With Summer 2019 officially kicked off I wanted to dive into the topic of sunblock protection which should be used year round. Sunblock should be your best friend! Let your BFF be there for you everyday, on sunny days, on rainy days, and even sitting indoors all day (with a glass of wine, because that what BFF’s do).
Types of UV Rays
Don’t let the clouded skies fool you to think your skin isn’t exposed to the sun rays. There are 3 kind of sun rays and they are all damaging to our skin. Let me break them down for you first.
UVA: These rays affect your first layer of skin ‘Epidermis’ and cause the skin aging, wrinkles (think of tanning beds, that’s all UVA) These rays will penetrate through windows.
UVB: Targets your 2nd layer of skin ‘Dermis’ this causes sunburns, cataracts, and immune system damage
UVC: These rays are the most damaging, they usually don’t reach the earths layer. They USED to be used in tanning beds. Can you believe that?
What you want and don’t want in your Sun block
Sunblock facts: You will want to 100% always use broad spectrum sunblock. Broad spectrum protects you against both UVA/UVB rays. If your sunblock has zinc oxide in it, you are getting even better protection.
There are ingredients you’ll want to avoid being in your sunblock, even make up or moisturizers that provide you with SPF protection. Oxybenzone & Octinoxate are the two main culprits that contain HIGH toxicity levels and are major hormone disrupters. These ingredients just like anything else placed on your skin, will get absorbed into your bloodstream..EW.
My go-to Sun Block Products
I use sunblock on the daily and I make sure I get all the right areas covered with the right products. After my face it set with toner and moisturizer, I apply different sunblock products on my eyes, hands, face, lips, and neck. I’ll do whole body if I’m going to be out in the sun for hours at a time.
Below are the products I use on the daily, besides the Neutrogena, I’ll use that for long days in the sun and make sure to continuously re-apply.
TIP: The Burt’s Bees lip balm leaves a white pale lip look, so I always go over my lips with a tinted lip balm or lipstick.
You can check the toxic levels in your sunblock and other products that contain SPF here: https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/
It’s hard to find pure clean products in everything you use, but we can always try! If you have any recommendations on sunblocks let me know.
XOXO your Wandering Flamingo
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