Do the tops of your hands get burned when you are driving, hiking, golfing, cycling or just outside when it is bright and sunny? If so, you are not alone.
For me, those UV rays from the scorching hot summer sun really do a number on the tops of my hands and my wrists when I am driving. And getting sunburned on your hands is the worst.
If your experience is anything like mine, then you are all too familiar with the burning and stinging that comes from getting your hands sunburned.
The good news is that you no longer have to suffer with sunburned hands! This past summer I discovered the best way to protect your hands from the UV rays of the sun and not get sunburnt.
The solution? Sun protection gloves! You can opt for fingerless UV protection gloves or full-fingered sun gloves.
Personally, I only have a problem with the tops of my hands burning, plus I think I’d get too warm with my entire hand and fingers covered. So, I prefer the fingerless sun gloves.
I’ve tried out a few different pairs and want to share my reviews of them with you so that you can spend the summer free of burned hands! But first, I’ll share some of the tips I’ve discovered for protecting your hands in the sun.
- Outdoor Research Active Ice Spectrum Sun Gloves (my favorite!)
How To Protect Hands From Sun
As I mentioned, I often have issues with the tops of my hands getting sunburned. I went through a lot of trial and error looking for ways to protect my hands and I’ve managed to find a few different solutions that work for me.
1. Sun Protection Gloves
Without fail, this is the #1 solution that I’ve found for my problem with the suns rays and my hands when I’m driving, hiking, or cycling.
What’s so great about these is that the fabric is UV-blocking so you don’t have to worry about the sun’s rays burning your hands (and fingers, if you opt for full fingered gloves). The fabric is lightweight, so you don’t overheat wearing them either.
Another benefit is that this is a one-time purchase, so you don’t have an ongoing expense. This is probably the cheapest way to prevent your hands from getting burned by the sun.
The only disadvantage of wearing these is that you can end up with a weird tan line, if that sort of thing bothers you.
You also need to remember to keep a pair of these with you at all times, otherwise your skin is exposed.
2. Daily Sunscreen
For a lot of people, this is the obvious solution to preventing sunburn on your hands. It’s super easy to find sunscreen pretty much anywhere, so no worries if you’ve forgotten it when you head out.
Of course, you’ll have to reapply sunscreen a LOT since it will wash off whenever you wash your hands. And most sunscreen has to be reapplied regularly (ever two hours) just to stay effective.
Another disadvantage is that you’ll have to buy sunscreen regularly, which means that this is not a cheap option.
3. Foods That Offer A Natural Sunscreen
Some studies show that certain foods give your body a sort of natural sunscreen protection when you consume them. This isn’t to say that you should skip the UV-protection gloves and/or sunscreen application.
What it does mean is that if you’re out in the sun without protection, having eaten some of these foods gives your body a little bit of a natural ability to prevent the damage that leads to sunburn.
Some of these foods include tomatoes, strawberries, oatmeal, and green tea. You can view of list of the best food for sun protection at the Cosmopolitan UK website.
Best Fingerless Gloves for UV Sun Protection
After testing out all the fingerless gloves that are available for purchase, I narrowed down my favorites to models just by two brands – Outdoor Research and Coolibar. I’ll tell you what I like and what I don’t like about each one so that you can make an informed decision as to which one is the best for your sun protection needs this summer. It is also worth noting that you can actually wear these sun gloves year-round, which is great for those of us who are pale-skinned by nature.
Outdoor Research Spectrum Sun Gloves Review
I was so relieved when I found these sun protective gloves as they are hands down the single best pair of fingerless hand gloves for sun protection that I have used.
The material is very lightweight and breathable, which means that your hands do not get all sweaty and clammy. Instead, they stay fairly cool in them, which is kind of surprising to me.
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On the palms, these sun gloves have little rubberized pads for gripping. This is great for driving or holding onto pretty much anything. What I really love about them is that they are not obtrusive when you are not gripping something, which is a problem that a lot of the other UV gloves have.
The color is a nice, light gray, which is perfect for going with pretty much anything that you wear. I think they blend in quite nicely with my clothes and I often forget that I’m even wearing them!
The only thing that I do not like about these gloves is that the right hand one has a logo design on it, but like I said, I usually forget that I’m wearing them so it’s not a big deal in the end.
You can use these sunblock gloves for pretty much anything, like driving gloves, fishing gloves, cycling gloves, hiking gloves and pretty much anything else that you can think of where you are hands are exposed to the sun’s UV rays.
The Fishing Tree Sun Protection Fingerless Gloves
These sun protective gloves by The Fishing Tree were the first pair that I found that I actually liked.
They are easy to move in, the fabric is breathable so your hands don’t sweat and the pads of the hands are covered with a non-slip surface, which is great for gripping.
I really like the non-slip surface on these as it is great for when you are out walking the dog and holding onto a leash, or if you are out cycling and need a good grip on your bike handle bars.
However, when you don’t need the gripping action, I found the palm pads on these to be a little excessive and in the way. Let’s just say that the grippers are very noticeable when you are not gripping something.
>>Click Here To See Price at Amazon
Overall, I am not really a big fan of these fingerless sunblock gloves. While they work as advertised, they are hideously ugly as the rubber gripper pads are bright white while the gloves are kind of an odd yellowish-white-brown. Basically, they are very noticeable when you wear them, and they kind of made me a little self conscious.
The thing that makes these gloves the better choice for some people is that they are a bit better for gripping than the Outdoor Research ones. So, if you don’t mind the obtrusive grippers on the palms (or if you only intend to wear them when gripping something), and you don’t mind the color, then you can save a few bucks with these. Otherwise, spend your money for the better quality Outdoor Research sunblock gloves.
