Favorite Sunscreen’s

This weekend we were so excited to be up in northern Michigan for the first time this summer! My parents own a lake house up there and the kids just love being there to swim and fish and spend time on the water, especially when their cousins are there – which they were.

Being outside more means I need to be even more cautious about wearing sunscreen or protective clothing. I really don’t like wearing sunscreen because of the smell and consistency for some reason, especially on my face.

Some of the things I look for in a sunscreen are that they are broad spectrum (UVA/UVB protection), water resistant, and free of possible endocrine disruptors (phthalate, paraben, oxybenzone, octonoxate).

Last year I tried out a new to me sunscreen line called Supergoop!, specifically Mattescreen and have absolutely loved it. It goes on so smooth and gives just enough foundation-like coverage I will just wear that with mascara and feel put together. It is not a white sunscreen so blending is easy. Also, it doesn’t have any odd or strong smells so it honestly doesn’t bother me one bit to wear it. It is water and sweat resistant, SPF 40.

While the bottle isn’t very big for the price and I found that it lasted me about 6 months, but I don’t wear it every day (like when I’ll be at work and not outside). A little bit does go a long way. I really like it and has made me not hate wearing sunscreen!

Another sunscreen I have been using this summer is the 100% Pure Yerba Mate Mist SPF 30 spray that has an ingredient list including jojoba oil, safflower oil and yerba mate. The risk with spray on sunscreen is 1. inhaling it and 2. getting uneven coverage rendering it not effective. For application I prefer to spray it on my hands and then apply so I know I’m getting good coverage everywhere. This sunscreen contains Zinc at 12% which is generally considered a low and safe percentage to be exposed to. As a bonus, it is advertised as coral reef-safe!

For the kids sunscreen I use Baby Bum fragrance free SPF 50 sunscreen. It is water resistant, broad spectrum and hypoallergenic which is perfect for their sensitive baby skin. This one is definitely the typical heavier, white sunscreen but does a great job protecting them through all their heavy outdoor water play in the summer sun without irritating their skin or eyes. I can generally find this one at the drug store or grocery store as well making it easy to get when we run out.

It is important to remember that even if a sunscreen is water resistant it should be reapplied frequently and after swimming and towel drying off. Generally I try to stay around shade and wear a hat and sun protective top. Our kids are hard to keep hats on but are happy to wear a sun protective rash guard which helps keep their skin free from burns and sun damage.