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Let’s talk sunscreen, what’s your favorite?

chrono

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Physical vs chemical sunscreens.

What is the difference between a physical and a chemical sunscreen?

Chemical sunscreen absorbs into the skin and then absorbs UV rays, converts the rays into heat, and releases them from the body. ... Physical sunblock sits on top of the skin and reflects the sun's rays. The minerals titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are the main active ingredients in physical blocks.”

Those are old myths. Chemical sunscreen works by forming a physical UV filter ON the skin. The difference in heat conversion between physical and chemical sunscreen is only a 5% difference. Physical sunscreen reflects 5% of UVB and absorbs the rest.

Physical sunscreen cannot reach above UVA PF35 unlike chemical sunscreen which can reach over UVA PF35 easily with the newer filters. UVA consists of 95% of the sun’s total UV breakdown.


 
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missy

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Those are old myths. Chemical sunscreen works by forming a physical UV filter ON the skin. The difference in heat conversion between physical and chemical sunscreen is only a 5% difference. Physical sunscreen reflects 5% of UVB and absorbs the rest.

Physical sunscreen cannot reach above UVA PF35 unlike chemical sunscreen which can reach over UVA PF35 easily with the newer filters. UVA consists of 95% of the sun’s total UV breakdown.



What is fact is I cannot tolerate any of the chemicals in the "conventional" chemical sunscreens. A rash (complete with burning and itching and swelling) pops up wherever I apply the chemical sunscreens that does not happen with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. And my pale skin remains pale IOW protected from the UVA and UVB rays with zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide. It is quite literally a life saver for me.
 

missy

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@missy Thank you for posting the link. Does this sunscreen leave a whitish caste on the skin at all? Is it "greasy" feeling after applying/absorbing somewhat?

I'm always on-the-hunt for the Holy Grail sunscreen. :bigsmile:

It doesn't leave a white caste. It melts into my skin and vanishes. I use the non tinted version since I am so pale. Works like a charm and the texture is smooth and easy to apply. Hope it works as well for you if you try it. It is my HG of sunscreens!
 

rainydaze

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I am pale and was not aware of sunscreen as a kid. My mom, however, was aware of the damaging and cancerous effects of tanning, so she did take some precautions (not sunscreen) and did talk to me about it. As a result I always embraced my pale complexion and did not view tanning as a positive thing.

A few years ago I went on a sunscreen rampage. I tried so many mineral sunscreens to no avail. For one reason or another none of them were winners. (@missy I am interested in trying your recommendation.) I finally landed on Panama Jack for the kids and me. We like how it feels, smells, wears and protects.

I still hate applying and wearing the stuff though. I'll got without if I won't be out too long. I'll wear long sleeves, hats, or carry an umbrella if I remember. Otherwise, I like it best when I apply it all over right out of the shower. That's when it doesn't feel too invasive on my skin.
 

CSpan

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I have been sunscreen obsessed since childhood. We lived at the beach and despite best intentions I still burned. I started actively avoiding the sun in high school and wearing sunscreen daily.

What works has changed over the years. I discovered European sunscreen with Mexoryl and it has been a game changer. I mainly but Vichy but Anthelios is good too. I get the grande format when we go to Europe. I stock up since you can't get it here. La Roche Posay has 1 product with Mexoryl in the US but it is tiny and expensive. This is my neck and chest everyday routine and all over if I'm going to be in unavoidable sun. It is regular sunscreen so it can be greasy and I will break out on my face but that's a small price.

Daily facial I have used Cetaphil matte moisturizer with SPF 30 with good results. It sinks in but still gave me breakouts. Got some coola and I love the smell and feel. Very silky. My latest is Sun Bum face. It feels like velvet and no breakouts. That said I'm not up on nano particles cant say how these stack up.
 

SparklieBug

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It doesn't leave a white caste. It melts into my skin and vanishes. I use the non tinted version since I am so pale. Works like a charm and the texture is smooth and easy to apply. Hope it works as well for you if you try it. It is my HG of sunscreens!

Regrettably, COTZ only ships to the US, so I will have to wait until next time I’m Stateside. Could be a while, these days.

In the meantime, I ordered some Australian Gold mineral sunscreen (one tube untinted, one lightly tinted) and thus far, like them both.
 

OoohShiny

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Hi, does anyone know if their recommended sunscreen has only non nano zinc and no chemicals? I’m looking for a wearable super safe zinc only sunscreen. I used to use Burnout when it was the first formulation, but it changed. From then on I tried all the baby sunscreens but they were all greasy. I now use no sunscreen, but a Sunday Afternoons hat, stretchy cotton tube scarf from Sea Salt (Wales) and Fishing gloves made of tight UPF legging material plus sun protective clothing.

Interestingly one of my patients whom I haven't seen for a while invented nano zinc oxide and he had great concerns about it getting into the body. I believe it was at Argonne Labs.
We die of sun, Chemicals or nano’s, pick your poison.

One of my major beefs is that no beauty or health products (sunscreen or otherwise) seem to openly declare whether or not they use nano-technology within them, which means it's impossible to know if you are potentially filling your body with them through unintended absorption. :|

I did find a list of over 1800 products with suspected nano-product inclusion :o and I actively avoid toothpaste with Titanium Dioxide in it, but struggle to find antiperspirant that works and doesn't include aluminium.


Then there's the fact that all of these products are getting washed off into the water supply, which will them mean we end up drinking it, because I presume that water suppliers are not filtering at the nano scale, and because those living off natural supplies will likely be consuming water that has fallen as rain over the last 20 or so years...

I wonder if the situation in the recent film Dark Water will be repeated with nano-tech if/when the media finally pull their finger out of their orifices and actually do some proper investigative journalism. :|

The problem being that, like Dark Water detailed, there is no way to put the genie back in the bottle once it is out. We are, once again, sleepwalking (consciously or unconsciously) into future health concerns and a poisoned world that is impossible to clean up, while Big Business screws us for money.

The fact that the inventor of nano zinc oxide had concerns about physical damage says a lot to me!


I hate the fact that no-one other than me (and my fellow posters in this thread :) ) seem at all worried about this. Care for your bodies, people, they're the only one you get!! :(
 

asscherisme

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Since I have had numerous skin cancers removed ( three in 3 weeks) I am very very good about sunscreen. As you can see from my profile photo I am very fair. When I was a baby my parents loved the Jersey Shore. I’m talking little baby. My father was very dark and never burned. Most people thought he was Italian. ( he was not). My parents took me on the beach till I blistered and then covered me with a shirt and kept me out longer. Pretty much 9-5, no umbrella. I was not a tanner in HS except for beach week. Now the sun feels like poison to me and I try to stay in. I hate sunscreen for it’s heavy feeling. I just bought Australian Gold spf 50 with Kona coffee bronzer. It’s lightweight, silky feeling, no greasy after feel. I’m not sure it made any difference in my color. ( the color is superficial, it washes off in the shower. Not one of those that reacts with the skin and makes you orange). I also like a Drunk elephant, supergoop and coppertone light spray mist. Why are we obsessed with being tan anyways? What’s wrong with pale skin?


I grew up in the 70s and 80s where not only did I not have access to suncreen (parental decision, I was a kid!), my mother encouraged me to be out all day in the sun. I am naturally very very pale. I also had so many burns growing up that I would blister and peel too many times to count. As a teen, my mother would actually encourage me to burn in the sun on purpose because she believed it would cure the acne on my shoulders and back. I would fry in the sun. I shudder now when I think about it.
I had melonoma as a result (caught very early and able to be treated with surgery alone thank goodness!! and have an irrational fear of the sun now! I am at a very high risk for reoccurance due to my history. I am very pale and never leave the house without SPF 50!

I like Nuetrogena sunscreen the best. It is not greasy and does not clog my pores. It is kind of pricey but it is worth it to me.

They have many varieties. I like the ultra dry sheer touch the best. It has a matte finish and does not irritate my sensitive skin. It also does not have the typical suncreen "I am off to the beach" smell. I get either the 55 or 100 spf depending on what is in stock at the store when I shop.
 

Austina

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DH has had skin cancers removed, and the consultant recommended La Roche Posay.
 

doberman

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I do get a little tan in the summer but for the most part I stay in the shade and wear Neutrogena Ultra sheer 100+. Other sunscreens have given me a rash or burning feeling, but this one is great. Also very good is the Anhelios line of sunscreen....great name.
 

elle_71125

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I grew up with a mom who worshiped the sun. She would buy tanning oil and bake herself for hours (*cringe*). That may have worked for her but it certainly didn’t for my pale a**. I didn’t really start wearing sunscreen until I was 20 or so and I’ve been trying to get everyone to wear it since.

I wear sunscreen on my face year round. This is the one I’m using now:
https://www.sephora.com/product/sublime-defense-ultra-lightweight-uv-defense-fluid-spf-50-P311143?icid2=products grid:p311143:product&skuId=2063006
I like that it’s a fluid / lightweight sunscreen. It doesn’t cause my makeup to pill and it doesn’t break me out. Win, win. :mrgreen:

I’m still on the hunt for a good body sunscreen. I’m lazy and I like the spray on kinds. I’ve been trying this one out but it’s still a little greasy feeling to me.
https://www.sephora.com/product/ultimate-sun-protection-spray-broad-spectrum-spf-50-for-face-body-P385262?icid2=products grid:p385262:product
 

SparklieBug

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@OoohShiny Some mineral sunscreens do state that they're non-nano, although not all do. I like that mineral sunscreens are safe for reefs. Many places now ban chemical sunscreen from being worn in the water around reefs... Unintended consequences of our human behaviour. :(2
 

pricescopenewbie

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@missy somehow I just read this post and I'm so glad to see your picture of using a parasol! I used mine a few times and decided not to use it any more after being stared at every time. I felt like I was a weirdo. You gave me courage to use it again!


I carry a beautiful parasol (actually protects from the sun vs a regular umbrella) under certain conditions when I don’t want to wear sunscreen. It’s a good option.



C1104D6A-2CA5-423C-88C6-EE777E325C86.jpeg

and our bike has an spf canopy my dh made.

71162EFB-EC8B-4581-95AC-05FE2956BBEB.jpeg
 

missy

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@missy somehow I just read this post and I'm so glad to see your picture of using a parasol! I used mine a few times and decided not to use it any more after being stared at every time. I felt like I was a weirdo. You gave me courage to use it again!

Oh I'm so glad! You should enjoy your parasol. They are not only beautiful they are functional. I have so many of them and I love accessorizing with them.

They are timeless and classic and always in style IMO.

parasolpainting.jpe
 

missy

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My fave find while mtn. biking in Moab was DaBrim! Saw a guy using one and I seriously just wanted to steal his rather than wait for one in the mail. LOL! Is Greg's brim "DaBrim"? It looks similar to mine, only mine has a HUGE brim. It's like riding with my own shade tree or umbrella. LOVE it!

Haha yes! I missed this post. It is DaBrim and Greg loves them. He has 3 of them and they are very useful. He has one like yours with a much larger brim but when we are cycling it is too windy to wear that one. He had a melanoma removed a number of years ago and so we make sure he is protected. He needs to extend the bike canopy to protect himself but so far his attempts have not been successful as it is too long and the wind at the shore prevents it from being practical. But he is working on the design and hopefully he can figure it out. In the meantime Da Brim rocks! I am glad you enjoy it too!
 

SparklieBug

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Haha yes! I missed this post. It is DaBrim and Greg loves them. He has 3 of them and they are very useful. He has one like yours with a much larger brim but when we are cycling it is too windy to wear that one.
LOL! A couple times my helmet felt like it was going to blow right off my head due to gusty winds—and that was just standing in the parking lot, not while riding. It felt like a Mary Poppins moment. :bigsmile: Surprisingly, the model I have was/is very stable. I ended up getting one for a baseball cap, too, in case my DH wanted to use it.
 

chrono

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I can be at the beach the whole day without sunscreen and never burn. I step outside for a few minutes and I end up with a permanent tan. It’s crazy how we are so different. Mineral sunscreen dries me out like no tomorrow and the tint never matches my shade. That’s why SPF isn’t what I’m after. PPD is more important to me and US sunscreen sucks in this regard.
 

OoohShiny

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@OoohShiny Some mineral sunscreens do state that they're non-nano, although not all do. I like that mineral sunscreens are safe for reefs. Many places now ban chemical sunscreen from being worn in the water around reefs... Unintended consequences of our human behaviour. :(2

Ooh, excellent, thank you for the info - I will have to seek some out!
 

kgizo

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I’m a PSer so my fav has diamond dust :D

73A4CBBA-A477-4A26-860C-A6F12DDAAA7D.jpeg
 
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