Its that time of year. Time to take stock of your Sunscreen supply, especially if you haven’t been using it all year. You might be surprised about your options. 

😎Chemical sunscreens work by absorbing the UV light and causing it to undergo a chemical reaction that prevents it from damaging your skin. Chemical sunscreens can cause the exact opposite desired effect, instead burning your skin. In most cases, redness, welting and swollen skin also happen with a reaction. I strongly urge clients to use a mineral or physical sunscreen instead.  The photo below is an hour after using a popular drugstore chemical sunscreen. How to know? Unless it says Zinc, ‘Mineral’ or ‘Physical’, its chemical.

🔥Hot tip – The best antidote for a sunscreen reaction, particularly hives or troubled skin is Hyaluronic acid. It helps with wound healing, is soothing and reduces inflammation. It can also reduce the reaction period, which can be a week or more. 

😎Physical sunscreen (aka mineral sunscreen), literally blocks UV light from reaching your skin by either reflecting the light or absorbing it. These products contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. 

These types of sunscreens go on last, because they are literally the UV blocker, they should be your outermost layer and go on after your moisturizer.  

Physical sunscreens have not always been the most popular choice, zinc tends to leave a white haze and can feel heavy. Those days are over, there are some amazing products that are now HAZE FREE, light weight and easy to love! 

You might also consider using a lightly tinted BB cream with mineral sunscreen, perfect for summer days. Protected, easy and make up free is the goal! 

Did you know? 🤔 An SPF 30 is more than adequate to provide sun protection for extended outdoor activity. Higher SPF numbers do not necessarily provide extra protection. 

Why? 🧐 You would think that an SPF of 30 is twice as good as an SPF of 15 and so on. But that is not how it works. An SPF 15 sunscreen blocks about 94% of UVB rays; an SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays; and an SPF 45 blocks about 98% of rays. Using an SPF any higher really doesn’t make any difference in your protection factor. In real life, products with very high SPFs often create a false sense of security, because there isn’t a substantial extra sun protection given with these higher SPF products. Damage from the sun is the leading cause of premature aging of the skin.  

🌱 Recommendations:

Top of my list is SunVeil by Monat. This zinc based sunscreen is an SPF30, with hyaluronic acid, botanicals, and antioxidants. You will literally hydrate your skin while protecting it. Protects against harmful UVA and UVB rays and is Reef safe. 

The biggest take away….NO WHITE HAZE!!! The absorption is the best! Light weight, zero haze, no sticky feeling. 

Want a bit of sun kissed skin? Choose one of 9 shades BB Cream with SPF40. So light! 

12-hour skin-enhancing, radiant coverage! 

24-hour hydration 

UVA and UVB protection 

9 Shades – Buildable and breathable, with no sticky feeling. 

Which means you can reapply throughout the day without smearing, smudging or starting over. There are 3 shades of light, 3 shades of medium, 3 shades of dark to choose from. Each shade set has a cool, a neutral and a warm shade. And makes choosing your color match super easy.  

🔥Hot tip – Use a lighter shade as a highlighter, and a darker shade as a contour. Blend 2 shades together to make your perfect custom color.  

🔥Hot top #2 – Use the back of your hand as a palette and mix with your favorite light weight moisturizer for a super smooth feeling. So flexible! 

Need help? Message or contact me by your favorite method for a free consultation. 

☀️UVB rays = Sunburn 

☀️UVA = Sun Damage