Sunscreen Picks and Tips!
Here are some tips as there are some things you want to be aware of with mineral sunscreens! I’m also sharing some of my favorite options! There are many out there, but these are ones that have passed the test for me! I removed a couple options I had last year, Think Baby/Sport and Badger. Think Baby was recently aquired by a new company and formula has changed to include fragrance oil. I couldn’t find what this included when I was quickly searching and didn’t reach out to the company. As for Badger, you may have seen me share that they had a warning letter from the FDA last year. They were not following good manufacturing practices and had inconsistencies in their product, specifically the amount of zinc actually being used in their products. They didn’t fix anything after being inspected. They were also using test results from a similar company’s third party testing, not their own. For the actual letter, click here.
𝟭. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟱 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿.
The important key here is before you start sweating! Mineral sunscreen works by providing a barrier so it needs ample time to sit and adhere to work well. If you apply to wet/sweating skin for the first application efficacy might be jeopardized. If you are sweating when you apply, be sure you towel yourself off well.
𝟮. 𝗕𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵!
Mineral sunscreens work by creating a barrier against the sun's rays. Due to this it is crucial that you apply enough to create that barrier. If using the lotion, general rule for an adult is to apply a shot glass full to your body and if using the spray be sure you create a white covering all over the skin before rubbing in. Do not just spray one stripe and rub in.
𝟯. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻!
Follow the directions on the sunscreens. Reapply at least every 2 hours if not swimming or sweating, more often if you are. If swimming, reapply each time you get out of the water.
Also, here are some rules of thumb for sun exposure to get adequate vitamin d.
Always protect your face and top of your ears, because those are the most sun-exposed and sun-damaged skin areas.
Allow 10 to 15 minutes or so of unprotected sun exposure to your arms, legs, abdomen and back. After that, follow up with sun protection. The less amount of sun exposure surface on your body the longer you would need to get adequate amount of vitamin d. The time is variable as there are many factors that play into this. Color is skin, time of day, body area exposed, where you are located compared to the equator.
Choose the right time of day. If your shadow is longer than your body height, you can't make any vitamin D, Between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. is the usual window for significant sun exposure.
I have saved some options in Fullscript to give you a one stop shop if you also need to grab supplements.