Figuring Out What Sunscreen You Should Use

If you’re like me, figuring out what sunscreen you should use is a continual journey that is kin to your skincare routine. With the sun here year-round, sunscreen is a lifesaver.

If you don’t believe me, I once read a news story of a woman who was exercising and found her way into a public restroom at a city park. A man followed her in and tried to grab her. She managed to escape. Her sunscreen made her skin slippery.

The Components of Sunscreen

Thankfully, sunscreen skin protection comes in many forms. Once you know about UVA from UVB rays, you’ll know how to protect yourself from both.

UVA protection is for anti-aging concerns and preventing cancer-causing agents. UVB sunscreen protects against sunburns. Broad Spectrum sunscreens provide protection from both. If you’re trying to figure out what sunscreen you should use, Broad Spectrum is always recommended.

SPF is another important question to what sunscreen you should use. Believe it or not, experts say anything higher than SPF 30 won’t give you more protection. Anything higher, like SPF 80 or 100, only gives you one or two percent more protection, and it won’t make much of a difference. Just don’t fall below using SPF 30 and you’ll be golden (in the safest sense of the word).

Sunscreen Brand Reviews

With all the brands available to you during summer season, it’s hard to what brand of what sunscreen you should use. Let me save you some time and share my experiences with you.

Over the years, I’ve tried a few:

Alba Botanica Pure Lavender SPF 45 Sunscreen -

This one smells great. It’s jam-packed with lots of great natural oil ingredients so you can treat your skin real nice. Offers solid protection all-year-round. It does have a slight dull, sting to your eyes after it melts off at the end of the day. I always notice it at least once while wearing it. Still, the product’s great, so I’m willing to avoid more of the area above my eyes. Word of advice, don’t buy this brand at Whole Foods. Last time I checked, it’s available much cheaper elsewhere.

Neutrogena Beach Defense (Spray) – Yikes! The first time I used this, it gave me a skin reaction. Small, red bumps appeared on one part on my back, but I could feel the bumps all over. Pretty minor compared to what it could have been, but I’ll never use or recommend. FYI, there were some natural ingredients in the product at the time of use, which I suspect was the cause.

Hawaiian Tropics SPF 30 – If you try Hawaiian Tropics, I recommend the lotion, rather than the spray. Cute packaging and good squared, squeeze-bottle design. The lotion will give you a slight body shimmer. The protection is true, especially for those taking it easy in the sun. The texture is especially creamy. Final Verdict: The spray bottle ran out too fast.

Banana Boat Ultra Sport (Lotion)– This is my best recommendation! This brand never stings my eyes! Great protection I have confidence in. It lasts forever. The only thing is I wish it came in different packaging (it seems so typical of sunblock), but I like the orange color. If you’re vacationing somewhere in the tropics, this is the sunscreen you should use.

Lacura Sport Sunscreen Spray SPF 30 – It’s in a blue bottle. Lacura stood out because the spray is strong. It gives you fast application, is easy to control, and lasts a reasonably long time.

No matter what sunscreen you decide to use, the important part is to wear it every single time and remember to reapply. If you’re closer to the equator, or anywhere incredibly hot, protect your scalp and wear a hat. Wherever you are, enjoy the sun and the goodness it has to offer you!