Grab a Hat

Today I want to discuss an often overlooked, but vitally important gardening tool - a wide brimmed hat.

My Barmah Hat

My hat of choice is an Australian style Barmah hat like the one in the picture above.  A baseball cap is better than no hat at all, but a wide brimmed hat offers much better protection from the sun.

I started losing my hair in college and it's so short these days that I decided to shave it all off completely. I use 55 SPF sunscreen, but before I spend more than a few minutes outside in the sun I grab my hat for added protection.

Even if you still have your hair, any exposed skin can sunburn pretty quickly during gardening season.  Ears, neck, face, lips, and even eyelids are at risk to too much sun exposure.  An occasional sunburn might not concern you, but it does build up over time. Repeated sun exposure and sun burn over a number of years begins to add up and can damage your skin causing wrinkles, age spots, or worse. 

Do yourself a favor....grab a hat the next time you head out to the garden.