Summer: sun-safety and tips!

Hey guys!  It'll be summer in about a month, but here in SD it's

already starting to warm up (on the days when it's not April-showering).

We have really strange spring weather where sometimes it's grey and drizzly...but on the

days when the sun comes out it can get really intense.

I thought it'd be helpful to make a post on general tips to help as the weather warms up, 

and  how to beat the heat and protect yourself from the sun!

SUNSCREEN

This is super important.  Even if you don't use it on the rest of your body, you should

definitely use it on your face!  I know you've probably heard it hundreds of times, the sun

can do a lot of damage on your face - you may not see it now but in the long run, over-exposure

causes wrinkling, discoloration, spots, and possibly skin cancer (all bad things, especially cancer).

I would recommend using it on any exposed skin, even if you're just wearing shorts/skirt/tank top and

not just for going to the pool or beach - whenever you know you'll be in the sun for a while.

Remember to wait FIFTEEN minutes after applying sunscreen before you head out, 

that's how much time it takes for your skin to absorb enough to form a barrier against the sun!

I have Ocean Potion Kids 50SPF as a body sunscreen.  It smells AMAZING,

sweet & fruity - nothing of the usual medication/coconut smell that a lot of sunscreens have.

(my mom and boyfriend actually get *nauseous* from coconut scents, so we tend

to avoid using anything with that smell around them - this is perfect because they can use it too)

What I do is mix a bit of it with my normal body lotion and apply that.  

Mine's 50SPF, which is really great for full-on long-term sun exposure! But on a 

day to day basis did you know you don't need more than 15SPF?  So a little dollop of 50SPF

really goes a long way. c:  I was worried that the added lotion would make me burn FASTER

but it actually doesn't in my experience.  

This stuff is surprisingly light for a body sunscreen, but don't let it trick you.

I went on a trip to Death Valley and was out in the sun for 9-10 hours with this on, and 

I got the barest hint of a tan.  (I usually get very tanned from just a half-hour in the sun without

sunscreen, so it's a really effective 'screen in my experience!)

NOTE: I really wouldn't recommend this for your face - I think it's supposed to be noncomedogenic

but it did make me break out, as it's a bit oily (and it's not touted as a face-OK sunscreen to begin with).

~~

I use Coppertone oil-free Faces for my face.

You can also get this at Walmart or any similar store, it runs $6-9 but lasts forever 

since you only need a very little bit at a time. 

I've tried a lot of different brands of face sunscreen since I first had breakouts, and they all

made me break out horribly.  Some people like my cousin are fine using the same

sunscreen all over - which is great! c:  If you are one of those people count yourself lucky.

But if you've tried a lot of sunscreens this one is really great.  It's very light and not at all greasy,

and absorbs very quickly.  It's just as effective for daily use as for hardcore sun-time.

I usually put a tiny bit of this over moisturizer for day-to-day, and I'll just put a thicker layer 

of only this for when I go to the beach/out in the sun.    

I have combo skin so this is pretty great, it's not shiny & it doesn't have that feeling of a blanket

of oil on your skin.  I've also used this for my hands when I'm gardening/working in my ecology lab

and my hands are exposed to the sun (I have a hat and longsleeves haha).  

~~

Other tips for the upcoming sunny days:

• STAY HYDRATED.  I can't say this enough, especially in SD where the temperature can shoot up like nobody's business.  You only feel thirsty when you're already slightly dehydrated.  A water bottle is NOT "too heavy to carry" compared to the impact on your body of not drinking enough.  If weight is an issue, you can even get water-"bottles" that are bags, which you can roll up and store away when they're empty - these are pretty great and they're quite weightless.  (Though I'd stay away from putting anything besides water in them because they'd be a bit difficult to clean!)  They're very affordable, Target currently has them for $1 in their dollar section. 
• WEAR A HAT.  I usually do this because sometimes I don't want to wear sunscreen, or I'm lazy.  Until recently I wore a hat because if I put sunscreen, I'd get zits.  Not anymore, but a little extra protection never hurt anyone!  Snapback, floppy sun hat, whatever it is make it work. 
• WEAR SUNGLASSES!  UV radiation affects your eyes as well, and overexposure can hurt your vision.  Your eyes need protection too!  If you wear glasses, they make the kind that can clip on to your frames (they also sell wraparound ones that go OVER your glasses, those are kind of cool too and look like you're one of the X-MEN).  
• SPF LIPBALM.  I tend to have dry lips and it's really noticeable (my friends and parents point it out when I haven't even noticed because I'm used to it).  I switched to lipbalm that had SPF in it a couple of months ago and I was fine since then. I think it might've been that the combination of lipbalm "oil" and sunlight fried the top layers of my lips?  Whatever it was, SPF also keeps you from getting sunburn on your lips.  (doesn't that sound awful?)
• TRY NOT TO GET SUNBURNT.  Sunburns - and even tans - go through many layers of skin, affecting deep layers and leaving long term damage.  The degree of damage varies with how deep the tan/burn is.  You can still look sunkissed  and be safe - just keep in mind that you may not look tan today, but tans darken after the fact (follow the tanlines!).  
• FOR DRIVERS!  The left side of your face (in the US, it'd be the right side in some countries I suppose!) is frequently exposed to sun, as well as your arms & hands.  A lot of online sites sell "driving gloves" - they come in a lot of colors and designs so you can look and feel cool (in both senses of the word) while blocking the sun.  I also keep a thin hoodie or cardigan in the car, that I can pop on and have my arms protected without overheating myself.  I've seen some people wearing floppy hats as well while driving - I personally wouldn't because I'd worry about my span of vision, but it can work!  This would be a good time to break out the sunscreen.    
• DRINK TEA!  Tea - both black and green - is full of antioxidants and good things that will actually STRENGTHEN your skin's natural resistance to sun damage (along with other kinds of damage).  On the plus side, it can help with complexion. c: