Why I regularly use sunscreens that are at least SPF 30
For every day use, I always choose sunscreens that are at least SPF 30, and my favorite sunscreen happens to have an SPF 55. It takes a lot of sunscreen to actually achieve the stated level on the tube! For some reason I always thought you needed a teaspoon of sunscreen for your face, but it turns out you only need 1/4 or 1/3 of a teaspoon to adequately cover your face. A shot glass of sunscreen is what you need to cover your whole body.

As vigilant as I am about sunscreen, I find it hard to put an entire third of a teaspoon of sunscreen on my face. No matter how great the sunscreen, it starts to look thick and unnatural when you have a super thick coat of it on. It also gets expensive! My other fear is that when I put on foundation over the sunscreen, I worry that some of the sunscreen ends up back on my hands. Also, if I’m not going to be out in the sun, I don’t want to have to reapply my sunscreen every few hours, since I have on makeup. I’m sure some of the sunscreen wears off as the day goes on. If I do go to the beach or pool, I stay in the shade, and slather on the third of a teaspoon on my face, and reapply at least every two hours, and right after being in the water.

It’s estimated that people only apply about half as much sunscreen as they should. So that SPF 30 is more like an SPF 15. That SPF 15 is inadequate sun protection if you don’t use enough. Paula Begoun has a sun essentials/sunscreen FAQ that has lots of useful information.

Sunscreen does not offer 100% sun protection
Even the best sunscreen is not going to offer 100% sun protection. With the correct amount, an SPF 30 offers about 97% UVB sun protection, while an SPF 15 offers about 95% protection. Personally I want all the protection I can get because I still notice freckles appear when I’m out in the hot sun, and I sometimes get a slight tan, even when I slather on the recommended amount of sunscreen.

Is a high SPF dangerous?
An SPF higher than 30 is still only going to provide about 97% UVB protection. The higher number just means you can stay out longer in the sun without getting burned. In Paula Begoun’s book Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me, when reviewing Neutrogena Dry-Touch Sunblock SPF 70, she does state that higher SPF sunscreens put more sunscreen active ingredients on your skin, which isn’t necessarily a good thing.

How I choose sunscreens
Primarily I look for sunscreens with at least 10% Zinc Oxide and an SPF 30+. I have 20 more posts I’ve written about sunscreen that go into more detail about ingredients. I also personally like sunscreens that are waterproof in the summer, so that they don’t sweat off. I am not afraid of higher SPF sunscreens, but I’m also happy with sunscreens in the 30-55 range for every day use.

Related posts:

1. UV Natural Sunscreen
2. Zinc Oxide vs Mexoryl Sunscreen Ingredients
3. Blue Lizard – The Best Drugstore Sunscreen

Benzophenones
Many sunscreens contain some form of benzophenones in it, which I believe is the culprit for sunscreens that feel like they are burning. In the old days PABA was the cause of a lot of burning problems, but I haven’t seen any sunscreens containing PABA in years. The EPA has an informative article called sunscreen: the burning facts.

Currently ingredients like Avobenzone, Oxybenzone, Dioxybenzone, and Sulisobenzone can be an issue for people with sensitive skin, and these ingredients are very common in sunscreens. Avobenzone (probably the most common sunscreen ingredient nowadays) makes my face feel like it’s on fire when I wear a lot of it in the sun. If you haven’t had any issues with these ingredients, then by all means keep using them if you are seeing good results from the product.

I use face self-tanners that are basically moisturizers with self-tanner, however they also contain sunscreen ingredients. I really like Neutrogena Build-A-Tan Face and L’Oreal Sublime Glow For Face because they don’t clog my pores, and they work well. But lately they burn so much when I apply them (probably because I recently started a new retinol regimen) that I feel like it’s probably not a good idea to keep using them. I have not seen a single drugstore face sunscreen that doesn’t contain sunscreen with benzophenone ingredients, or pore-cloggers, so it’s quite annoying! I’ll have to check Sephora and the department stores. I also want to research to see if there are any regular body self-tanners that are safe to use on my face, since a lot of them don’t contain sunscreen.

There are other chemical sunscreen ingredients, and while any ingredient can cause problems in some people, the benzophenones are the most common ingredients that cause problems. I have no problems with these zinc oxide-based sunscreens, even though some of them contain some chemical sunscreen ingredients as well.

What skin care ingredients cause your skin to burn? I also get burning from glycolic acid (which is normal), menthol, peppermint, SD alcohol, and alcohol denat. Only the glycolic acid is beneficial for your skin.

Related posts:

1. Zinc Oxide vs Mexoryl Sunscreen Ingredients
2. Dangerous Skin Care
3. Skin Care For Everyone

Solar Sense Clear Zinc Sport Stick For Face
I picked up the Solar Sense Clear Zinc Sport Stick For Face for $3. It says you can also use it on your lips, which is great because I have searched high and low and cannot find any lip balms that contain Zinc Oxide!

This Solar Sense Stick has an SPF 45, and contains 8% Zinc Oxide, which is pretty decent, plus it contains other chemical sunscreen ingredients. The product doesn’t appear to have any pore-clogging ingredients, although it’s pretty thick going on.

I first tried this fragrance-free product on my lips, and it was okay, but not great. It left a slight white residue, and it dried out my lips. You could always use this and then coat your lips with another lip balm or lip gloss, but it’s annoying that it makes your lips dry.

Next I smoothed the stick on my face. It does go on clear, and it leaves sort of a waxy feel. I can’t imagine coating my whole face with this stick, since it would take forever, and it’s thick. In the end, I’m not really sure what to do with this stick. It’s not practical to use on your whole face, and it’s too drying and chalky on your lips. It’s water-resistant, and due to its waxy consistency, maybe it would stay on better in the water than other sunscreens? It’s hard to say, but maybe it could work as an extra sunscreen coating on noses, ears, and other easily burned areas.

Solar Sense Clear Zinc For Face
The other interesting Solar Sense product is this little tub of sunscreen. It’s also only about $3, which is great. It contains 6.65% Zinc Oxide, plus chemical sunscreen ingredients. I haven’t personally tried it yet. My boyfriend used it and liked it, but he got a bunch of clogged pores, and it does have some pore clogging ingredients (although they are 10th in the ingredient list, so in theory this shouldn’t be too bad for acne). I’ve also noticed a few generic store-brand Zinc Oxide sunscreens out there in drugstores and supermarkets, so it’s worth checking where you shop if you’re trying to find a super cheap, yet effective sunscreen.

Related posts:

1. Zinka Zinc Oxide Sunblock
2. Zinc Oxide vs Mexoryl Sunscreen Ingredients
3. Burning Skin Care Ingredients

Blue Lizard is the only drugstore brand I currently buy. They have a few different products, and the Zinc Oxide ranges from 6%-10%, which isn’t spectacular, but it’s the highest concentration of Zinc Oxide I’ve seen in a drugstore brand.

Blue Lizard Sport SPF 30+
This is what I’ve been using for the past year as a sunscreen for my body. It’s Very Water Resistant, so it’s good if you’re going to be outside sweating, or going to the beach or pool. It has 6% Zinc Oxide, and other chemical sunscreen ingredients (Octinoxate, Octocrylene, and Oxybenzone). I personally like water resistant sunscreens, since it gets sooo hot in the summer here, and I end up sweating the second I leave the house. Their Regular sunscreen is the same as the Sport, but it’s not water resistant.

Blue Lizard Sensitive SPF 30+
I just picked this sunscreen up today. I hadn’t seen it on the shelves until recently, or I would have grabbed it a long time ago. It’s not water resistant unfortunately, but it has 10% Zinc Oxide, and 5% Titanium Dioxide. This is great for people that have sensitive skin and can’t handle chemical sunscreen ingredients. It’s also good for children 6 months and older. This sunscreen appears to have the exact same ingredients as their Baby version. I’ll probably use this every day, but if it comes off when I sweat, I’ll go back to the Sport version.

While I’ve been obsessed with sunscreens that have the highest percentage of Zinc Oxide possible, as well as super high SPFs, I am satisfied with the Blue Lizard sunscreens because they are affordable (they cost about the same as regular drugstore sunscreens, or maybe a few dollars more) and they offer adequate sun protection. The good thing about cheaper sunscreens is that people tend to use the proper amount of sunscreen because the cost isn’t outrageous. When I use expensive sunscreens, I get stingy with my application and probably don’t use as much as I should.

The bad thing about Blue Lizard
I personally wouldn’t use Blue Lizard on my face. It contains pore clogging ingredients, and even their new Face sunscreen has pore cloggers. If you are not prone to acne at all, using it on your face should be fine. If you are prone to acne on your body, this sunscreen could also pose a problem, so be aware of this issue I haven’t ever tried it on my face, so I don’t know if the product leaves a white cast at all, and I don’t know how it looks under makeup. On my body, I don’t really notice a white cast. For my face, I use these sunscreens.

This sunscreen doesn’t smell like coconuts (which I personally love). The Sensitive version has no fragrance (great for people that are allergic to fragrance), and the Sport has a very faint, yet pleasant scent.

Where to find Blue Lizard
You can buy it online at Drugstore.com. I picked up mine at CVS, and according to the Blue Lizard website, other retailers that carry it include: Rite Aid, Ecker, Stop & Shop, Longs, Ralphs, Duane Reade, Kroger, and a few other stores. On Drugstore.com, you can get a 5 ounce bottle for the same price as the 3 ounce bottle (about $9.50). It’s too bad it’s not sold at Target, Wal-Mart, or Kmart.

Related posts:

1. Solar Sense Clear Zinc
2. UV Natural Sunscreen
3. Do You Need A High SPF Sunscreen?

The full-size sunscreen is 2 ounces, and the deluxe sample is .08 ounces, so that’s a pretty generous sample. Now I just have to figure out what to buy!!! Also, Sephora is doing free shipping for orders over $50. They are also giving away tons of samples (like always) when you go to checkout. I have three free samples, plus a deluxe sample of a Philosophy body wash, plus the free Shiseido sample in my shopping cart right now.

Shop Sephora and get the “Best of Sephora” Sunscreen free!

Related posts:

1. Get Free Sephora Skincare Samples
2. Sephora Goodies
3. UV Natural Sunscreen

It was about 84 degrees that day, and we were at the pool from 12:30pm-5pm (the time you are supposed to completely avoid the sun). The UV index was probably 8 or 9 that day. I managed to not get any freckles whatsoever on my face, get no sunburn at all, and almost no tan.

The Hard Rock Hotel
The last time I spent this long at the pool was when I stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel a few years ago, and I spent about the same amount of time at the pool, and it was also about the same temperature/UV rating. That time I got back to the room, and had a face full of freckles, and my face and body was tanned and slightly burned. At the Hard Rock Hotel I used sunscreen that had Avobenzene as its main ingredient, and I am convinced that ingredient just doesn’t work well to combat the sun. I reapplied once an hour, wore a hat and big sunglasses.

The other thing I did that time was go in the pool for about a half hour, and even though I was using a waterproof sunscreen, some of it could have washed away in the water. Water also magnifies the sun’s rays, making the sun even stronger.

The Palazzo Hotel
I was amazed when I got back to my room and didn’t have any extra freckles on my face after a day at the pool. This never ever used to happen in the past! I freckle extremely easily. On my face, every two hours I applied the UV Natural zinc oxide-based sunscreen I recently reviewed. Amazingly, even though it has Grape Seed Oil as one of its main ingredients (a pore clogger), I have not had any breakouts from this sunscreen, and I am very prone to acne. I still wouldn’t necessarily recommend this sunscreen to people that have acne or oily skin, but I’ve personally had no problems with it. When I wear this on a day-to-day basis, I apply powder foundation over it, which takes away the shine, and leaves my skin looking hydrated, but not shiny. The only problem with this sunscreen at the pool is that it leaves your skin extremely shiny, which attracts the sun. I took some pictures of myself, and my face looked like an oil slick without powder on. It’s so shiny that I think it can magnify the sun’s rays (maybe I’m just being paranoid), but I think a matte version of this sunscreen would be even more effective.

I also wore big sunglasses (I now want huge wraparound sunglasses), and a baseball hat at the pool. I also sat in the shade most of the time, and covered my face part of the time by putting a towel on my head. My boyfriend thinks I’m a freak.

On my body I used La Roche-Posay Anthelios W Gel SPF 40, which I bought last year for my face, but it made my face breakout horribly (I only get breakouts on my face). I couldn’t find the expiration date on the sunscreen, so I chanced it (again a bad idea). I just found the expiration date now, and it says 12/07. Ugh. Definitely check the expiration date on your sunscreen, and don’t use it past the expiration date. I applied this sunscreen every two hours also, and I got a slight tan, and very slightly red after the day at the pool. I still have a hunch that Zinc Oxide is a better sunscreen ingredient that Mexoryl, but given the fact this sunscreen was expired, it wasn’t a fair competition for the Mexoryl.

I didn’t go in the water at all because it was freezing, and I spent half the day covered in sweatpants and towels, and sitting in the shade, so that was my way of being at the pool, but not really getting the full effect of the sun. My next test will be to actually go swimming to see if any sunscreens can survive the pool! I also want to test more Zinc Oxide-based sunscreens against each other.

In the end, no sunscreen is 100% protection from the sun, which is why I generally stay out of the sun completely. But after this non-scientific pool experiment, I am even more convinced than ever that Zinc Oxide-based sunscreens are definitely the way to go.

Related posts:

1. UV Natural Sunscreen
2. Zinc Oxide vs Mexoryl Sunscreen Ingredients
3. Blue Lizard – The Best Drugstore Sunscreen

This is a great way to try a whole bunch of new products, to figure out your new favorite. My current favorite – Shiseido Ultimate Face Protection Cream For Face SPF 55 isn’t in the bunch, but you get its close cousin Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion SPF 55 instead. Also included are travel sizes of:

• Korres Natural Products Watermelon Sunscreen Face Cream SPF 30

• Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Defense Moisture Lotion SPF 30

• DDF Daily Protective Moisturizer SPF 15

• Cosmedicine Medi-Matte Oil Control Lotion SPF 20

• Juice Beauty Green Apple Moisturizer SPF 15

• Murad Firming Bronzer SPF 15

• MD Skincare Powerful Sun Protection Pads SPF 30

• Clarins Sun Wrinkle Control Cream Ultra Protection SPF 30

• Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer SPF 15

• Tarte 24/7 Lip Sheer SPF 15

You also get a limited edition Sephora pouch, plus something really cool that I totally want – a UV indicator card. I assume you can take this out in the sun, and it will give you a UV Index reading. This will give you an idea of when it’s just too hot to be outside. I used to have a little gadget that did this, but I’m pretty sure it only measures UVB rays (the ones that burn you) and not UVA rays (the ones that give you wrinkles).

Finally, the best news is that this kit costs $25 (but it’s valued at $87), and all of the net profits (up to $430,000) will benefit The Skin Cancer Foundation. Yay!

Get your Sephora Sun Safety Kit!

Related posts:

1. Best Of Sephora 2007
2. Get A Free Shiseido Sunscreen
3. Protect Your Skin When You Fly

I’ve only tried the Baby version of the sunscreen, which appears to have the same ingredients as the Adult version. There’s also a Sport version, which I assume is more water resistant. These sunscreens contain no chemical sunscreen ingredients, so the only active ingredient is Zinc Oxide.

UV Natural Sunscreen Baby review

The Good:
This sunscreen is hydrating, so it’s great for someone with dry skin. You may be able to skip your moisturizer all together. When I first applied it, it seemed extremely sticky and greasy-feeling, however after waiting 10 minutes, it seems to sink into my skin, and just leaves it hydrated. UV Natural says not to put too much on to avoid the sticky feeling, so I’m not exactly sure how much is needed to achieve the SPF 30 rating. I needed to wait several minutes before applying my makeup (which is annoying) but my makeup went on smoothly, and this gave my face a bit of a glow. It also doesn’t leave a white cast. This product is safe to use on babies, and it’s also water resistant.

The fact that this has 24% Zinc Oxide is awesome. This is a great sunscreen for someone that can’t tolerate chemical sunscreen ingredients, or that has a problem with fragrances. It also contains antioxidants, and the packaging appears to be stable, so that the antioxidants can stay active.

The Bad:
This is not the sunscreen for you if you have oily skin. It’s just far too hydrating and thick, and it will just make your skin oiler. If you have normal skin, though, this should be fine. If you don’t like heavy feeling sunscreens, then this is not for you, but personally it doesn’t bother me. The other sad news is that this is probably not for you if you have acne-prone skin. UGHHH. The first inactive ingredient is grape seed oil, which is a 4 out of 5 on my pore-clogging list. This is the reason I never bought this sunscreen in the past, however I received this sunscreen free, and figured it was worth the acne-risk, because of its overall positive features. I have used it twice now, and have not had any breakouts. I will keep you updated on whether it breaks me out, and if that’s the case, this still makes a great body sunscreen. The smell of this product is a little weird – there are no fragrances added, but it has a slight smell, but not enough to bother me.

Shiseido SPF 55 vs. UV Natural SPF 30
Higher SPF sunscreens are generally better, because they offer more protection from getting burned (SPF 55 is maybe only 3% more protection than SPF 30, but to me that’s significant). My favorite sunscreen – Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Cream For Face SPF 55 only has 13.9% Zinc Oxide, compared to the 24.8% in UV Natural. It achieves a higher SPF because it has an added chemical sunscreen (7.4% Octinoxate). So which product is better? Currently I don’t know! I do feel that either of these sunscreens is much better than your typical drugstore sunscreen (due to the Zinc Oxide content), so you can’t go wrong with either one.

SPF measures UVB rays (the ones that burn you) but you also need to be watchful for UVA rays (the ones that give you wrinkles) and Zinc Oxide is capable of blocking both types of rays. My personal experience is that sunscreens with Zinc Oxide work better than any other types of sunscreen. Now that summer is coming, I will go to the pool and do some unscientific testing on myself, and compare a bunch of sunscreens at once.

Purchase UV Natural Sunscreen Baby SPF 30+

Related posts:

1. Blue Lizard – The Best Drugstore Sunscreen
2. Zinc Oxide vs Mexoryl Sunscreen Ingredients
3. Do You Need A High SPF Sunscreen?

Medical expenses, dental and eye care are eligible for use with your FSA, but check with your provider to see specifically what they cover. Many over-the-counter products such as cold medicine, bandaids, allergy medication, and pregnancy tests are also covered. See a list of eligible FSA expenses here.

Here are some health and skin care-related examples of what you can usually purchase with your FSA money:
-Birth control pills
-Stop smoking programs
-Wig to replace hair lost to disease
-Acne treatments (medically necessary)
-Medicated shampoos and soaps (medically necessary)
-Wart removal
-Weight loss products (medically necessary)
-Sunscreen
-Over-the-counter hormone therapy

What’s not covered by your FSA:
-Sun tanning products
-Cosmetics
-Unnecessary cosmetic surgery
-Hair removal
-Toiletries
-Teeth whitening

If you shop at Target (and I’m sure other stores do this too), they actually tally up products on your receipt that can be eligible for your FSA. I noticed this recently and thought it was pretty nifty. Now I just need to get my own FSA!

Again, make sure to check with your plan to see exactly what they cover, since all plans are different. If you itemize your taxes and have medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income, you can deduct the expenses that exceed the 7.5%. After looking at the IRS website, I was not clear if the same eligibility rules apply as they do for your FSA – like if you can deduct sunscreen, for example. Make sure to ask your tax advisor about this, because you may have some extra savings coming your way!

Related posts:

1. Do You Need A High SPF Sunscreen?
2. UV Natural Sunscreen
3. Blue Lizard – The Best Drugstore Sunscreen

I’m probably developing the sun spots because I spent years and years baking in the sun as a kid and teenager in Hawaii. When you’re young, the sun tans you, but when you get older, it manifests its damage as sun spots and wrinkles. Plus I live in Las Vegas, where just walking to your car, and driving around, can damage your skin, even if you wear the best sunscreen.

 Here are some additional things I need to do to prevent future sun damage:

- Remember to wear topical antioxidants. I admit that during the summer I forgot to apply this half the time! Currently I use Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Super Antioxidant Concentrate.

- Consider getting my car windows tinted, and have a UV coating put on. I don’t know how much this costs, but I’m definitely going to look into getting this done before the spring.

- Consider taking oral supplements of either Heliocare or Murad Pomphenol Sunguard. These are “vitamins” that are supposed to increase your skin’s sun protection from the inside-out. I haven’t tried these yet, since it would be hard to know if they work or not, but I may try one of them someday.

- Starting today, use a 2% Hydroquinone Gel
I just went to Sephora today and bought a skin lightening gel with 2% Hydroquinone in it – Peter Thomas Roth Ultra Gentle Skin Lightening Gel Complex.

Hydroquinone is the only FDA approved skin lightening ingredient, and it’s supposed to lighten age spots, and Melasma over 2-3 months. It’s also supposed to be the most effective skin lightening ingredient available. I used Paula’s Choice Clearly Remarkable Skin Lightening Gel in the past, which has 2% Hydroquinone, and 2% Salicylic Acid in it. I used it for a few months, and don’t recall seeing any difference in my skin at all. You must use a really good sunscreen if you are using Hydroquinone, or you could make your dark spots worse, since Hydroquinone makes your skin more sun-sensitive!

I don’t know if the Peter Thomas Roth gel will do anything, but now that it’s winter, I figure it’s the best time to try it. I will use it daily for 2 or 3 months, and then stop using it. I’ll let you know the results. Several months ago, after reading reports that Hydroquinone is banned in some European countries because it’s a possible carcinogen (on studies done on mice), I threw out my Paula’s Choice gel. I may be crazy, but I’ve decided to give the ingredient one more chance because I honestly don’t think short-term use if it will be harmful at all.

I’m going to apply it once a day, to most of my face, since the spots are in several areas. Since it can lighten your skin, it’s best just to use it on the actual spots you have to lighten. However, in my case, the spots are extremely tiny, and they are all over, so I’m forced to apply it to most of my face. I’m not going to use any other products with active ingredients in conjunction with this (Benzoyl Peroxide, Retinoids, etc.) so that I don’t have any ingredient interaction problems. If I apply it in the morning, I will wait several minutes before applying sunscreen. For night time application, I will skip my use of Differin (a Retinoid).

The Peter Thomas Roth gel also contains other skin lightening and brightening ingredients: Lactic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Azelaic Acid, Kojic Acid, Bearberry Extract, Mulberry Extract, Vitamin C, and Salicylic Acid, so if this product doesn’t work for me, than I doubt anything will.

Update: I wrote this post a few days ago, and have been using the Peter Thomas Roth gel every day and have had no adverse reactions at all. I’ll keep you posted on whether it lightens my spots!

Related posts:

1. Hydroquinone Update
2. How To Prevent Melasma
3. Burning Skin Care Ingredients