Typically, the lighter gray tones will reflect more light, and will keep your body cool under the sun. Similar to yellow, gray is known to reflect about 90 to 95% of available light and heat, which also makes a great alternative to white.
The Cancer Council in Australia suggests that darker colours absorb UV rays, which helps block them from your skin. That's why dark blue, black, and dark red are the best colours for sun protection compared to white or pastel colours of the same fabric.
The most cooling color to wear in the summer is typically light colors, particularly white and pastels. These colors reflect sunlight rather than absorb it, helping to keep you cooler. Light shades of blue, green, and yellow can also be good options.
White. White is the ultimate summer color as it reflects sunlight rather than absorbing it, which helps to keep your body cooler. This reflective property makes white clothing feel noticeably cooler than darker shades.
Light colors such as white, cream, light blue, pastel green, light gray and pale yellow can help reflect sunlight and reduce heat entering the house.
Dark or bright colors
Darker colors, such as blue or black, absorb more UV rays than lighter shades like whites and pastels. This means the UV rays are less likely to reach your skin.
Black and dark colors absorb more UV rays than other colors, which will ensure they don't hit your skin as much. Essentially, the darker the color, the more sun protection it will offer. Besides black, other dark colors that can provide a level of sun protection include navy, maroon, and dark gray.
Of all colors tested, dark blue offered the best levels of UV protection, making it the best color to wear in the sun. Contrary to the popular belief that they are the coolest colors in the sun, white and yellow were the worst performing colors in terms of UV protection.
Black coloured fabrics are a better radiator of heat – meaning they absorb heat emanating from the body – so this can also play a role in cooling your body down. The Bedouin's secret is wearing loose-fitting black clothing, especially if it's windy.
White is one of the best colors for reflecting sunlight and heat. A white car can remain significantly cooler compared to darker-colored vehicles. This is because white surfaces reflect almost all wavelengths of light, reducing the amount of heat absorbed. Silver cars are another excellent option for staying cool.
The National Weather Service in Kansas City has found certain clothing colors can help you feel a little cooler during those high temperatures. Dark colors will attract more heat, so it's best to avoid dark colored clothing like black or maroon.
The two colours that make the grey colour is black and white and they should be of equal volume. 50:50 proposition of black and white colours is to be mixed to make the grey colour. Now you can add black if you want a darker shade or white to get a lighter shade as per your requirement.
Sidhu and colleagues found that black and red clothing produced the highest ratings of body attractiveness and slimmer body size judgments. In contrast, grey and green clothes produced the lowest body attractiveness and highest body size assessments.
Choose light colors: Wearing light colors that reflect the sun's rays rather than absorb them (as dark colors can) helps keep you cool. Look for shirts, shorts, pants and hats in white, tan or khaki.
Dark or bright colors, including red, black and navy blue, absorb more UV rays than lighter colors like whites and pastels. For example, an everyday white cotton T-shirt has a UPF of only about 5. As a rule of thumb, the more intense the hue, the better protection the clothing will provide.
Unbleached cotton contains natural lignins that act as UV absorbers. Shiny polyesters and even lightweight satiny silks can be highly protective because they reflect radiation. High-tech fabrics treated with chemical UV absorbers or dyes prevent some penetration from UV rays.
This is especially true in the scorching summer months, but black really is the best colour to wear in the sun if you want to protect your skin. It's an easy sacrifice to make for your skin's health. Just as important as ensuring we cover up when we spend time exposed to UV Rays is the colours with which we cover up.
For everyday summer-wear, look for lightweight, breathable fabrics like cotton and linen, Frey suggests. These fibers will not only allow any natural breezes to pass through your clothes and cool the skin, but also allow your sweat to escape and evaporate.
While it may seem counterintuitive, long sleeves can actually help to shield your skin from direct sunlight, reducing the risk of overheating. By creating a barrier between your skin and the sun's rays, long sleeves can help regulate your body temperature and keep you feeling cooler in hot weather.
White. It's no surprise white came up as the color that stayed the coolest from the results. Temperature readings showed the surfaces of the white shirts wavered around 86 degrees Fahrenheit, which is considerably low compared to the 122 degrees Fahrenheit of the dark green shirts.
While you're getting over a bad burn, dark-colored clothing is your best friend. Remember the old trick of wearing white to look more tan? Well, it also makes you look more sunburned. Tight clothes will rub on your burn and create blisters, while skimpy skirts and tops will expose your burn to more sun.
Earth- and neutral-toned colors such as cream, beige, and gray are more resistant to sun exposure and absorb less heat. In addition, due to the inorganic pigments in these colors, they are less likely to break down or fade than darker, organic colors like reds, blues, yellows, and greens.
Light Colors Reflect UV Rays Better Than Dark Ones
Darker colors like black, brown, dark red, navy blue, and forest green tend to absorb more UV radiation rather than reflect it. This provides less sun protection for your skin. Dark-colored fabrics let more of the sun's rays penetrate down to your skin's surface.
Wearing black clothes in summer is not preferable as during summer there is more heat present in the atmosphere and black clothes absorb more heat comparatively. So, black clothes are not preferable during summer.
To help protect your skin from the sun, dermatologists recommend wearing the following items: Lightweight and long-sleeved shirts and pants. It's important to cover up as much of your skin as possible when spending time outdoors. When selecting clothing, avoid fabrics with a loose or open weave, such as lace.