Summer began in the Northern Hemisphere on June 20th, and we still have until September, which means relaxation and fun and… responsible sun protection! 

You can still look great, but very often, this process looks like a series of checklists. Basically, before heading out, you need to make sure you’ve checked off all those sun protection boxes. Bottle of water? Check. Sunscreen? Check. Sunglasses? Read LittlePinkTop’s recent article about Gucci sunglasses and then, check. Summer hat? Check. Your favorite stuffie? … Wait, what? Fine… it might actually come in handy, these are unsettling times.

Unfortunately, with the Delta variant increasing case numbers right now, it’s also still a good idea to ask yourself: Mask? And, check.

But let’s talk about hats. It’s easy to forget that hats are also a method of health protection.

Hats can reduce the amount of UV radiation reaching your eyes by 50%, according to the SunSmart Program Cancer Council in Australia. A broad brim can help to shade the whole face, and a close-weave fabric prevents light from seeping through.

Ava Shamban, M.D., a dermatologist in Beverly Hills, tells Women’s Health that a hat can increase your cumulative total sun protection factor by at least 10.

Different hats provide different levels of protection, but in many cases, something is better than nothing.

For fashionistas looking for the best style, LittlePinkTop came up with a guide to summer hats! 

(Disclosure: this article includes affiliate links.)

Straw hat 

Every self-respecting chick out there needs to have a straw hat if she doesn’t want to turn into fried chicken. These hats are light, protective, and don’t make you sweat like some options made out of synthetic fabric might. I think that this “Santa Rosa Floppy Hat” from Hurley is both conventional and cute.

Trucker hat

If you are into more laidback styles, get this trucker hat with a mesh at the back. It will help let the air through and keep you cool. Trucker hats seem to have made a comeback. Recently, Rihanna was spotted wearing one with an ESSO logo.

Here’s one from Arc’teryx, a technical apparel company that sells outdoor clothing and climbing gear. This trucker hat will look great on a hike or even a city stroll because of its sleek design.

Baseball cap

This pretty pink baseball cap from Lacoste is 100% cotton. It has an adjustable leather strap at the back for a flexible fit and comes in variety of colors, such as black, light blue, red and white. Black tends to heat up in the sun, so I would keep it for cooler weather conditions.  

Oversized sun hat

Do you remember those enormous straw hats from Jacquemus that were trending on Instagram? Do you also want to snap a pic wearing an oversized sun hat? Mind you, it’s not practical for real life conditions, but it will probably look good on Insta, if social media-based affirmation is your thing.

Here you go, PrettyLittleThing has got you covered, literally and metaphorically.

Bucket hat

I think bucket hats are super overrated and usually look silly, but not this bucket hat with front ties. I love that it has those straps you can tie nicely, and the hat won’t be blown away. 

Besides, it looks cute!