This sun protection post was sponsored by Hawaiian Tropic as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review.
It’s time for a party…happy birthday, America! Land of the free because of the brave, and we are oh so grateful and #blessed to call this land home. This day is such a big festive celebration, full of fireworks, grill food, and lots of sunshine. And if it all ain’t redwhiteandblue, you’re doing it wrong.
One of my favorite ways to spend the 4th (and summers, period), is poolside with my family. A day of just relaxing on floaties, drinks in hand, getting some vitamin D? #dreams. In honor of that + my new patriotic swimsuit, I had just had to share…coupled with some important tips about the sun.
If you’re in the blogger community, you may have already heard the story of the Meyers family. If not, the short version is that Martin Meyers, husband of sweet Emily (the b logger behind The Freckled Fox), passed away recently after a long battle with Stage 4 Melanoma. He left behind five children all under five and a wife under 30, and the entire story is just an absolute heartbreak.
Cancer is serious. Cancer sucks. Ain’t nobody got time for cancer.
And the hard truth? One way to put yourself at risk of cancer is by not taking care of your skin in the sun.
Simple as that. If you don’t put the right stuff in place on your skin, serious damage can take root. I’m sharing 11Â tips for your skin’s sun protection, especially with all of the fun festivities happening right about now!
11 TIPS FOR YOUR SKIN’S SUN PROTECTION
- Know your acronyms. UVA? UVB? SPF? They’re all important. UVA = Ultraviolet A. These rays can even pass through glass (meaning you’re not even safe in your own house or car without sunscreen), and can lead to basal cell carcinoma (bad), squamous cell carcinoma (bad), and melanoma (bad). UVB = Ultraviolet B, and these bad boys are more likely to blame for melanoma. They cause sunburns, but cannot cross through glass. SPF = sun protection factor. Regardless of your SPF, re-apply every two hours.
- Take a shot. At LEAST 1 ounce of sunscreen should be applied at LEAST 15 to 30 minutes before going outside, and 1 ounce of sunscreen should fill your shot glass!
- Protect your pucker. Your lip balm should have at least SPF 30 in it. Lips can get sunburnt, too, and nobody wants to smooch a peeling pucker!
- Watch the date. Sunscreens can expire, just like your food or your makeup. If it has expired, it’s not working the way it should – and you deserve better.
- Watch the clock. The sun’s rays are strongest between 10 am and 4 pm. Cancer.net shares the “shadow rule”: If your shadow is shorter than you, you should find shade.* And with that, watch the UV index, often in the weather report, which runs from 1 to 10+ and indicates how damaging sun exposure could be on that day. Swap your SPFs out accordingly!
- Use quality skincare products for sun protection. They always say to know your ingredients and choose products based on quality, not on smell. (Lookin’ at you shampoos, body lotions, and self-tanners!). But luckily, Hawaiian Tropic has got the A+ in both categories. The new Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Weightless Lotion Sunscreen with SPF 30 has hydrating ribbons of silk protein and Shea butter, giving it that gorgeous look (since we all have to Instagram EVERYTHING nowadays amiright?!) and smell while still providing important sun protection. The formula is lightweight, air soft, and breatheable, so you don’t feel greasy and slick after application (anyone else hate that feeling?!), and the hydrating silk protein and Shea butter ribbons provide up to 12 hours of moisturization. It’s available in both broad spectrum UVA and UVB SPF 15 and 30 and can be picked up in mass, grocery, and drug retailers nationwide, so there’s ZERO EXCUSE to not be protected while you’re laying out this summer.
- Use a creamier sunscreen for dry skin. This is a total bonus for my favorite Hawaiian Tropic duo, because these babies are hydrating as heck! Especially if you’re playing out in the chlorinated pool or salty sea, it’s easy to feel like a dried out prune after a few hours of fun. Avoid that suctioned out feeling with a truly moisturizing product.
- Watch out for water! Water, sand, snow – they all reflect the sun’s rays, increasing your risks of sunburn and damage. If you’re re-applying every two hours as you should normally, re-apply every HOUR if you’re hanging poolside. Better yet, every time you get OUT of water, re-apply immediately – don’t even wait!
- DO. NOT. USE. TANNING. BEDS. Peeps. Pleasepleaseplease. You know better. A tanner complexion is not worth the risk of cancer. Point blank period. Invest in as non-stinky a self-tanner as you can possibly find if you want a darker glow (and/or if you’re just naturally pasty, hollah!). Nix the fake bake.
- Forget seasons – wear it year round! The sun doesn’t discriminate, and neither should you. Harmful UV rays don’t decide to pop up only when you’re on vacation! Wear sunscreen all. year. round. peeps. Obviously if you’re in long pants and sleeves in fall or winter, dousing yourself in SPF 50 isn’t necessary. But your face? Think about it! Always showing, always at risk. Be smart and safe and just SPF it!
- Don’t stop after sun! What you put on your skin after some sun time is just as important as the protection during. I’m currently using the Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch Ultra Radiance After Sun. It’s one of the first after-sunlotions with an innovative formula of shea butter and mango extract, all designed to leave your skin more pampered, hydrated, and luminous. There are also these funky special light-reflecting pigments just to give your skin a beautiful, radiant glow, so you don’t have to fry your epidermis to make that happen. Glow baby, glow! Just like the Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Weightless Lotion Sunscreen with SPF 30, the after-lotion is available in mass, grocery, and drug retailers nationwide for about 8 bucks.
What are your own sun protection musts?
*Sources for sun data include Cancer.net and WebMd.
*This post was sponsored by Hawaiian Tropic. As always, all opinions and thoughts presented are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Coming Up  Roses!
