Spring is blooming, and it's time to go out again. But let's not forget that although the temperature in spring is not high, the ultraviolet radiation is gradually increasing, and sunscreen in spring is also necessary! When it comes to how to protect from the sun, sunscreen clothing has now become the choice of many people.
But in the face of countless sunscreen clothing styles on shopping platforms, a headache is in front of us: how to choose sunscreen clothing, is it really more expensive the better?
Too long to see the version
1. Please look for the national standard when choosing sunscreen clothing.
2. Cheap sunscreen clothing with national standards is also very good.
3. It is more comfortable to choose light colors for summer sunscreen clothing.
4. It is best to change sun-protective clothing for 3 years.
5. It is best not to use sun-protective clothing as a raincoat.
How do sun-protective clothing protect from the sun
Before choosing a sunscreen clothing that suits you, let's first understand the sunscreen principle of sunscreen clothing.
The fabrics of clothing for daily wear actually have a certain anti-ultraviolet function. Because when ultraviolet rays hit the surface of the garment, reflection, scattering and absorption will occur, so that the ultraviolet rays that reach the surface of the human skin through the fabric will be reduced, and the skin will be less damaged by ultraviolet rays.
And the same works for sun-protective clothing, except that it is done more professionally than regular clothing.
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At present, the realization of UV protection function of sunscreen clothing fabrics generally follows two principles:
1. Shielding principle: enhance the reflection and scattering effect of the fabric on ultraviolet rays, such as coating the inner layer of the fabric, or adding a shielding agent to the fibers of the fabric;
2. Absorption principle: Enhance the absorption of ultraviolet rays by fabrics, convert energy into heat energy release or harmless low-energy radiation after ultraviolet absorption, such as choosing dyes with better absorption of ultraviolet rays when dyeing fabrics, or coating the fabrics with anti-ultraviolet absorbers.
When choosing sun-protective clothing, look at this label
In mainland China, the most basic requirement for sunscreen textile products is that they must meet the provisions of the national standard GB/T 18830-2009 "Evaluation of UV Resistance Performance of Textiles", that is, "UV-proof textiles must reach UPF>40 and UVA transmittance of <5% before they can be called UV-proof products".
Why these two indicators?
Among them, the ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) refers to the ratio of the average effect of ultraviolet radiation calculated when the skin is not protected and the average effect of ultraviolet radiation calculated when the skin is protected by fabrics.
However, consumers do not have to blindly pursue high UPF values, which can achieve high UV protection performance with a UPF value of 50, and even higher UPF values have little significance for improving the UV protection performance of textiles.
UVA is the longest wavelength part of ultraviolet rays, which has a strong penetrating power, which can directly reach the dermis layer of the skin, destroying elastic fibers and collagen fibers.
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The most direct basis for consumers to choose sunscreen clothing is that the product must have a clear mark that meets the national standard GB/T 18830-2009 "Evaluation of Ultraviolet Protection Performance of Textiles". The identity content must include the following sections:
The number of the standard, i.e. GB/T 18830-2009
When the UPF ≤ 50 < 40, it is marked as UPF40+. When UPF>50, it is marked as UPF50+;
Long-term use and in the presence of stretching or wetting may reduce the protection provided by the product.
The more expensive the sun-protective clothing, the better?
Dark or light?
At present, the price of sunscreen clothing sold in the market ranges from tens of yuan to hundreds of yuan, in fact, from the cost of fabrics, design and craftsmanship as a whole, more than 100 yuan, and sunscreen clothing with the above logo can be purchased with confidence, and it is not recommended to buy sunscreen clothing that is too cheap.
Some sunscreen clothing is sold at a high price, and a large part of it includes factors such as brand premium and design style, and its UV protection function on the skin is not much different if it meets the national standard.
In addition, many friends will struggle with the problem of color.
Thick, dark-colored garments will have better UV protection because most of the UV rays will be absorbed by the garment fabric, and the UV rays that pass through the fabric to the skin's surface are greatly reduced. However, in the scorching heat of summer, the inherent physical sun protection advantage of thick, dark clothing becomes a disadvantage, and the fabric absorbs a lot of ultraviolet rays, which can cause the temperature of the garment itself to rise, making people feel stuffy.
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Professional sunscreen clothing can provide enough effective UV protection function, at this time, the color and thickness of the clothing are not the most critical UV protection factors, in this case, you can choose light-colored light sunscreen clothing to achieve sunscreen and comfortable effect.
How long does it take to change sunscreen clothing?
The UV protection of sun-protective clothing will gradually deteriorate with use, which is also clearly stated in point 3 of the national standard label that must be attached to the sun-protective clothing (i.e. "the protection provided by the product may be reduced over time and in the event of stretching or wetness").
The main factors that affect the performance of sunscreen clothing are: time of use, ambient temperature, sweating and wetting, washing times and daily wear and tear.
For example, long-term exposure to the sun, repeated folding and stretching of clothing, sweat and heat soaking will gradually damage the fabric and UV protection coating, and weaken the UV protection performance. The washing process can cause the UV protection coating on the surface of the fabric to peel off, resulting in a reduction in the UV protection of the fabric. In addition, the fabric of sun-protective clothing is generally thinner, and the fabric structure will loosen when the surface is worn out, so that the transmission rate of ultraviolet rays will increase.
As an ordinary consumer, it is difficult to test the UV protection performance of the fabric before use, but it can still be made a rough judgment through visual observation.
There are also scientific studies that show that sunscreen clothing that has been used for 3 years will lose 100% of its UV protection performance (i.e., it does not meet the requirements of the aforementioned national standards), and this use time can also be used as a reference for updating sunscreen clothing.
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Now there are a lot of sun-protective clothing claiming to have waterproof and splash-proof performance, consumers in the light rain weather will be sun-protective clothing as a temporary raincoat is harmless, generally will not obviously damage the sun-protective performance of the clothes, but it is still not recommended to use the sun-protective clothing as a raincoat, mainly the waterproof and splash-proof function of the sun-protective clothing can not achieve the function of continuous rainproof;
In addition to sun-protective clothing, many people choose to wear parasols and ice sleeves to protect themselves from the sun.
Parasols can resist direct sunlight well, but they cannot block the sunlight reflected or scattered by the ground or other objects, and ice sleeves are mainly used for sun protection for the arms, and it is also a partial sun protection. Sun-protective clothing, parasols and ice sleeves are all effective tools for sun protection, and it is recommended that consumers choose the most suitable sun protection measures according to the specific situation.
Resources
[1] Pan Quan, She Xiaoyan, Wan Xiaohui.Testing and analysis of influencing factors of textile anti-ultraviolet performance[J].Modern Textile Technology,2021,29(02):50-55.DOI:10.19398/j.att.202006018.
[2] Yang Longfeng, Wei Wenfeng, Li Yang.Research on the influencing factors of sunscreen performance of old sunscreen clothing[J].Textile Science and Technology Progress,2021(02):16-18+24.DOI:10.19507/j.cnki.1673-0356.2021.02.005.
Planning and production
Author: Song Lidan, Consulting Engineer of Industrial Research Department, China Textile Construction Planning Institute
Audit|Zhang Jie, Chief Engineer of China Textile Construction Planning Institute
Planning|Ding Kun Yang Yaping
Editor丨Yang Yaping, Wang Mengru
Reviewer丨Xu Lai, Lin Lin