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Step 1
What should I look for in a Sunscreen? The sun emits UV rays which you need to protect yourself form. Buy a sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB light. Historically UVB protection was the only UV type of protection. Today's products are very advanced and if you buy the right one you will receive both UVA and UVB protection. Look for UVA protection on the front of the bottle, if you do not see it, assume it is UVB protection only. One of the best rated products for this is the Neutrogena product line that contains Helioplex.
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Step 2
Is there anything that really blocks the sun? Another category of ingreditent you need to know about are the two ingredients that serve as the closest thing to a sunblock that there is. These are the two ingreditents that work immediately (not requiring application 20-30 minutes before you enter into the sun as most sunscreen products do). The names of these ingredients are: Titanium dioxide and Zinc oxide. In fact, Zinc Oxide blocks UVA1, UVA2 and UVB rays. Remember the beach lifeguards with the thick white zinc coating on their nose? This is the same ingredient, new formulation into an easily applied sunscreen. Remember the only way to completely block the sun is with clothing and hats.
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Step 3
What if I am in and out of the pool or ocean? There is no such thing as a water*proof* sunscreen, but you can look for water *resistant products*. Many of the water resistant products are labelled as 'sport'.
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Step 4
What SPF is recommended? Always buy an SPF of 15 or above. On your face, chest and back of your hands you will probably want a 70 SPF (Neutrogena has the highest on the market with an 85 SPF!). Use a self tanner if you want the summer look - when you are the youngest looking of the 60 year olds you will know that the effort was worth it! For others, buy depending on how long you spend in the sun. You may need a few different SPF's. 70 for your face, 50 for being at the pool all day, 30 for taking a 20 minute walk with your neighbor.
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Step 5
What is the best sunscreen for kids to put on by themselves? Look for the spray sunscreens. We have all had the experience of 'missing a spot' while putting on lotions and having a red streak. But this is lessened by the spray lotions. The kids can spray most of their bodies well, including doing an OK job on their backs. They also love spraying each other with the cold stuff and are more likely to do so than smear each other with lotion. Teach your kids a system arm/arm/leg/leg/chest/tummy/back - spray in hands and then rub hands on the face. If all the kids are doing this, they will be successful at doing this by themselves.
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Step 6
How much do I buy? This depends on your activity level and what type of activities you are doing. Buy enough so that you can keep sunscreen (with either of these ingredients: Titanium dioxide and Zinc oxide) in the car so that if you end up in the sun unexpectantly at a picnic you have the kind that works right away. Keep a water resistant or sport brand in your pool bag (remember to put on 20-30 minutes before you get to the pool. Keep a Neutrogena Ultra Sheer with Helioplex with your makeup so that you can put it on under your foundation if you will be spending a day in the sun.
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Step 7
What else can I do? Buy products that will protect you against ambient indoor light as well. The best way to prevent skin damage from either the sun or ambient light is to use skincare and beauty products that have at least a 15spf. Some sources say that the amount of light we get exposed to in a year indoors is equal to one week at the beach! To delay the development of agespots on hands and darker pigmentation on face look for and buy face lotion, handcream, foundation and makeup that has an SPF protection factor. Use it everyday as part of your skin care routine.
