I am so fair and I can only be in the sun for about ten minutes, unprotected, before I start to burn. When I am at the beach, I am under an umbrella 99% of the time and reapply my sunscreen every forty five minutes to hour. I have had some pretty bad burns even following my ritual and I try to avoid that at all costs. You only have one skin and you need to take care of it.
The sun can be very helpful to your body but it can also be very damaging to your skin. UVA rays are the aging rays and are responsible for about 90% of visible aging. UVB rays are the burning rays which causes sunburns. By using sunscreen, you can really help prevent this from happening. Skin cancer is the most preventable type of cancer and more people in the U.S. are diagnosed with skin cancer then every other cancer combined. It is so SO important to wear sunscreen everyday and in every season. Which is why this is at such an odd time.
You would think I would post this in April or May right before summer. Most people are going on vacation and are spending more time outside in the summer, so they automatically use sunscreen (hopefully!). It's after summer has ended and the pools are closed for the season that people stop using sunscreen and that is what I would like to change. The sun is still just as dangerous in the winter as it is in the summer. You can still get UV damage through windows. Sunscreen is for everyone, everyday, in every season!
In this post I am going to give a little bit of information on the two different types of sunscreens and I am also going to give you some reviews on some of the sunscreens that I have used and whether I would recommend them or not. So, let's get the scoop on sunscreens!
Physical Sunscreen- Uses ingredients such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which sit on tip of the skin as a physical barrier scattering UVA rays away from the sun.
Pros:
- Requires no wait time after application. It protects immediately.
- Naturally broad spectrum so it protects against both UVA and UVB rays
- Lasts longer in direct UV light, not when doing activities that get the skin wet or cause you sweat
- Best for sensitive skin because it's less likely to cause irritation
- Better for people with redness or rosacea because it deflects heat from the sun
- Best for acne prone skin due to being less likely to clog pores
- Longer shelf life
- Rubs, sweats, and rinses off easily
- May leave a which cast which may not be ideal for darker skin tones or wearing under makeup
- Tends to be thicker, which makes it harder to rub in
- White drips can show on the skin while sweating
Chemical Sunscreen- Contains carbon based ingredients that create a chemical reaction that changes UV rays into heat. That heat is then released from the skin.
Pros:
- Thinner and easier to apply
- Formula is easier to add additional ingredients that can offer other skin benefits
Cons:
- Can possible increase existing discoloration and brown spots
- There is a wait time before protection is effective
- Higher chance of irritation. The higher the SPF the greater the chance of irritation.
- Protection gets used up much more quickly in direct sunlight making reapplication more frequent
- Could clog pores
- People with rosacea have an increased chance of redness
- Oxybenzone and octinoxate are banned in Hawaii for posing a risk of degrading coral reef if worn in the ocean
Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection Broad Spectrum SPF 50- 3oz for $10.99
I originally purchased this sunscreen to use on both my face and body when I go on walks with my Nana. We usually walk between 10:30am and 12:30pm and I definitely don't want to burn. I thought it would be great to keep in my car to apply on the days it's nice enough for us to walk. I loved that it was a physical sunscreen and that it was from the drugstore. This formula is very difficult to blend into the skin. That is to be expected with this type of sunscreen though. I have no problem spending a little bit of extra time rubbing in sunscreen. With this though, I felt like I was pulling on my skin trying to rub it in. I really didn't enjoy that, especially on m face. Since this is meant for babies, I don't know how well that would go over with babies or even toddlers. Whenever I have used this I have not burned. My friend and I used this on our face and a spray on our bodies when we spent the day at a waterpark back in July. We had no problems with our faces burning but I did notice white water droplets on my friends face when it got wet. Overall I have no problems with this except how rough it is to rub in. I don't like having to tug on my skin. It does leave a noticeable white cast so if you have medium to deep skin, this might not work for you. I will finish the tube but at this point, I probably won't repurchase. |
I heard about this sunscreen in the Skincareaddiction Subreddit. This is meant for post procedure skin so it is great if you have sensitive skin. This facial sunscreen is chemical free, oil-free and is lightly tinted so there is no white cast. I was scared at first because the tint looked too dark for my skin. It blended out into nothing. It is not pigmented enough to add any coverage. The texture of this sunscreen is more of a mousse than a lotion. It feels very light and it is easy to blend in. It doesn't feel greasy and I don't find that it causes me to get oily throughout the day. Anytime I have worn this I have not burned. Overall I really love this sunscreen. I love that it's tinted, that it's easy to work into the skin and that it's a physical sunscreen. I don't love the price but I am willing to spend the money on this. This is my favorite physical facial sunscreen I have tried up to this point. I recommend this to pretty much anyone that'll listen. Highly recommend! |
This is a newer addition to my sunscreen stash. I got this is my summer Fab Fit Fun box and I was so excited! I have enjoyed products from this brand in the past and this is one that I hadn't tried. This is a scented chemical facial sunscreen. It has a very light lotion texture and it was a dream to blend into the skin. This has a sunscreen smell mixed with something else that I would assume is the white tea. I have only ever worn this on my bare face without makeup and I am so glad I did. It felt great going on initially but it stayed greasy on my skin. By mid morning my skin felt so gross that I had to blot away the oil. I was in an air conditioned building so I can't even imagine what it would have been like if I was actually outside where it was hot and humid. I am not really knocking this product for that. I have combination skin and chemical sunscreens tend to make me oily. Something that I really don't like about this sunscreen is the scent. I don't like that they added a scent to the product. Sunscreen, in my opinion, shouldn't have a scent unless it's the scent of one of the ingredients. The scent doesn't even smell good to me. I wish they would have made an unscented option. At least if you're going to add a scent make it beachy, summery or tropical. I also found that this product did pill on my skin. The bottom line is that I am not crazy about this sunscreen. I don't like the scent and it makes me way too oily. I think this would work really well for someone with a drier skin type or someone that really enjoys a traditional sunscreen formula. This is also pretty expensive for the amount of product you get. I will probably use this up but because this doesn't really work for me, I won't repurchase. |
This was the first mineral sunscreen that I ever tried. This is another formula that feels almost whipped in texture. It is very light and easy to blend into the skin. Another plus to this sunscreen is that it truly has a matte finish. This is great for combination or oily skin, especially if worn under makeup. I don't find that this leaves much of a white cast, if any at all on my skin. I am also incredibly fair, so that is something to take into consideration if you have a deeper skin tone. There are two things that I wish I could change about this product, 1. the price and 2. the scent. This is so expensive per ounce and I just wish it was either cheaper or that you got more product. Also, by this point, you know how I feel about scents. I wish they made an unscented version so I had the option to purchase without the scent. It's not overwhelming and it doesn't smell bad, I just wish it wasn't there. I would have to say that this is my second favorite physical facial sunscreen behind the Elta MD. I really enjoy the feel and texture as well as the finish it leaves on my skin. It can pill a little bit sometimes but as long as I let my skin care skin in enough, I can avoid that. The price is pretty high, which is why I haven't repurchased it in awhile. I know that this works for me though and whenever I have used it I have not burned. I would repurchase it and I would recommend it, I would just recommend the Elta MD over this one. Both are great but I like that one a little bit more. |
I have gone through at least one full size bottle of this product and countless samples. This is a physical sunscreen that has a very traditional lotion texture. It is very easy to blend into the skin and I didn't find that it left behind a white cast. My skin did not burn when I used this. A couple of things that make this not an A+ for me are that it sometimes pills and that it can get a little greasy on me due to the lotion texture. I find that traditional lotion formulas just don't seem to work with my skin type. This product is also scented but it does not have that traditional sunscreen scent. It has a very pleasant clean and slightly fruity scent. Obviously, I would prefer no scent but I do actually enjoy the smell of this. In my opinion, this isn't the best sunscreen pick out there. It's pretty expensive per ounce and I just prefer the texture of a couple of the others over this one. This is another one where if you have a drier skin type or you just prefer that traditional lotion formula, then this will probably really work for you. I don't really have anything bad to say about this sunscreen, I have just found others that work better for me. |
This is the sunscreen that my family and I have always used when we have gone on vacation and it is also the one my friend and I used when we went to the beach and waterpark back in July. This truly is a clear spray that always feels a little bit cool when you spray it on. I feel like this is a pretty popular sunscreen and it is widely available. It's found in pretty much any drugstore and you can usually get it in a two pack. My friend and I brought with us 2 1/2 cans of this sunscreen with us for a 2 1/2 day mini vacation. We are both extremely fair and can only tolerate being in direct sunlight (unprotected) for 15-20 minutes before we begin to burn. We both apply sunscreen generously and reapply frequently. I personally reapply every 45 minutes to hour because I really don't want to burn. We went through two cans of this sunscreen in the 2 1/2 days and we both burned. At the beach, I stayed under an umbrella the Entire. Time. Fast forward to recently, I was reading an article about a report that Consumer Reports did where they tested multiple different sunscreens to see their effectiveness and gave them all a rating. They were able to recommend anything with a score of 81 or higher. This sunscreen received a score of 63 out of a possible 100. That really bothered me. That made me seriously rethink using this sunscreen if it wasn't going to have the best protection. It had already proven to me now and in the past that I burn when I use it. I have decided I will no longer be using this sunscreen and I will not be able to recommend it. My family has used it for years and has always burned. Granted, they don't always apply when they are supposed to but this has been proven to not be as effective as it should. I have since purchased some of the sunscreens recommended in the article which I will be using in place of this. Please don't buy this sunscreen. Your skin will thank you. |
That was a ton of information, I know. This is something that I feel very strongly about though and I am hoping to get through to some people. Before I get off my soap box please take away from this to always wear sunscreen everyday, every season, even if you are only staying inside because UV rays can penetrate glass doors and windows. Wear at least SPF 30. Skin cancer is the most preventable cancer. You might not care now, if you're young but I can promise if you are constantly having to get sections of your skin cut out when you are older, you will wish you cared more now. You will have less signs of aging as well if you protect yourself now. One serious burn before the age of eighteen doubles your chances of getting skin cancer later in life. Don't neglect that SPF!