Saturday, August 28, 2010

Sun Options

I've had a few people write in about sunscreen and wanted to do a quick update with some recommendations. While there are surely many more options than I will post here, these are just a few that I've found at good prices.

I mentioned Invisible Zinc, which is an Australian based company. It's easy to find in Australia, but has only recently been introduced to the US in May, so may be harder to find there. They do ship overseas, and you can buy it on Amazon, but it's a bit expensive still. $20-$30 for SPF 30 sunblock, and $37 for the daily tinted moisturizer with SPF 30.


Another great daily skin care option, that we've used, for our Aussi-based friends, is Dermorganics. You can find it at chemists that like to stock natural products. They have great products- free from silicas, parabens and all the bad stuff, and excellent prices too. They have daily facial moisturizer with SPF 15 (Zinc Oxide). It's a neutral scent so great for men and women.


Available in both the US and Australia, is Burt's Bees, which I also mentioned below. They have not only body sunscreen up to SPF 30, but also a daily moisturizer called 'Radiance Day Lotion' with SPF 15 (Zinc Oxide). It's priced between $10 and $18 in the US, but probably a bit more in Aussi. The reviews for it have been great, I'm definitely going to give it a try! Did I mention I LOVE Burt's Bees???


Badger Balm - Available in the US and Australia, they have great prices, all natural goodness and have a range of sunblock at about $14 a bottle. Sorry, no daily facial skin care product though.


A few other US based body sunscreens I think are worth checking out are:


Smart Girls who Surf - This Laguna-based company looks like they know their stuff and have some great beach worthy products that are biodegradable and chemical free. They have stuff for guys too and also offer a daily tinted moisturizer with SPF 20 ($28.99). SPF 15 and 30 are $14.99 a bottle, SPF 32 face stick for $12.99, lip balm SPF 15 $3.99. They also support some great organizations and donate product locally, so definitely worth checking out.


MelanSol - This website looks a bit flashy, which usually turns me off, but their product is completely free of any chemicals, is biodegradable so great for the beach, lake or pool and is packed with lots of great botanicals to nourish your skin while protecting it from the sun. It's a bit more expensive - $20-$30 for a 6 oz bottle. I haven't tried it personally, but thought it looks good.


There are bunches more, but there's a few for now! If none of these interest you, I recommend going to your nearest health food store and seeing what they carry there. Just be sure to check the labels! 'All natural' and even 'Organic' don't necessarily mean they're free of harmful chemicals.

1 comment:

mamapickle said...

it is hard to find sunscreen at a good price. That is what makes the biggest difference for me. We have 6 people in the family and go through it in droves here in HOT TX. I just can afford to spend $15-$30 a bottle on the stuff. I am sure what we use (Banana Boat) is probably full of chemicals. I hope not.