In the heat of summer, people often think about what to wear to stay cool. Most will choose thin, lightweight, or breathable fabrics. But have you ever considered what color to wear to reduce the heat?
According to meteorologist Taylor Stephenson, some colors absorb and hold more sunlight than others. Light-colored clothing easily reflects sunlight, while dark-colored clothing has a harder time reflecting sunlight.
Dark-colored clothing retains heat from the sun. So if you wear dark-colored clothing, you may feel hotter.
In the world of weather forecasting, light reflection due to color is called “albedo.” Albedo is measured on a scale from 0 to 1, with 0 being the least reflective and 1 being highly reflective. Black is at the 0 end of the scale, while white is close to 1.
Therefore, it is best to wear light-colored clothing on hot sunny days.
According to Lifestyleasia, Japanese researchers have studied this topic and provided an overview of suitable colors to wear in hot weather.
A group of Japanese scientists, led by researcher Toshiaki Ichinose of the National Institute for Environmental Studies, conducted experiments to determine which colors help keep the body cool in the summer sun.
Toshiaki Ichinose used 9 mannequins wearing different colors ranging from red to light green, yellow, blue, black, and white. They exposed them to the hot sun.
After about 5 minutes, they checked the surface temperature differences between the mannequins wearing different colors. The surface temperature of the white-colored garment was equivalent to the ambient temperature. On the other hand, the surface temperature of the black-colored garment was about 20 degrees hotter than the white-colored garment.
This shows the importance of choosing the color of your clothes to wear in hot weather.
White is considered the most suitable color to wear in hot weather, high temperatures during the summer because it limits heat absorption. In addition, some other colors also help keep the body cool, such as yellow, red, and gray. Purple is in the middle of the ranking and can be worn on hot days if it is your favorite color.
Colors you should limit choosing on hot summer days are black. In addition, you should also avoid navy blue, green, and dark green.
What color should masks be?
After the pandemic, many people still choose to wear masks to ensure safety for themselves and others. In hot summer weather, you should also consider the color of your mask.
According to Toshiaki Ichinose, the answer is not too important. But if you go outside, she advises using a white mask, which will not make people around you uncomfortable.
