When we think of summer, images of little old ladies with over tanned and over wrinkled skin, beet red beach bunnies, and forecasts well into the 100’s could cause us to retreat into the safety of our shade filled homes and artificial tanning salons. But a picture of long and lazy days frolicking around under a nourishing sun with not a care in the world as your body soaks up a gorgeous island-like tan, is the picture we don\’t mind revisiting over and over again. And why not, with all the sun blocking lotions, UV tanning solutions, and now, SPF protective clothing, you can!
Up until recently, modern technology limited their sun protecting products to sunglasses, beach umbrellas, sun visors, and skin protectant applications. But as the need for additional protection increased and the creative ingenuity from scientists and textile manufacturers grew, the concept of SPF protective fabric and clothing became a possible solution to the summer sun bather blues.
When we talk about UV rays, SPF, and UPF levels, we are not talking rocket science, but simply breaking down the level of exposure or protection in regards to the suns sometimes harmful rays and their affects on the human body. A quick and easy breakdown looks something like this:
Name:
–UVA Rays ( Ultra violet, long wave)
Pros:
-Sun rays maintain strength year round.
Cons:
-Penetrates through top layer of skin, light clothing, beach umbrellas, sun visors and glass windows damaging healthy skin cells.
-Causes advanced aging of skin (ie. liver spots, wrinkles, melanoma). Destroys Vit A.
Name:
–UVB Rays (Ultra Violet, medium wave)
Pros:
-Natural source of Vit D.
-Strengthens bone and muscles.-
-Affects only top layer of skin.
Cons:
-Can cause skin burns and skin cancer.
-Destroys Vit A and damages DNA
Name:
–SPF (Sun protective factor / sun protective fabric)
Qualities:
-Comes in various protective levels. Example SPF30 protects for 30 minutes in the sun
-Only protects against UVB rays
Name:
–UPF (Ultra violet protective factor / ultra violet protective fabric)
Qualities:
-Protects against both UVA and UVB rays.
-Prevents sun rays from penetrating through fabric for 2 years.
With this breakdown under your belt, the following information regarding SPF and sun protective fabric will hopefully read in a digestable way and help you to determine which application is best suited for you or your textile projects.
There are several companies that not only manufacture SPF fabrics, but sell on a retail level as well. The Rain Shed and Rockywoods are two such companies that supply outdoor garments and fabric already treated with SPF, while Solarweave is the only all cotton t-shirt recommended and approved by the Skin Cancer Foundation and the International Melanoma Foundation in the protection of harmful UV rays throughout the year. Sunguard is a solution that you can actually add to your garments and outdoor fabrics to help block more than 96% of the suns harmful rays from reaching your skin and damaging your patio furniture coverings.
Here are a few other good pointers if you are planning on soaking up some sun this summer and want to have fun doing it:
1. Sunlight increases in strength as it passes through water so if you can find a swimsuit company that carries SPF protected swimwear, it might be a worthy investment, especially if you are planning on getting your tan-on or if you have children who love spending hours at the shore. Applying some sun protectant lotion underneath couldnt hurt either. Better safe than sorry. And remember to reapply as directed on the label.
2. While light colored fabrics allow more harmful UV light through and at the same time repell more natural sunlight, polyester and silk fabrics actually reflect radiation. An ideal combination to gather up all the benenfits of natural sunlight and keep those bad rays at bay would be a dark colored poly or silk fabric.
3. In many cases, natural is always better than synthetic because of its wholistic qualities. In the material world, this opinion is not altogether true. While natural fabric is more protective to the harmful sunrays than synthetics are, A study showed that 100% spun poly fleece provided the best UVR blockage overall while the 100% wool provided the best protection of all natural fibers.
Natural unbleached cotton absorbed harmful UV rays due to its fiberous content, and increased almost 3x when it became wet.
4. Construction, color, fiber content, and weave all influence how well a garment will protect your skin from the suns rays and keep you looking young and healthy longer.
5. Natural sun light regulates your biological clocks, provides essential vitamins like Vit D, energizes our spirits, and increases our melanin levels.
6. The greater the weight of the fabric, the greater its blockage of UVR; but who wants to wear heavy hot fabric in the summer time? Good information to know against those harmful UVA rays during the winter months though.
7. Everything in moderation. Hours in the blazing hot sun, especially if you are unprotected, will most likely result in some uncomfortable burns or even worse, a trip to the dermatologist for a biopsy on that red mark you later discovered. With the ozone layer depleting at a rapid pace, global warming on the rise, and an over polluted Earth in our hands, savoring the Sun comes at a different price these days, especially if you are melanin challenged in the area of pigmentation. With the advancement of functional fabrics like the SPFs, enjoying the summer season safely and in style is growing easier by the yard…..of fabric that is!
Posts by J&O Fabrics Store
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“Qualities:Comes in various protective levels. Example SPF30 protects for 30 minutes in the sun.”
The above statement is false. SPF 30 should protect 30 times longer than when you are in the sun with no protection.