facial sunscreen for not too much money: Trader Joe's. The tube is small enough to go in a purse or pocket (for reapplication) and not so pricey that you'll apply less than you should. It is on the oily side, but it rubs on clear so there will never be streaks. Heard about it on Lab Muffin Beauty...she knows her stuff
I use their spray-on sunscreen--SPF 50. Works every time.
I’ve worn a smock and linen partlet with a square necked Elizabethan Kirtle. Never burned through the handkerchief weight white linen. Bonus I’ve done the soak your linen cap in water and wear it. Very cooling. Especially where I live, that’s very dry.
As someone whose face burns SO easily and also hates the greasy texture of western sunscreens, I am now very intrigued about Korean sunscreens...do you have any recommendations?
UPF clothing in East Asia has a bigger diversity of styles at an affordable price due to the higher usage. I’ve found that US sun protection is either very sporty or very expensive resort/vacation wear. I think the middle ground is often forgotten.
I definitely wish there were better options available here!
As a natural red head I started using Neutrogena Helioplex products for sunscreen a few years back and it has been great. Light-weight formula that isn’t greasy and doesn’t wear off. They even have a sport version for when you know you’re going to be more active. (5K walks because why not 😂)
One of the midwest festivals I used to work has a queen who wears the low square neckline on her chemise. One day she forgot her sunscreen and burned bad enough to leave a line until the start of the next season, not a spec of burn or tan on her arms though.
Oof! Someone get that queen a black satin partlet, stat!
Her majesty needs a partlet!
I recently went to a Ren Faire in a black linen historical pirate shirt that I made and I was SO hot in it. Rolling up the sleeves to expose my bare skin greatly helped cool me down. Sunburns aren't a thing that really happen to me so I can't speak to that, but I felt a notably heat difference once I had some of the fabric off my skin.
I'm outside very little, but I've found a couple wide-brimmed hats I really like for when I go out.
Big hats are the *best*
I love using my umbrella in the sun! Especially if I know I will be out all day in it.
I knew about using clothes for sun protection already, but I've been having a such a nicer summer than usual because I've actually been wearing sunscreen this year. I have really oily skin, so the heavy American sunscreens really got on my nerves. But I recently started a very light skincare routine (I'd had this weird macho hangup about not wanting to wash my face outside the shower because it was overly fussy, and I struggle to create routines due to ADHD, but I decided enough was enough and I'd go decipher all them facial washes at the store), which involves a light lotion in the morning. WOW. This stuff is magic. It's really light and airy, but it's got a built in sunscreen, so I don't have to get all that grease all over my face to wear sunscreen anymore. It's AWESOME.
I've also been wearing hats and sunglasses more (I'd just been forgetting to do so, and I'm placing my sunglasses and hats by the door so I remember they exist). And, I got a Mandalorian helmet for this upcoming Halloween, which is really fun because if I'm sitting in my backyard with that on (listen we all have our hobbies), I've got basically a hat with built-in sunglasses on. Since I wear an arming cap under it (I've been wearing the helmet to get accustomed to the feel of it and get the padding in the cap to settle Just So), which is shaped much like a balaclava, so long as I'm wearing pants or a long skirt and a short sleeved shirt, literally the only bit I have to put sunscreen on is my arms. I don't even get the back of neck gap I usually end up getting a burn on from my sunhat. Anyways! My main point is please, people, find sunscreen you like, it's not all that heavy stuff! Save the heavy sunscreen for things like your arms, sure, but for the face and neck, there are better, more pleasant sunscreens. We have the technology!
Finding the right moisturizer is downright MAGICAL! I'm so happy for you
Personally, I know everyone gives crap to the people playing pirates at ren faire, but I gotta say a huge poofy linen poet shirt and cavalier hat does "faire"ly well
Yeah those people can go watch my video about how Ren Faire fashion has become its own wonderful thing and it absolutely includes the pirates
I’m not an expert on this so hopefully someone who knows has commented, but I understood that the UV rays that cause sunburn and those that cause long term skin damage are different. So that might be the factor in why light clothes have a low UPF: enough to prevent sunburn but not long term damage?
Interesting! I'll have to read more about it.
The vizard was even worse than that for women because there was nothing to attach it to the head. There was a little button at the mouth part that women had to hold with lips or teeth effectively keeping them silent the whole time
I use everything - Japanese sunscreens, long sleeves, long skirts, stockings, special upf clothing, hats, gloves. I sew my own clothing so I use linen and lyocell and they are good both in summer and in winter. Thinking about buying a weimao - a Chinese bamboo hat with a veil. I've tried modern hats that cover the face but they are definitely not comfy. I also suffer from heat so fans and cooling neck rings are helpful. Maybe, I wouldn't try to cover everything but I get bad reactions from the sun.
Having bad reactions definitely makes covering everything more important!
As someone who works with women migrants I find our western norms not so normal when it comes to the sun, especially in Australia where the UV is so high- they will say that they hate how even with pants and long sleeved garments especially in summer they notice how fast they tan. As a white woman with a genetic predisposition to skin cancer (seriously- brca2), I avoid the sun, so we have that in common. Going abroad it feels weird that the sun and heat which mean danger here are almost okay sometimes. In terms of colour- definitely lighter coloured garments fare better in Australia- I love black, but me and my students - women migrants who usually have to cover up- find that in hot dry heat- up to 45 degrees Celsius/114 Fahrenheit- light coloured and lighter fabrics suit best.
If we’re showing our cultural capital in Australia-it’s the western norm of a tan (fake and sun with fake) or the eastern ideal being fair complexion for those communities- mostly speaking. Which speaks to the leisure class theories (ie Veblen, sociologist here) - for western women with fair skin being tanned shows we have time to vacation in the sun, for non white cultures being fair shows they don’t need to work in the sun- I wouldn’t say just east Asia but all Asian cultures have this as their ideal.
The visard sounds like a burka? But maybe less comfortable?
In terms of times to use the pool (or beach) look at when the high UV times are and avoid them!
Please, do not wish me a bright and hot summer! I live in Brazil, summers here are hell! This year we have *finally* been getting some chilly winter days the lats few days, I don't even want to think about when the heat comes back! 😩
I wish you exactly as much summer as you would like? Doing my best, sorry 😅
I hope you have weather that never gets above what can be called warm rather than hot.
I wonder if the dark veils over the face also doubled nicely as sunglasses to be better able to see despite bright sun reflections.
Oooh, good point!
i have had some truly epic sunburns. i usually turn in to a lobster or rudolf. problem is that i hate tan lines on my self. i usually wear sleeveless in the summer. i have dry skin but i don't like most lotions because it feels like cake batter or it smells bad. i need to change!
I am also not a fan of tan lines! I always end up with them on my feet though, from the straps of my summertime shoes 😅
Anyone care to share their Asian sunscreen recommendations? I am very pale and at high risk of skin cancer and very tired of feeling heavy and greasy.
Korean and Japanese sunblock? Names please?
About sun protection. A lot of UV exposure depends on how far poleward one is. I currently live near Moscow, and here, I spent a lot of time at the beach and still barely got tanned, as a fairly pale white woman, and it was despite the very sunny weather. Russian traditional wear doesn't contain nearly as many sun protection frilly bits, probably for this reason, with in some regions\social groups, unmarried women not wearing any hair covering. So, I would theorize that Northern Europe, because it has a climate were the zone of agriculture is far more poleward than the rest of the World because of the Gulf Stream, the local population, on average, didn't invest in creating sun-protective cosmetics.
Now, I do consider most skin tones to be attractive in their own right, from snow-white to almost ebony, in their own right. Near the Great Lakes, or near the Tropics, it doesn't matter how much sunscreen I apply, I will burn.
Now, sunscreen, I don't mind in summer, the wet greesiness when it's hot to warm...In the Winter, sunscreen is a pain, with water-based ones being the worst. Like, were I live it's fairly cold, and most sunscreens contain moisturizer...Which my skin hates when it's cold. I feel like it's freezing from the inside out. I never spent winters were it's warm enough to wear moisturizers, so I never did. Petrolium jelly or pure fat is okay, anything else...No. In the winter, I can't exfoliate either...Now, my discomfort of moisturizers in the winter might come from sensory issues...
Again, in Russia, callused or scarred skin in men isn't considered ugly, to the point female fans would gush over those of celebreties or fictional characters. And I see why: having thick, rough skin makes the continental climate a lot more pleasant to live in. Hydrated skin is a pain when you live in a cold, continental climate. Like, when I still lived in Sudbury, the climate was so dry I could spend weeks without washing my hair. Going in a moister area: two days. My skin hates moisturizers with a burning passion. It doesn't matter which ones, only petrolium jelly and lip balm is barable around the nose and lips, even if I have fairly oily skin that is very climate sensitive. As a teen, I had acne, but the weather was so dry it didn't form pimples, instead it just my skin peeling off around a ball of pus.
Growing up, I had very delicate skin until puberty. Like, greesiness and and acne is a welcome break from having bad reactions to the most innocent of makeup or fun activities.
I hate the feeling of sunscreen on my face. I love my big, floppy hat. It even has a hole to put my ponytail through the back and is secured by elastic.
We love a hat that is comfy with different hairstyles!
Oooh, what kind of hat is it? I long for something that could work with my braid and bun
@@sarahr8311 It's a hat I found on Amazon a couple of years ago. Nothing fancy. It sort of looks like a fisherman's hat. "Muryobao Women's Ponytail Sun Hat UV Protection Foldable Mesh Wide Brim Beach Fishing Hat" is what they called it. Hope this helps.
Putting your lists of citations behind a paywall gives me the ick.
My favourite thing about wearing all black in summer is that I can be goth and have UPF . . . but it makes making a character for myself and kids at the ren faire a little more complicated than 'local peasants turned out to gawk at the Queen'
Butbutbut! Black was a super high-class color in the 16th century because it was so hard and expensive to dye. So, if you're in all black, including your linens, you're definitely not peasants!
@@SnappyDragonexactly my problem! Perhaps we are wealthy merchants, but I need to do more research on Elizabethan Jews
I volunteered at a fantasy Renaissance faire. Inevitably some young pale person would show up in an outfit that exposed lots of skin that doesn't usually see the sun. My character being brash, bold and forward would pounce on them offering very anachronistic spf 50 sports sunscreen in a can. One two many sunburns in my teens and 20s. . . I never worried about the people in long skirts and wrist length blouses. . .
I remember being part of a local theater group doing some bits of Shakespeare at a Ren Faire. First thing in the morning I waved the sunscreen at everyone and they dutifully applied it. Two hours later they ignored my suggestions to reapply. Guess who was the only one who didn't get sunburned...
When I go out to be in the sun, I dress in a full longish skirt, and carry a parasol, or wear a wide brimmed hat. If a hat, I also wear long sleeves
long sleeve
No renfaire, but I Always found impressive how my grandma's gandoura is so much cooler while being dark intense blue and covering most of the body. I guess that now I know.
The issue with black veils, historically, would be what was in the dye used...
Henna (lawsonia inermis) has UV protection properties :)
I haven't heard of the Korean and Japanese sunscreens. Any good brands I should start with?
There are tons to choose from! I like the Dr. G mineral one, but it would probably leave a white cast on darker skin.
Etude House is a popular mid-price-range recommendation I hear a lot. Missha is usually more expensive but also has a wider range of sunscreens than Etude House. (And to add on to SnappyDragon's response, both can leave a white cast on darker skin. Actually that may be true for all Japanese and Korean sunscreens, but it also seems to vary by person, so YMMV.) Biore UV is possible *the* cheapest, and while I personally haven't tried it I've heard good things about it online (I need a matte sunscreen to combat my oily skin, and Korean and Japanese sunscreens tend to be 'dewy'). Anessa is another popular Japanese sunscreen brand I hear recommended a lot, as well as Omi. (I haven't tried either.) Finally, I personally like Beauty of Joseon. Hope that helps!
Usually it's the mineral UV filters that cause the white cast (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide). The other filters are transparent, so don't leave the cast.
@@potatomolcar6172Thank you!! This should be much higher rated in the comments ❤️ - I had to look long and hard for actual brand recommendations
I hate applying sunscreen to my body-- not just because it feels gross, but also just because it's a lot of skin!! So when I swim during the day, I wear a long sleeve sun shirt and usually a swim dress. Daytime swimming is usually in a kind of murky lake, so my legs aren't in too much danger. I usually choose to swim in the evening, though, so I don't need to worry much about covering up.
I garden after my yard is in the shade (luckily, my house is 3 levels above my yard, so that happens no later than 6pm and before 5 now), and I seek out shade wherever possible. I'm all about parasols and have a collection of vintage umbrellas to match my wardrobe. Plus TONS of hats-- mostly vintage.
I do have sunscreen, but because there's some worries about chemical sunscreens causing cancer, and I'm at high risk for skin cancer thanks to a genetic cancer causing syndrome, I'm a mineral sunscreen fan. I've got lots of good face sunscreens, but they're so expensive and small bottles, so I can't afford to slather my body with them. So I try to keep my face well sunscreened, but my body is mostly about keeping covered and in the shade
Yuuuup this is why I don't like to coat my whole body in sunscreen if I can get around it. I've found a few Japanese ones that come in big bottles, but it's still a *lot*.
I live in Florida, am fair skinned and my mother died of melanoma so I'm at a much higher risk of developing it as opposed to the general population. Oh, and I garden and work outside a lot. I wear (from top to bottom) a large brimmed hat, an extra large man's cotton long sleeve dress shirt (you can get these at thrift stores). It has a high color, can button up and long sleeves. I wear 3/4 length pants (think capris) and knee high rubber boots. So with the exception of my hands, I am completely covered from the sun. I don't know what my rating is, but I haven't had a sunburn in this outfit ever. And keeping the sun directly off my skin does help me not feel so hot.
I think we're told so often that the best way to stay cool is to wear *less* clothing, it doesn't occur to us that dressing as you do can actually keep you cooler! I have a friend who dresses similarly for outdoor work in hot weather, but he soaks the outer shirt in water to stay cool.
@@SnappyDragon I've done that before, too.