Before we left for Hawaii, I spent a ridiculous amount of time (and money) researching sunscreens. I’m still working (as in, currently, at this moment) on coming up with my definitive favorites.
Aron and I realized that the majority of our go-to sunscreens did not fare well on the EWG’s (Environmental Working Group’s) sunscreen ratings, for some reason or another, and so I’ve been using up or tossing some of those in favor of new candidates. The dilemma is that the best-rated sunscreens are mineral-based (meaning that the sun protection factor comes from zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) and tend to leave you chalky and white. I’m usually okay with this for the kids, but I’m a bit more vain. If I’m really going to use sunscreen on a daily basis like I should, it needs to blend in.
So as it stands now, I’m looking for a safe, effective beach sunscreen to slather on our bodies (so not too expensive!), and something a bit more special (paste-free) for the face. I’ve just ordered SuperGoop’s City Serum for me—it falls to the good-side of average on the EWG list and it was my favorite at Sephora. It looks like it’s going to be greasy at first, but then it dries more matte.
I could go on about this forever. I feel like it’s been a never-ending search for that sunscreen that really makes it easy for me to apply it (and reapply it) every day.
Please tell me: what sunscreens do you like to use?
Other favorites for me have so far been: Kiehl’s (really smooth and sheer) and La Roche-Posay. For the kids/whole family, we already had Honest Company and Sunology—which both leave them looking pretty white—so we also got samples of Badger, CeraVe, Nature’s Gate, KidSport, and California Baby. So far, in my opinion, Nature’s Gate is the clear winner for blending in and for price per ounce. It’s the lowest SPF (20), but I hear you really just need at least 15. Badger smells great and will rub in pretty well with some effort. Aron’s top pick is the KidSport because it has a longer water-resistance time. (Of course, all of this is why I put them in rash guards.)
[Top Photo of Waikiki by Ashley Goodwin]
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