Sun safety can be easily helped by your outfit. If you plan to be outside for long hours under the sun, for instance, you might want to cover up as much as possible. Long sleeves with either pants or a long skirt will more easily defend your skin from the sun's harmful UV rays, a much simpler step than reapplying sunscreen every two hours.

When it comes to the levels of ultraviolet protection offered by a fabric, a number of factors are involved. Generally, a tightly woven fabric works better than one that is more loosely woven, and dark colors offer more protection than light colors. You also want your clothes to remain as dry as possible since wet fabrics usually offer less defense against the sun's UV rays. Weight (also called cover factor) and stretch are also significant factors; heavier, less stretchy clothes are preferable when you have sun safety in mind.

To make things easier, some clothes have labels that list their UV protection factor value on a scale from 15 to 50+. The higher the UPF, the higher the protection. Using newer, liquid products, such as fabric softener, in the washing machine can also increase the UPF value of clothes you already own without changing either their color or texture.