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Sunscreen tips?


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One thing to remember, each person's skin reacts differently to whatever you put on your skin so test a few brands out and when you find one that you like stock up. My son and I both had bad reactions (itchy skin) to Banana Boat and it didn't work - we still burned

 

Very good advice. On a cruise is NOT the best time to try something out. Sunscreen. Seasick meds. Different soaps, etc. Try at home first.

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My whole family is red headed and ghost like and we are going on Western Escape in September. My go to brand is actually Walgreens brand. (Weird that I prefer store brand to name brand but that is what works best and goes on easiest for us.) They go up to SPF 70 (50 works for us though). We will be in swim shirts and hats all week. I plan on taking 5 bottles!

 

One thing to remember, each person's skin reacts differently to whatever you put on your skin so test a few brands out and when you find one that you like stock up. My son and I both had bad reactions (itchy skin) to Banana Boat and it didn't work - we still burned

 

I was at a health fair recently and they gave out free rubes of Walgreens suncreen .It really works.

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I have had many skin cancer surgeries former redhead who used baby oil & iodine to get "some color". I like BananaBoat Sport lotion (SPF30-50) the best. I do use a Banana Boat facial lotion as well. Most important for me tho is a rash guard (my favorite is Athleta) & a good big brimmed hat. I live in CO (we're closer to the sun) & I wear sunscreen everyday. I try not to go out in the sun between 10&2. Of course that's impossible on a cruise, so I make sure to reapply sunscreen every hour.

 

 

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The husband of one of my best girlfriends passed away from melanoma. I am rabid about sun protection. I even make sure my everyday moisturizer has sunscreen. I wear a baseball hat when I'm out walking, trail running, working in the backyard, driving my convertible...

 

My two usual sunscreens for times when I'm going to be "exposed" - the Neutrogena Age Shield Face SPF40 and Aloe Gator SPF40 lotion. Used these for years with good results. If I'm going in the water in Hawaii or the Caribbean, I'll use the Badger Balm reef-safe sunscreen.

 

I also have a selection of SPF rashguards. They are always on when I'm in the water or sitting on a lounge chair. And, I wear them when I'm out trail running/working in the backyard.

 

I never use a spray. Like others, I've seen people spraying the air and thinking they are spraying themselves. Spraying on kids is really bad - I've seen parents trying to "hit" the kid as they run away or turn away. If you think you have to spray - spray INTO your hand and rub on. There are actually studies going on to research the effects of people inhaling the spray and fumes...

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Do any of the pasty people out there have any recommendations for sunscreen for my husband and son. Do you have a favorite brand? or are swim shirts, etc. recommended for a Western Caribbean itinerary (in November). I can get away with a lower SPF but I don't want them to get fried on the first day.

 

Thanks in advance!

You might find this article interesting: https://www.yahoo.com/beauty/73-sunscreens-dont-work-according-2017-guide-120014355.html
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At our most recent private island day, I was impressed by how many people wore swim shirts/rashguards. Many wore hats and sunglasses as well. And I noticed that crew who had outdoor jobs wore them. Well worth it, IMO.

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Please, please, please take into consideration the reefs (and marine life in general)! Most of all, avoid these ingredients: oxybenzone, butylparaben, octinoxate, and 4-methylbenzylidine camphor (not allowed in the US). These are the primary causes of coral reef bleaching and death. Thousands of tons of sunscreen wash off in reef areas every year, and sunscreen residue in rivers and lakes and from waste treatment can wash into the ocean.

 

Badger is a good, affordable brand. All their sunscreens rate well at EWG, and they're all reef safe. It's also widely available. If you really want a spray sunscreen, there are some that use safe ingredients.

 

We like Neutrogena sunscreen. For a spray on, their Beach Defense (in the yellow can) dries fast and doesn't feel sticky. For lotion their Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch is good.

Neutrogena Beach Defense and Ultra Sheer Dry Touch both contain oxybenzone. But the Pure and Free Baby Sunscreen (which doesn't mean it's for babies, really) and Sheer Zinc Dry Touch SPF 30 and 50 sunscreens scored very well with EWG and are free of the four ingredients above. (Neutrogena used to be my brand of choice due to sensitive skin.)

 

Consumer Reports just released their list of the top rated sunscreens. The Wal-Mart brand (Equate Sport SPF 30) was ranked really high for the 2nd year in a row. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/sunscreens/buying-guide

Equate Sport scored very poorly at EWG. It's also not reef safe; oxybenzone in particular is a major culprit in coral reef damage. (Actually, every one of the Equate sunscreens that I saw contained oxybenzone, except one daily moisturizer with sunscreen.)

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Applying the sunscreen in my cabin before getting dressed seems to work best for me. I can take my time doing it and can make sure it's applied everywhere needed for its initial application.

I have to do that this year! Last year, I waited until we were at the beach, but I ended up burned. I'm pretty sure it's because I was sweaty by the time I applied it! I tried to dry off first, but I don't think it worked well.

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Please, please, please take into consideration the reefs (and marine life in general)! Most of all, avoid these ingredients: oxybenzone, butylparaben, octinoxate, and 4-methylbenzylidine camphor (not allowed in the US). These are the primary causes of coral reef bleaching and death. Thousands of tons of sunscreen wash off in reef areas every year, and sunscreen residue in rivers and lakes and from waste treatment can wash into the ocean.

 

 

 

Badger is a good, affordable brand. All their sunscreens rate well at EWG, and they're all reef safe. It's also widely available. If you really want a spray sunscreen, there are some that use safe ingredients.

 

 

 

 

 

Neutrogena Beach Defense and Ultra Sheer Dry Touch both contain oxybenzone. But the Pure and Free Baby Sunscreen (which doesn't mean it's for babies, really) and Sheer Zinc Dry Touch SPF 30 and 50 sunscreens scored very well with EWG and are free of the four ingredients above. (Neutrogena used to be my brand of choice due to sensitive skin.)

 

 

 

 

 

Equate Sport scored very poorly at EWG. It's also not reef safe; oxybenzone in particular is a major culprit in coral reef damage. (Actually, every one of the Equate sunscreens that I saw contained oxybenzone, except one daily moisturizer with sunscreen.)

 

 

Yeah I know (about the reef part). That's the one i wear at home (if I remember to put sunscreen on), but when I go to the beach I use a safe $30 a bottle sunscreen I buy through a company called Arbonne that has been rated safe for the environment. They stopped selling it and switched to a mineral brand, which I don't use because it leaves the white residue on my skin, but I still have some of the old stuff leftover.

 

 

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I have to do that this year! Last year, I waited until we were at the beach, but I ended up burned. I'm pretty sure it's because I was sweaty by the time I applied it! I tried to dry off first, but I don't think it worked well.

 

Agree with you. When you get the initial application properly applied in the privacy your cabin and has time to soak in prior to your beach arrival, it's a good thing.

Sure, you're need to reapply from time to time ... but getting the first on properly gives you a good base of protection. :)

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Getting ready for our next cruise, and I have purchased all lotion this time. 3 years ago we went on our 20th anniversary celebration, and at the first port (private island) my husband used the spray sunscreen, didn't rub it in, and looked like a candy cane. We both burned badly, and as a result had to severely limit our Beach time for the rest of our cruise.

 

Lesson learned.

 

 

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Yes on the "apply 30 minutes before"!!! I do this always - I apply before I put on my suit.

 

Yes on the reef-safe sunscreen. So many think "it won't be that bad if I use the Equate/No-Ad/etc and go in the water" - it really does. Multiple research studies have proven that. Photos of the coral from 20 years ago to today are stunning in how much coral has died or lost it's color. Think of the future of the reefs, not just your hour or two in the water, Please.

 

Someone had asked about swim capris: Athleta has a few pair on their website.

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I'm horrible i didn't read all the way through and I'm sure some one said it but I don't use spray sunscreen on a cruise. Last time we kept getting sun screen in the face ( eyes... mouth...) because people felt the need to spray on their sunscreen in a crowd of people. The lady next to us kept standing up and respraying "herself" which meant everyone around her! I know i just sound miserable but I think it's just kind of ignorant. It's great at home by your pool but not in public. And she did not spray it into her hand and rub it on😶

 

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We live in south Texas but we're from Northern Europe with the pale skin to prove it, so we go through a lot of sunscreen. Pretty much any brand that is over SPF 30 will be fine. It's how you apply it that matters. You need a shot glass' worth for your whole body each time you apply it, and you should apply it at least 15 minutes before going in the sun, and once an hour afterwards.

 

I don't have a problem with sprays but you have to hold it close to the skin and spray more than you think you need. It's not perfume, you are looking for maximum coverage here. It is useful when you're on your own and don't have someone to help apply it to places you can't reach! And yes, be considerate of others when you're spraying.

 

I have recently started using the brush on sun block powder for my face because I found that most lotions would sweat off from my nose. I also use a baby sunscreen on my face when we're going swimming as the adult versions sting my eyes (my kids don't have that problem though funnily enough!)

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I'm going to go in the other direction...I'm red haired and freckled and never wear sunscreen. Why? Well, for one I don't spend too much time in the direct sun. Just 20 minutes here and there. I wear hats and sunglasses. And two, because there's a Vitamin D deficiency epidemic going on. I say it's due to sunscreen, low fat diets and statin drug use. We need Vitamin D, and in order to absorb it we need good healthy fats in our diets to get cholesterol on our skin in order to take in Vitamin D through sun exposure

 

 

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I'm going to go in the other direction...I'm red haired and freckled and never wear sunscreen. Why? Well, for one I don't spend too much time in the direct sun. Just 20 minutes here and there. I wear hats and sunglasses. And two, because there's a Vitamin D deficiency epidemic going on. I say it's due to sunscreen, low fat diets and statin drug use. We need Vitamin D, and in order to absorb it we need good healthy fats in our diets to get cholesterol on our skin in order to take in Vitamin D through sun exposure

 

 

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There is a HUGE difference between daily 20 minutes of sun for vitamin D exposure and someone coming for a week long trip to the Caribbean for the first time. Tropical sun is far more intense and if you do not protect your skin you can suffer some pretty severe sun poisoning. I would never advise someone who's traveling to the tropics for the first time to skip sun protection for the week just to get vitamin D. One week-long trip would not solve the deficiency problem you mentioned.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Please, please, please take into consideration the reefs (and marine life in general)! Most of all, avoid these ingredients: oxybenzone, butylparaben, octinoxate, and 4-methylbenzylidine camphor (not allowed in the US). These are the primary causes of coral reef bleaching and death. Thousands of tons of sunscreen wash off in reef areas every year, and sunscreen residue in rivers and lakes and from waste treatment can wash into the ocean.

 

Badger is a good, affordable brand. All their sunscreens rate well at EWG, and they're all reef safe. It's also widely available. If you really want a spray sunscreen, there are some that use safe ingredients.

 

 

Neutrogena Beach Defense and Ultra Sheer Dry Touch both contain oxybenzone. But the Pure and Free Baby Sunscreen (which doesn't mean it's for babies, really) and Sheer Zinc Dry Touch SPF 30 and 50 sunscreens scored very well with EWG and are free of the four ingredients above. (Neutrogena used to be my brand of choice due to sensitive skin.)

 

Thanks for the recommendations, MaidMirawyn. I will do some research on those sunscreens. Husband is a melanoma survivor so I go with what has kept him tan-free since his surgery, but if there's a mainstream/easy to find brand that's more environmentally friendly and just as protective, I'm down for giving it a try!

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I realized last year that the sunscreen I used to wear would rub off on my clothes, especially around my shirt collars. We have a well with pretty rusty water, and the oxybenzone reacted with the rust and left a reddish stain wherever it rubbed on the clothes. I switched to zinc-based sunscreen and I've never had the staining since. One more strike against the non-reef safe sunscreen! I have to laugh when people complain about the white residue the sunscreen leaves. Who cares? Plus it eventually evens out.

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  • 4 weeks later...
We like Neutrogena sunscreen. For a spray on, their Beach Defense (in the yellow can) dries fast and doesn't feel sticky. For lotion their Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch is good.

I am fair-skinned, freckly, and naturally auburn-haired (I have lots of blonde highlights). I burn within minutes of being in the sun. I use Neutrogena's Ultra Sheer Dry Touch every day on all exposed areas of my body except for my face. For that, I use Shiseido's Ultimate Sun Protection Wet Force For Sensitive Skin and Children (SPF 50) and Sun Protection Eye Cream Broad Spectrum (SPF 34). I also continuously re-apply Shiseido's Sun Protection Lip Treatment (SPF 36 PA++).

 

I wear a long-sleeved bathing suit and a broad rimmed SPF 50 hat.

 

Yes, I am a little crazy about all of this. I have also had skin cancer (BCC). My father had melanoma. I am not taking chances.

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Some great advice here - but just a reminder that many sunscreens have an EXPIRY DATE on them - please check those you have in your medicine cabinet and those you purchase to make sure they are still effective!

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I've been using Alba this year. Botanical & absolutely great. I use so much sunscreen every day all year long that I don't need to worry about expiration dates. Yes, I'm a multiple skin cancer survivor

 

 

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I only buy products not tested on animals and can only wear hypo whatever products on my face otherwise I break out. I wear SPF 80-SPF 100 on my face. I stocked up at Kroger when they had them all in the clearance bin (I don't believe expiration dates on many products). On my body I either use Australian Gold SPF 30 bronze spray or Walmart's SPF 30 Silk something lotion.

 

My body tans but my face has always burned.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I use Coppertone Water Babies lotion SPF 50. It stays on very well, you actually have to wash it off with soap. But you still have to reapply every couple hours. I can get a pretty good tan wearing the SPF 50 at the pool or on the beach. I also wear the rash guard and the capris when snorkeling. We had one Lobster Man on our guided snorkel excursion that refused protection. His back, legs and arms were severely burned but he wanted to chill out in the direct sun in the netting on the boat and drink rum punch. Never saw him after the excursion. He was probably in his cabin hiding from the sun the rest of the cruise.

 

 

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