How to Protect Your Face and Neck from the Sun

There are some other fine articles about sun protection, but I noticed a few tips that were missing and thought those of you who love the outdoors could benefit from them.

Things You'll Need

• sunscreen
• hat
• bandana

Instructions

1. 

   The obvious and basic: use sunscreen-and put it on before you go out. Make sure you get it below the collar of your shirt and above the sleaves--if you're moving, the sun will peek in those spots. I've gotten burned down the back of my neck by not getting the sunscreen far enough down my collar. No, that's not me in the picture--but it could have been.

2. 

   Get waterproof sunscreen. Most folks don't think about buying the waterproof kind if they're not going near the water, not realizing they can sweat it off.

3. 

   Put the sunscreen on your ears and on your hair's center part of your scalp if you have a center part. Folks often forget these two areas. Then they take off their hat to play volleyball-and oops, sunburn.

4. 

   That brings us to: Wear a hat with a brim. Best would be a wide-brimmed hat that provides shade for both the front of your face and the back of your neck.

5. 

   Playing volleyball or going on a backpacking trip and a wide-brimmed hat in inconvenient? Bring a baseball hat and a bandana and do as follows:

6. Place the bandana on your head so that one of the corners is hanging over your forehead with the corner approximately at the end of your nose.

7. Fold the corner that's on your nose up so the corner is on top of your head.

8. 

   Put your baseball cap on top of your head. The bandana should now drape nicely down the sides of your face and neck. Or you can buy a cap that already has the flaps built in. Lawrence of Arabia eat your heart out.

Tips & Warnings

• Dread wearing a hat with a brim, thinking you'll be sweating like Indiana Jones in a cave? You don't need to get a heavy-duty one; straw hats with brims have pretty good air circulation.

• Sunscreen expires. I've gotten burned using old sunscreen.

• The sun's at its most intense between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., so try staying out of it during those hours.