Smarty Sunscreen Tips

By By Katie M, CSP Green Queen Dana D, and Rachel H

Pools open in less than one month which officially makes it sunscreen season! I feel like I am already flirting with sunburns when I let my kids play outside these days. So, if you haven’t stocked up on some good protection, now is the time to do so.

And while we all worry about health and well-being of our children, we moms need to look after ourselves too! After all, we are the ones who are in the sun with them all those hours too! It’s so easy to forget to lather up ourselves when our kids are running toward the pool or ocean waves, but it’s important to consider our own skin. Take it from me: I grew up going to the beach at the Jersey shore every summer of my life until I was 22. My mom literally used to tote me to the beach at 9 am – we’d take a break only for lunch – and then be back in the sun until 5 pm! All this time, we never worried about sun screen either! It wasn’t until I was in like 8th grade that I actually USED sun screen – and a that time it was probably only SPF 4 – and that was if I wasn’t using baby oil! Well, my past caught up with me (15 or so years after my beach bum days) because – as a 30 something woman – I was recently diagnosed with skin cancer. It was not melanoma but it was the kind that could spread if left untreated. So, you can bet my SPF will always be a high number from now on (and my dermatologist recommends Neutrogena).

Below you’ll see I included some great tips on sunscreen I received from a trusted pediatrician, as well as organic sunscreen advice from Charlotte Smarty Pants’ Green Queen Dana D. And at the end of this post, Rachel H (who is also a part-time Mary Kay Beauty Consultant) gives some quick tips and product advice for moms of all ages and skin types. This is a long post, but read on because it offers a variety of suggestions and ideas on an important topic!

Sunscreen Advice for Kids
1. Any sunscreen is better than no sunscreen at all!

2. Though most sunscreens say “For children 6 months and older,” there has never been a reported case of any major harm coming to a child less than six months old who uses sunscreen. So, if you are going to the beach or hanging out in the hot sun at a pool or lake with your infant, apply sunscreen to your baby. The risk of sunburn and the possible long-term increased risk of skin cancer from a bad burn far out-weigh any theoretical risk of harm from the sunscreen itself.

3. An SPF of 30 gives about 90% protection from ultraviolet rays; an SPF of 50 blocks 95-98% of ultraviolet rays, but is much more expensive. For all children except infants, an SPF of 30 frequently applied should provide adequate protection for most activities in the North Carolina sun. (In Florida, use 50!) The biggest problem for most parents is that they forget to re-apply after swimming or after two hours in the sun. For children less than one year of age, spend the extra money and cover their little bodies with an SPF 50.

4. The key active ingredients are either zinc oxide and/or titanium. Also, acceptable is Helioplex which is found in some Neutrogena products.

5. You don’t need to use a product that says “for babies” or “for children.” Water Babies, for example, can still burn eyes.

Here is a suggested list of sunscreen products for children:

• BullFrog SPF 45 with 4.5% titanium; Bullfrog also makes an SPF 36.
• Banana Boat Baby Magic SPF 50 with 5.9% titanium
• Banana Boat Baby Magic Spray Lotion SPF 48 with 2.14% titanium
• Banana Boat Sensitive Skin Plus SPF 30 with 3.2% titanium
• Estion SPF 38 with 7.5% zinc oxide
• Blue Lizard SPF 30 (this brand has good “staying power” for those who have trouble remembering to re-apply)
• Neutrogena, Sensitive Skin, SPF 30 with 9.1% titanium

Organic Sunscreen Options (by Dana D)
Here are a few things that I look for when buying sunscreen. I try to stay clear of parabens, PABA, and chem Parsol 1789. I also look for UVA and UVB protection. UVA can cause the aging of the skin as well as skin cancer. PABA can be a skin irritant to those who are chemically sensitive and there have been some questions regarding the potential hazards that chem Parsol 1789 may be linked to certain types of cancer and liver damage. Now, I am sure this is probably when used in overwhelming quantities or as a cumulative effect but I would rather stay on the safe side and use as many natural products as possible.

The skin is the largest organ in your body and obviously absorbs whatever you put on it. The important concept here is to protect yourself and your family from the sun and choose products wisely when doing so. I am planning to choose a chemical free sunscreen or a mineral based sunscreen. My choices for this season will be Lavera Family Sunscreen, Lavera Neutral SPF 40 and California Baby Sunscreen SPF 30. Kiss My Face is another good brand. The Lavera can smell a little strong at first (the lavender) but fades quickly. I use another sunscreen for my face but will use the above for the body. (That may have to be another post someday). There are a few others that have received good press such as La Roche Posay Anthelios, but I am not so sure about the ingredient list. The list above by the EWG shows Kiss My Face, Mustela, SkinCeuticals, MD formulations, Dermatologica, and many others as good choices, although some of these are not chemical free. Be careful though when looking at the list because there are brands that have several types of sunscreen and are rated differently. There is another sunscreen that I would LOVE to purchase but my husband would kill me and that is Jurlique Sunscreen SPF 30. It’s a tad on the expensive side to say the least. If you don’t know about Jurlique, you should Google it. I absolutely love their products. They have a store in San Francisco that I used to love to visit. You can order it online. The products are made in Australia with all natural ingredients and they are incredible. The products don’t seem to be quite as expensive as the sunscreen so not sure what happened with that…

Another resource is the best sunscreen list written by the Environmental Working Group. This site is referred to as “Skin Deep” and is a wonderful way to look up all cosmetics, not just sunscreen and see how they rate for safety. They list all products, not just organic, and they look at health hazard as well as sun hazard. Then the overall score is posted. They also have a summary of sunscreen safety.

Skin Care for Moms (by Rachel H)
I became a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant about 10 years ago, and I cannot tell you the number of women who have contacted me to find a miracle cream that will take away all their sunspots and wrinkles that have accumulated over the years. One thing that I have learned is that if you take care of your skin now, you won’t have to try and reverse the effects later. All women should protect themselves from the sun daily. This means hats, sunscreen, or shade. Even in the winter! Even when it’s cloudy! Women don’t realize the harm that sun will do to their skin.

My advice would be to use a moisturizer with sunscreen on a daily basis. I use a product called Day Solution by Mary Kay, that is not only an anti-aging product, but it also includes SPF 25. I use this every morning. Last summer, when I took my family to the pool, I never applied anything else to my face, and it never got burnt. And believe me, if there is a pasty-white-freckle-faced girl out there who would get burnt – it is me! The best part is that this product is part of my daily routine, so even if I am outdoors in the morning watering the plants, or sitting on the deck, my face is protected. Also, I am not applying an oily sunscreen to my face. I am using a product that is specifically designed for the face and neck. Another option is to use a foundation with sunscreen. This is an easy way to get coverage without having to remember your sunscreen for the day.

I of course can highly recommend Mary Kay products and you are free to email me if you are interested, but the purpose of this post is to make sure all of you moms use SOME type of sunscreen daily. Whether it is NO-Ad (I love that stuff), Coppertone, or Mary Kay, I highly encourage you to take care of your skin now. You will be so happy you did! If you would like more information about Mary Kay skin care products, email us here at Triad Smarty Pants, and we'll have Rachel contact you.

What’s your favorite sunscreen brand?

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Posted by Triad Smarty Pants at 5:00 AM