Thanks for indulging in my crazy. Good news: hot water heater is currently being installed and we pick the car up from the dealership today after replacing (again) the ignition. So moving on to something equally crazy: my sunscreen research obsession.
Shortly after Gracie was born I had two things populate my brain at a very impressionable time in the post-partum world: one, babies are generally not advised to wear sunscreen before 6 months of age because of all the toxins in them and two, this article that basically underlines the fact that most commercial sunscreens are filled with a lot of questionable ingredients. This was combined with a lot of news and information about how we regulate SPF numbers in the US (read: not very well) and the general understanding that after SPF 50, you are overpaying for a sunscreen that does minimally more than SPF 50 but gives you a false sense of security against reapplying regularly.
Before we go any further I should note that I tend to try to find a balance between OMG WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE FROM ALL THE TOXINS and EH, BRING IT ON, WHERE IS MY WESSON OIL CHEMICALLY CREATED “POPCORN BUTTER TOPPING”. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that every day I was slathering stuff on my skin that was supposed to help prevent cancer and wrinkles and age spots….and that I might be trading those woes for an equally crappy set of issues. Ugh. Fine. GOOGLE-TIME IT IS.
The Food Babe (terrible name, no?) article was a good synopsis of what I found. Generally there is some debate over nano-particles (which allow mineral based sunscreens to lose their white film and rub in clear), that mineral based sunblock is better than chemical sunscreen, Vitamin A isn’t a great sunscreen ingredient due to its link to increased skin tumors, and oxybenzone is probably better to avoid than use. This of course means that the vast majority of sunscreens on the market at your conventional store are a no-no. Which was unfortunate for a girl who’d been religiously using Neutrogena SPF 70 on her face for some time.
Assisting me in my research was the ever-popular Lucie’s List guide on sunscreen (her 2013 guide had similar but not entirely the same suggestions), the Safe Mama sunscreen cheat sheet and the Enviornmental Working Group sunscreen ratings (where I shoot for products with a 0-2 rating).
So lets talk about products I’ve tried….
Blue Lizard- Best for your face
I ordered a bottle of Blue Lizard sensitive to try on my face. While it is definitely a smidge bit more sunscreen-y than my old Neutrogena standby, I use it on my face daily and it doesn’t cause skin irritation or breakouts. I give it a few minutes after applicaiton before putting my makeup on and I don’t think it makes my greasy. Because Gracie hit the 6 month mark in July, I actually used this bottle on her for the rest of the summer (we had very few super sunny outings in swimsuits) and I still have a half a bottle left despite daily applicaiton. A little goes a long way and this will be my Old Faithful for daily facial sunscreen. They also make a baby formula, which I haven’t tried but probably will.
BabyGanics Spray- Fastest returned
On a whim I bought this spray sunscreen at Target when I realized I needed to send a bottle of sunscreen to daycare. After reading a bajillion labels I figured this was my best option. After coming home and using my resources above, I promptly returned it back to the store. Turns out spray sunscreen is kind of frowned upon for the kiddos (they can aspirate it) and the ingredient list was a little sketch- it got a 3 on the EWG website and I figured I could do better.
Honest Company- Best for bodies and baby
I ordered two tubes of the Honest Company sunscreen and my only complaint is they are a little small…but this sunscreen goes a LONG way. So far it has prevented both Gracie and I from burning and hasn’t caused any skin irritation on either one of us. I really like the formula, although it is a little greasy. I’m hoping that Target’s new Honest collaboration means we start seeing the sunscreen in stores, although so far I haven’t found it.
California Baby- Most “meh”
I found this sunscreen a little bit more difficult to rub in than the others, and it is really, really expensive in my opinion. I then had a friend mention that her pediatrician recommended against California Baby because its extreme greasiness meant it took a few dunks in the tub to really get it off of your skin. No thanks. I still love their baby shampoo though.
Next on the horizon for us is trying out new sport formulas. B goes through a lot of sunscreen while sailing (and I while biking) but of course we had a stockpile of heavy duty sport block to get through before I ordered new stuff. This summer we are going to give the Badger sport cream a whirl.
Anyway, I figured I’d share all of my crazy research with you in case you are also of the “lets avoid toxins when we can” mindset and the sunscreen ingredient lists give you the creeps.
Oh and as a somewhat related side note, I also ordered the Honest Company bug spray and it has worked very well for us- no skin irritation, no bites, no DEET.
Amazon links are affiliate, Honest Company are not.
