Styling and Profiling: Understanding why you shouldn’t wear black in hot weather

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

You may have heard that wearing black in hot weather is a bad idea, because black absorbs more heat than lighter colors. But is that really true? And if so, why would anyone choose to wear black when the temperature is high?

In this News Round the Clock (NRTC) post, we will explore the science behind the color of clothing and how it affects your body temperature. We will also look at some reasons why wearing black in hot weather might not be such a bad idea after all.

First, let’s understand how clothing affects heat transfer. Heat can be transferred by three methods: conduction, convection, and radiation.

Conduction is when heat moves from one solid object to another, such as when you touch a hot stove. Convection is when heat moves through a fluid, such as air or water, by currents. Radiation is when heat is emitted as electromagnetic waves, such as sunlight or infrared.

Clothing can affect all three methods of heat transfer, but the most important one for our purposes is radiation.

When you wear clothing, you are essentially covering your skin with another layer of material that can either reflect or absorb radiation.

The more radiation your clothing reflects, the cooler you will feel, and vice versa.

So, how does the color of clothing affect radiation? Well, it depends on the wavelength of the radiation. Visible light has a range of wavelengths, from violet to red, and each color corresponds to a different wavelength.

Black is not really a color, but the absence of color. It means that black absorbs all wavelengths of visible light, and reflects none.

Also read: 5 Importance of Personal Hygiene

White, on the other hand, is the combination of all colors. It means that white reflects all wavelengths of visible light, and absorbs none.

But visible light is not the only type of radiation that matters. There is also infrared radiation, which is invisible to our eyes, but we can feel as heat. Infrared radiation has longer wavelengths than visible light, and it is emitted by any object that has a temperature above absolute zero. That includes our bodies, which have an average temperature of about 37°C.

Now, here’s the interesting part. Black clothing absorbs more visible light than white clothing, but it also emits more infrared radiation than white clothing. That means that black clothing can actually help you cool down by radiating heat away from your body.

White clothing reflects more visible light than black clothing, but it also reflects more infrared radiation than black clothing. That means that white clothing can actually trap heat near your body and make you feel warmer.

Of course, this effect is not very significant unless you are exposed to direct sunlight. In the shade, the difference between black and white clothing is negligible. And there are other factors that influence how hot or cold you feel, such as the thickness, fit, and material of your clothing, as well as your own metabolism, sweat rate, and hydration level.

So why would anyone wear black in hot weather? Well, there are some possible benefits to wearing black in hot weather:

• Black clothing can protect you from harmful UV rays that can cause sunburns and skin cancer.
• Black clothing can make you look slimmer and more stylish.
• Black clothing can hide dirt and stains better than lighter colors.
• Black clothing can express your personality and mood.

Of course, these benefits are subjective and may not outweigh the discomfort of feeling hotter in black clothing. Ultimately, the choice of what color to wear in hot weather depends on your personal preference and comfort level.

We hope this blog post has helped you understand why you should wear black in hot weather. Remember to stay hydrated and cool in any color you choose!