Tuesday, April 19, 2011

All About Sunscreen!


Finally!  After trying out so many different brands of sunscreens, I think I can finally settle on this one. If you were to look in my bathroom closet, you'd think I was a collector of sunscreens.  We have ones for us adults that I've had for a long time (and now my husband is the only one who uses it).  They include the standard brands and some with insect repellent in it too.  Then a couple summer ago, I was hooked on those cooling mist ones that spray on.  I thought, hey's this is easy and it's SPF 70 too!  Plus, they didn't feel like they were clogging my pores. 

Then I started to learn that some sunscreens were arguably worse for your skin/body than if you never worn it at all.  Say WHAT???  If you're just starting to evolve in the land of sunscreen and want to learn more, here is an EXCELLENT website to bookmark: www.cosmeticdatabase.com.  It will cover makeup, lotion, shampoo, and MUCH more.  Be careful though, the more you learn, the uglier and more unsettling it gets!

So then we started trying one just for kids.  Bad news-most of those aren't trustworthy either!  BUT there are a few safe brands that are safe that I've tried and will review for you:

Badger-Smells good, goes on really thick, terrible for my face
California Baby-Pricey for little bottle, goes on white & very difficult to rub in, thick on face
Aveeno-has parabens, gentle, rubs in nice, strong sunscreen smell
Jason-Like the smell, not good for babies, rubs in nice
Burt's Bees-strongly dislike smell, texture after rubbing on is weird, easy to rub in, not thick

I know we haven't tried them all but I believe we've made a good dent!  So, here are some features about Dr Robins sunscreen and why I'm finally settling on this one:

1.  It's made in USA by a pediatric dermatologist
2.  The ingredients are very impressive and therefore I can trust it.  Here's the list. 
3.  The entire family can use this (including babies).
4.  I will put this on my face.
5.  It goes on white at first, so you can see where you put it on.
6.  It rubs in so easily, which is especially good for my squirmy kids.
7.  The smell is non-intrusive.  It's very mild.
8.  After I put it on, I don't feel the need to go wash my hands.  It's not oily & can be rubbed off hands easily.
9.  It's not tested on animals.

If you have some time, I'd recommend you checking out Dr. Robin's sunscreen Q & A.  It's a great jumping point for being safe in the sun, especially for your little ones. 

I'm curious what other brands are out there. Which ones have you tried?  Like/dislike?

If you'd like to give ours a try, then we now have it in stock.  Here's the link.

Peace,

Jen


Jen Starks, Owner www.ecologicalbabies.com ecologicalbabies@gmail.com 850.284.5887

4 comments:

Michelle Rutherford said...

Jen, you rock. I love being on the same wavelength! I'll be ordering some soon, was just starting to look into the best options for our family!

Anonymous said...

:o) Glad to know we're in sync! You rock too, chica.

Kate said...

Thanks for the recommendation! We're still transitioning to healthier beauty/skincare products - it's rather a slow process, so as to not throw my husband for a loop. So far we've switched to natural soap, poo-free, natural detergent (soap nuts), and better moisturizers, but sunscreen is one area we haven't tried yet. Think I'll finally make the switch this summer! :-)

kelly said...

Yeah! Thanks for being so thorough. I need to swing by a pick some up very soon.