Ah, summertime. Who doesn’t love those perfect summer days?
Well, when you’re going through chemotherapy and have no hair, summer presents a whole new set of challenges. First off, you’re supposed to be super-careful about exposing your skin to the sun. That means covering up as best as you can and wearing heavy-duty SPF on the parts of you that you can’t completely cover. When you’re bald and plan to spend time outside, you absolutely must cover your head.
The thing is, some headwear can be quite hot and clammy to wear, so hats are a great type of summer headcovering to turn to.
Which hat you select has a lot to do with the activity you plan to do.
Fabrics & Features
Just as wintertime brings its own set of cozy, warm fabric choices, summer demands cool, breathable, lightweight fabrics and materials for hat selections. Popular summer hats are made from cotton, linen, straw, even paper!
Summer hats come in all styles, designed for different purposes:
Travel Hats
Are you taking to the skies for your summer plans?
Likely then, that involves a suitcase, and you’ll want to be thinking about at least one packable hat. These hats, which don’t get destroyed by some folding or rolling as other hats might, ensure you have appropriate coverage on your head, even if you’re living out of a suitcase!
Lounging Outdoors Hats
If you just want to spend time relaxing outside on a clear, sunny day, it’s a good idea to seek some shade. In addition to natural or constructed shade, you can be the source of your own shade by selecting a wide brim sun hat or visor.
These very stylish, sexy hats – available in a plethora of colors -- look great on almost any shaped head. Some come with UV protection woven into the fabric and inner drawstrings to adjust the size around your crown.
Heading to the Beach Hats
While wide brim hats might sound like a good idea for the beach, the beach is often windy so be forewarned.
Whether you have hair or not, the best beach hats either have internal or external drawstrings to affix the hat tight to the head or are designed to fit close to the head, like a cotton cloche.
Swim Caps
If you’re are going to go all the way underwater, you should also cover your hairless head with a swim cap for UV protection.
Hats for Action
If you like a little adventure in your life, even while undergoing chemo, you may want a hat that you can easily take on and off without tying up your hands – one with a chin strap for example. Chin straps are also great for those windy beachy days or rides on a motor boat!
Everyday Quick & Easy Hats
Many times during the summer, you’ll just want a quick, casual grab-and-go hat to throw on your head. That’s when the baseball cap (with or without a ponytail hair headband option) is the greatest.
Whatever option you choose, please make the most of the sunshiny days and go outside. Even 10 minutes of Vitamin D will do you good!