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So the big rage nowadays is clothing that blocks UV rays. What I'd like is the opposite -- clothing (shirts in particular) specifically designed to allow UV rays through. Anyone heard of anything like this?

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3 Answers

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If you wear clothes made out of a very lightweight cheesecloth, cotton voile, muslin or another such weave that has a very open thread count (less than 100 per inch), then you are actually wearing a garment that has very low UV protection anyway. No untreated/natural fabric can guarantee protection from the sun, that is why synthetic UV shirts have taken off in the way they have - the tightness of the weave/knit (synthetics can weave up tighter than natural fabrics) and the fact that the yarns are impregnated with various substances (silicones, ceramic or glass fibres) before weaving, gives them sun filtration properties, which can then be rated a certain SPF factor.

Buy (or make) a shirt out of cotton voile for instance and you will be allowing sunlight to reach your skin. In addition, wearing clothes out of this kind of airy fabric will allow sweat to escape from your body and keep you cool.

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Great suggestions, Louisa. I've read that an untreated basic cotton t-shirt has a upf of ~8, so your suggestions should bring it down to much less than 8. Also, you can just wear mesh, which has visible holes in it. I own a cycling shirt by InSport that has a tasteful hole-to-fabric ratio, so that it doesn't really look like mesh. – Ed♦ Mar 20 2010 at 18:26
A cycling shirt maybe treated for UV protection though, many of them are as a matter of course, check on the tag if you still have it....and did you say something about MC Hammer earlier? You are very near to completing that whole look, you know ;) – Louisa Mar 20 2010 at 18:32
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 Maybe I'll add a sash and look like a Klingon. – Ed♦ Mar 20 2010 at 18:49
Thanks! No luck finding any open thread t-shirts for men, but I'm still looking. – kilton Mar 21 2010 at 10:16
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 Go to an 'ethnic' shop, a shop selling punk clothes, a market stall that has Indonesian sarongs, they sometimes have very lightweight shirts or an Indian sari shop, a lightweight silk shirt will do just as well. – Louisa Mar 21 2010 at 11:36
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Here you go:

http://www.tanthrough.com/shirtafct.htm

Cordially,

Don Matesz

www.donmatesz.blogspot.com

www.thepaleodietsite.com

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any experience with these shirts? – HealthRediscovery Mar 21 2010 at 3:05
Thanks Don. These shirts have an SPF of 6 which is supposedly close to your standard white t-shirt, but at least with this product you know what you're getting (t-shirts can vary). – kilton Mar 21 2010 at 10:17
these are great, would be nicer to have a more exciting style for women though.... – Louisa Mar 21 2010 at 11:32
I haven't tried them yet, I've had them on my list of things to test for awhile. I live in AZ and don't get tanned through white T-shirts, so I think my T-shirts block more than these. – Don Matesz Mar 21 2010 at 16:13
I am very unimpressed by this product- it basically just seems see-through like any other material with a low thread count. – HealthRediscovery Apr 8 2010 at 22:01
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Interesting idea! Don't know the answer, but I would like one too.

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