Let’s Talk About Sunscreen
And what you can do to make it work for you
Have you ever had to make a decision, perhaps a big one, one you really hope your future self will thank you for? Well, my friend — sunscreen is one of those. Unless you’re an amazing person who has grown up within a sun conscious family or surrounded by peers who knew the ins-and-outs of sun protection you’re likely new to the sun protection game.
A few months ago I started looking into different types of sunscreen and the advantages and disadvantages of some products, and I wanted to share my experience with you so you don’t have to go through the same trial and error that I did (or, at the very least, to inform your decision making process).
One thing that was immediately made clear — tanning beds and long hot days in the unprotected sun are to be left in the past, and we’ve got sunscreen in our future! Don’t look so bored — it can be quite the topic, with all its promise of better looking and youthful skin. If we follow a regular beauty routine that involves sunscreen, our 70-year-old selves will no doubt thank us for it.
Sunscreen might already be a staple in your beauty routine, or it might be relatively new to you — but have you ever wondered why you wear it? A lot of people who wear make-up tend to go without sunscreen, figuring that it’s too hard to work out a combination with make-up, while others just apply whatever sunscreen they’ve been using for years without being entirely happy with the result. To start with though, let’s go back to basics and understand what sunscreen is and what it’s trying to do.
What is sunscreen and why do we need it?
Sunscreen has come a long way since the days of the beach when you would get covered in a mix of strong-smelling sticky sunscreen and sand. I don’t know about you but for years whenever I thought of sunscreen, I thought of the yucky greasy sensation of it going on my skin, the burn when it got into my eyes, all not very good memories! But why do we wear them? You probably know it’s got something to do with UV, but what precisely are we trying to keep out?
What are we up against?
UV radiation from the sun is classified into three types:
- UVA — These rays can cause premature aging. So, wrinkles and age spots (dark spots), can be caused by UVA rays. These also penetrate deeper into the skin than UVB rays.
- UVB — These have slightly more energy than UVA, and can cause damage to the DNA in skin cells directly. This, in turn, causes sunburn which can lead to skin cancer.
- UVC — completely absorbed by the ozone layer and atmosphere, so not something that we have to be concerned about.
An easy way to remember the rays and their effect is that UVA causes Aging and UVB causes Burning. Now that we know what we’re up against, we have to decide on what we’ll use to keep these rays off our precious skin.
It’s time to make some choices
There are two types of sunscreen. They are physical (also known as mineral sunscreen) and chemical sunscreen and Piedmont health have an excellent piece on the in-depth differences between these two types of sunscreen. You may find it a bit of a dry read, but understanding the difference is important. In my case, I’ve chosen (after much trial and error) to go with a physical sunscreen.
Do you need to choose today?
Nope! Don’t feel bad if the process of choosing takes months (or maybe even years). If you go back and forth between physical and chemical, it’s okay, as long as you wind up choosing one. They say the best sunscreen is the one you like using every day (and when I say every day, I mean, every day), so you shouldn't feel bad experimenting, and you might find you prefer one or the other based on any number of reasons like:
- Mood
- Season
- Appealing packaging
- Friends recommendation
- Email from your local beauty shop (in my case, that’s Mecca)
It goes on…and on. As long as you are using some sort of sunscreen, you can be confident that your skin is getting the protection that it needs, and are doing something that your future self will thank you for.
The best sunscreen is the one you like using everyday.
So, physical sunscreen, the one that puts a physical barrier between the sun and your skin. These primarily contain zinc/titanium dioxide, and might remind you a little bit of this:
But despite this, can a physical sunscreen be the one for you?
Well let’s think about it for a minute — what type of skincare do you use? How do you like your face to feel? Nobody gets excited at the idea of applying sunscreen to our face, so it needs to feel good. Just knowing that it is the right thing to do is not going to be enough. We have some demands from our sunscreen — it has to integrate well with our overall skincare.
Applying sunscreen needs to feel good.
Sunscreen and Skincare
Physical sunscreen goes over your face oils/moisturizer so it is the last step in your skincare (before primer and makeup and all the fun stuff). Why is that? Because it reflects the UV so it can go on over all the good juicy face softening items (currently clogging your bathroom drawer).
Chemical sunscreen needs to go on first, straight onto freshly washed skin, under your skincare. Personally, I found this unpleasant, but if it works for you I think you are amazing and would love to hear your comments on how you make that work. In my case, applying sunscreen onto freshly washed skin, then trying to put moisturizer on over the top without smudging the sunscreen was a highly unpleasant sensation. So again, I take my hat off to those of you who have made it work.
The takeaway?
Physical sunscreen can be applied over all the nice moisturising products you are cycling through at the moment.
Zinc and the pasty white monster
So you’ve got your hands on a physical sunscreen. At first, it might look really white and pasty. Don’t let this turn you off — we don’t need to be afraid of this just yet. I’ll talk through how we can work with this later on. The recommended dose for sunscreen is half a teaspoon size for your whole face (and neck) so if you’re putting on that amount it will look white.
At first, it might look really white and pasty. Don’t let this turn you off — we don’t need to be afraid of this just yet.
Firstly, let the sunscreen settle in after you apply it — I find the pasty white shade does soak in if you give it time. This might mean starting the process earlier, but it’s recommended to let sunscreen soak in for 20 minutes before sun exposure, so you can let it settle while waiting for it to soak in. Then after 5–10 minutes, press it into your skin (with clean hands please), this will again soften the white cast and you’ll start to look more natural.
If you’re not wearing makeup, I would opt for powder at this stage (in a shade similar to your skin tone) and lightly dust it over with a kabuki brush (or press it in) and you’re good to go.
Now, if it’s time for makeup, you’ll find your foundation covers a multitude of sins. You can also use a BB cream (for me, I love this product) in an ever-so-slightly warmer/darker shade than your usual one. I find this sits lovely over sunscreen and melts right in. If your make up isn’t enough to cover the white cast or you still just don't like how it looks (and/or feels), maybe a chemical sunscreen is more suitable for you. Another option is to try a tinted physical sunscreen. I’ve just ordered this one which reviews well. I don’t expect the tint to be enough to go make up free, but I’m hoping it counteracts the white cast somewhat. I’ll be sure to report back on how that goes!
What did we learn?
Sunscreen. It’s your new committed relationship. Take your time, try as many as you like, and don’t feel you have to settle because the perfect one is out there for you. Even if it means going a few awkward days with a new product, trust me, it’s worth it. Plus with so much of the world in lockdown due to coronavirus at the moment, this is the time for trial and error.
No matter where you are on the earth, you live somewhere where you will have some level of sun exposure throughout the day. And when that happens, you can be happy knowing that you put in the time and research to find the sunscreen that works best for you.
