[tombert]

I've only ever smoked like a quarter of one cigarette when I was eighteen and I thought it was fucking gross so I never picked up the habit (fortunately).

That said, I'm a pretty pale dude and my sister has gotten skin cancer twice now [1], so I've started getting a bit worried that that's going to happen to me. I've started wearing a baseball cap every time I go outside to protect my scalp (since my body has decided I don't need nearly as much hair anymore), I almost never go outside without jeans and often now a hoodie even when it's relatively warm outside. If I think I'm going to be outside for more than ~30 minutes, I wear sunscreen on the exposed parts.

I have to admit that I kind of hate it. I don't like the slimy feeling of sunscreen on my skin, I don't really like how hats feel on my head, and of course wearing a lot of clothes when it's warm outside isn't terribly comfortable.

[1] Fortunately caught very early since she gets frequent checks, so she's fine.

[pilgrim0]

Also share the icky for greasy sunscreen. But there are some with a matte dry texture that not only serves the purpose but also make your skin looks nicer, since it levels out those small color variations. It’s a big market, so they really do research on those things.

[Mezzie]

Strong recommend a UV umbrella. I also hate the feeling of sunscreen and will also fry the minute I so much as look at the sun.

Also, linen clothing. Far more comfortable in heat while keeping you covered. Hoodies and jeans sounds miserable.

[tombert]

I've more or less gotten used to the jeans.

Probably due to a combination of undiagnosed autism and some very mild bullying in middle school (due to me growing rapidly and people making fun of me for wearing "short shorts"), I have been almost exclusively wearing jeans for everywhere but the gym since eighth grade.

The hoodies are a more recent thing and are more miserable. I'll check out linen clothing.

[Mezzie]

Yeah, there are linen pants too, so you don't have to wear shorts if you don't feel comfortable showing your legs. Linen in general is a great option if you want to not die of heat and you don't feel like showing your whole body to the world.

Since you're autistic, you might want to buy them in person: the tactile sensation of linens can be pretty different, so you might want to touch them before buying if sensory issues are a clothing concern.

One thing to look out for is that a lot of clothing that will come up when you search for linen are linen blends, which are better than a hoodie by far, but aren't going to have the same breeziness as 100% linen. Also, 100% linen wrinkles, so you've got to hang it right out of the dryer if you care about that.

[tombert]

I don't really have sensory issues and I don't get too picky about the textures of clothing. As I said, never actually diagnosed as autistic, I think I'm more borderline if I am.

Anyway, I'll take a look at some linen stuff. Probably worth an experiment if nothing else.

[pipe2devnull]

By hoodies do you mean the cotton ones with fleece linings or a lightweight breathable one? If it’s a thicker cotton one I can’t imagine wearing that in summer

[tombert]

They are cotton but it’s cheap thin ones I bought at Walmart.

[Krssst]

I would bet on the sunscreen being a better protection since it also protects against reflected light, but UV umbrellas are so much more convenient. Takes 2s to take out rather than 5min to apply sunscreen properly.

(except when it's windy. Rain usually follows the wind, sunlight does not)

[Mezzie]

Good point re: wind. We don't really get substantial wind + sunlight where I live often. Definitely something to keep in mind.

I'm not sure re: the sunscreen being better. Maybe as a platonic ideal, but it's really easy to miss places when applying sunscreen, whereas a UV umbrella does cover everything with no fuss.

[ShinyLeftPad]

How is UV umbrella different from any normal umbrella?

[jerlam]

UV umbrellas should be woven tighter to block out more sunlight, but even a non-UV umbrella will block a significant amount of sunlight.

I bought one of those UV-C detection cards that also detect UV-A and UV-B. Both a UV umbrella and a non-UV umbrella blunted the midday sun down from very high levels to low/medium levels.

I also bought a Japanese umbrella (brand Wpc) that is rated for UV and it blocks the UV levels down to zero.

[Scoundreller]

A lot of plastics aren’t great at blocking/absorbing UV. And normal umbrellas, not being designed for UV, may lose a lot of their strength with heavy UV exposure from what they do absorb.

[brightball]

Sun shirts are a great option for me at least.

[itsmartapuntocm]

A fairly bad sunburn was the reality check I needed to start scheduling annual screenings. 30 minutes or so a year for peace of mind.

[thisoneisreal]

Check out mineral based sunscreens, I have sensitive skin and I find them infinitely more tolerable.

[zamadatix]

Timing is also a big part. Going out for an hour at 1 pm can be a burn while going from 7 to sunset for the week might not even register.

If you must go out at certain times then the clothing selections from others are probably the best bet.

[sebmellen]

Take a look at sun protective gear like Coolibar. It’s actually very pleasant to wear even in summer.

[leawi]

A bit offtopic, but have you tried different sunscreen types? There are quite a lot of formulations from matte creams to solid sticks. Mentioned because I remember avoiding sunscreens precisely because of that slimy feeling I got from the drugstore ones, that is, until I found an "invisible" one that doesn't feel like anything at all on my skin.

[tombert]

I have not. Do you have any recommendations for specific brands? I'll order a bottle and try it out.

[joe5150]

Different person here, but I've been using various Supergoop products for years and think they're all excellent. Their "Unseen Sunscreen" dries completely matte but is kind of pricey per ounce. I mostly use it on my face. "Play" is cheaper (especially if you get the 18oz pump bottle) and still a lot less greasy than most drug store sunscreens. I use it every day.

[jerlam]

Trader Joe's sells a dupe of the Supergoop sunscreen for much cheaper:

https://www.cheapism.com/trader-joes-supergoop-sunscreen-dup...

[leawi]

There are honestly quite a lot of them, I usually take whatever's on sale. My favorite so far is Haruhatu Airyfit, but I was also happy with La Roche-Posay (Athelios dry-touch) and Neutrogena (dry-touch or matte). I also like to take Abib stick with me when I travel, it's just really easy to reapply and fits in the pocket.

Edit: I'd also say avoid anything that says "moisturizing" unless you have a really dry skin, they all claim their product is not greasy, and they are all lying, from my experience.