Hats - From a jaunty, white-terry tennis cap to a broad-brimmed straw bonnet, hats should be high on your list of sun indispensables. And this season, there's something new for under the sun …… the sporty scarf / translucent visor that keeps your hair under cover - protects it from the burning rays and helps shield your skin and eyes, too. Plus, it's a beautiful way to conceal a set, particularly if you gather your hair into a ponytail or knot, then wind the tendrils that remain in front around your finger and fasten them with strips of hair setting tape. Wear this head wrap whenever you're outdoors - on the beach, shopping gardening. Or tie on a pretty scarf, the all-time favourite headgear.

Cover Alls - A billowy caftan cover-up in white cotton is best in the sun because it reflects the rays and stays cool. Cover-ups and summer seem to pair naturally no matter what you're doing. After a pick-me-up shower or a lingering bath, after a day of sunning or an hour on the tennis court - after just about anything - slide into a chick cover-up like the one pictured here, plus sleek on a satiny moisturizer to keep you smooth.

Shadows - Waterproof eye shadows have the density and staying power needed to protect your eyelids while you're sunning or swimming.

Eyelashes - they frazzle just as your hair does when exposed to the sun - should be kept covered with waterproof mascara. Condition them regularly with petroleum jelly or a specially formulated lash conditioner.

Shades - Although eyes are better protected from sun damage than skin, they can be burned if exposed to massive doses of ultraviolet rays. That's why wearing sunglasses is the best treat you can give them. Glasses reduce the irritating glare of strong sunlight, but to be effective they should filter out about 80% of the light, including ultraviolet and infrared rays; sage green and grey are the colours that do this best. Both glass and plastic lenses filter out ultraviolet light; however, only glass blocks out infrared. Plastic, on the other hand, is lighter and more comfortable, but scratches more easily. Thus your choice should depend on what you'll be using the glasses for - sunning, driving, sailing.

Doctors advise that the darker sunglasses - meant for true protection - should be worn only outdoors. Wearing dark glasses indoors constantly won't weaken the eyes, but it will make them more light sensitive.

Sunita Motwani-Makhija is an Internationally qualified Beautician and Hair Consultant and is the Director of the Schnell Hans Chain of Beauty Schools & Salons in Mumbai, that conducts Basic and Advanced courses and also the City & Guilds International Hairdressing Qualification. Sunita is the first Indian to have been conferred the prestigious Licentiateship in Hairdressing by City & Guilds, U.K. Her chain of salons offer excellent beauty treatments too.
For any hair & beauty queries E-mail: schnellhans@rbcsgroup.com