SILK BANDANA FOR FACIAL SUN PROTECTION?

[dave e]

Since even large brim hats arent good enough for keeping sun from my face i want to start using a bandana.Cotton bandanas are too thick and your breathing gets trapped and heats up your face.So im thinking of silk bandanas.Anyone use them?

[Jerry Adams]

Probably not enough sun protection

Too many UV waves get through

Best to use some UPF rated fabric

[jscott]

Sun Precautions has an excellent neck/face drape hat made from (by?) Solumbra fabric: very high spf. The drape has a series of velcro fasteners going up its length, so you can adjust it in a variety of ways; all the way over your nose if you want.` It's a larger drape than say Marmot's drape style hat. It's very good for bug protection as well as sun protection. It looks a little…unusual but I've gotten over that.

[Randy Martin]

A buff is a much better alternative to a bandana. The coverage is better and less tight around my head. Checkout the link below which has a video on all of the incredible ways you can where them. They are made from polyester and dry very quickly and ultralight @ 1.3oz.

http://www.rei.com/product/691367/buff-original-buff

[Roger Caffin]

We have used both silk and cotton in the snow on very bright days.
Both worked, but both interefered with breathing.

Cheers

[Dale Wambaugh]

Satin finish silk is considered to have good UV protection. Color and weave will have effect.

Desert folk have use the shemagh scarf for centuries. Too warm for my tastes, but it can have many uses. Typically a 3'x3' loose weave cotton square folded into a triangle and wrapped around the head and neck. There are dozens of sites showing how to wear one.

[dave e]

yeah this is what i hate about bandanas but im thinking of making slits in the fabric to ease restriction of breath.

[Delmar O’Donnell]

Dave, are you really a vampire, like your avatar shows?

If so, then television has taught me you shouldn't go in the sun at all, but if you do, you should raise your elbow over your face in a sinister fashion and laugh loudly, as a pipe organ plays in the background.

I'm sorry, that wasn't helpful at all. Seriously, have you considered any of the asian-inspired straw hats? They have pretty darned amazing coverage, in part because the brim comes down low around the exterior.

To wit:

http://www.tahoemountainsports.com/product/chillba-hat

[dave e]

no matter how wide your brim is youre getting rays reflected off the ground and from the side.i have a 6in brim on my hat and i get burned all the time.
my dad got skin cancer all over his face from hiking and has to get skin cut out often.He has to visit dermatologist every 3 months.

[Justin Baker]

I used a polyester buff last year in the sierras and it was fine for breathing. I put it over my face like a balaclava.

[jscott]

breathing: yep, can be a problem with bandana style facial coverage. Again, the Sun Precautions drape hat fits so loosely that breathing isn't a problem; alternatively, you can 'unzip' it via velcro fasteners to just below your nose, your chin, or over your ears and neck but not on your face at all, but still hanging down the side of your face.

I too had a cancerous melanoma sliced out of my cheek. Not at all pleasant and possibly dangerous–this stuff is deadly if it spreads. Plus, these things only start showing up after 20 or 25 years; there may be more in store for me down the road. So I'm a convert to sun protection for sure.

I use a wide brim hat and lots of sunscreen as a minimum.

[Jacob Linton]

I've used a buff and was mostly pleased with it, but found my sunglasses fog with every breath. Kind of a pain, but probably depends on how you wear it.

[Desert Dweller]

I use a large hat brim and Zinc rubbed into nose cheeks and chin.

[Marko Botsaris]

Dave, FWIW, I have a white silk bandana, extra large, that I use in the desert (Mojave mostly), and think is just about perfect. It blocks plenty of sun for me, but then I have Mediterranean blood. Down side – silk is not much good at wiping/drying things so not as multi-use, but it is lighter than cotton and dries really fast.

Also when tied just right you get that romantic, trailing-in-the-wind, Peter O'toole-in-Lawrence-of-Arabia effect.

[Anonymous]

Hi Dave,

Have you ever considered a 100% linen bandanna? Has nice combo of properties–tends to be a bit looser weaved than regular cotton bandanna (won't be as UV protective unless you double it), fairly antimicrobial (definitely more than both cotton and silk), dries noticeably faster than cotton (i plan to do a dry test between a cotton shirt and linen in the near future), is conductive and cooling, and takes UV better than silk (silk while UV protective potentially, is considered a UV weak fabric–somewhat easily damaged by same).

Having Linen shorts, pants, button up long sleeve shirts, a t-shirt, bandanna, socks, underwear, bathrobe, and a towel i can't say enough nice stuff about it in general and especially for hot weather. While my regular cotton towels start to get funky after about a week of not washing, i once held out 3 weeks on my linen one (as a test) and it still smelled fine (but i washed it anyways).

[R K]

+1 for the Buff. If you fold it under your nose just right you can eliminate fogging. Works great!

[Daniel Pittman]

NM

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