Spring has sprung in the ATL: birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, pollen is pollenating and stores are building their sunscreen displays. I have what one mightpotentially describe as an "addiction" to suncare. It started back in college when I realized the only useful class I was going to take was Health and thus actually paid attention. The Health teacher was very passionate about skin care and liked showing pictures of various stages of melanoma and sun damaged skin. I was hooked from day 1.
Now, every year at the onset of Spring when the stores breakout their sunscreen, I find myself making excuses to go to Walmart, or Target, or any drug store so I can look at the sunscreen. Today I spent my lunch hour at the CVS across the street reading the back of sunscreen bottles. That is what I do. I like to read the ingredients and product claims. When the Environmental Working Group came out with a study last year stating that virtually all sunscreens on the market did not really work my world fell apart. I spent countless hours scouring the internet trying to figure out exactly what sunscreen to use.
After countless hours of research and scientific trials, I can now offer you the following sunscreen choices - the key to sunscreen success is oxides - zinc or titanium. I suggest that you wear daily to avoid looking like this. You will be healthier, look younger and be more marketable to employers. Guarenteed. And no matter what anyone says, it is totally normal to reapply sunscreen throughout the day...even if you work in an office building.
- La Roche Posay: wicked good French sunscreen with Meroxyl which protects against both UVA and UVB; you know it is good because it took the FDA forever to approve its use in the US; plus you get the added benefit of feeling like Euro-trash every single day of the week
- California Baby: it is pricey, but if you really love your kids, you will skip the Waterbabies and go for this stuff; non-chemical, purely natural,and probably cures world hunger. Your kid will look like Casper, but he will thank you when he is still carded at 45. It is available at Target in the baby care section.
- TruKid: pretty much ditto on above except a higher content of zinc oxide.The stick formulation is especially convenient when applying to squirming toddlers who have not yet seen photos of melanoma and thus do not have a proper fear of the sun.
- Neutrogena: Now, until my little lunch field trip today, I was very anti-neutrogena given their love of things that start with "oxo" and/or end with "benzone". BUT given 2009 is the year of the almighty CHANGE, they are on the oxide bandwagon. The great news is that Neutrogena is much cheaper than most of the other brands and readily available just about everywhere.
Lather up!
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