Sun Care 101

If you haven’t noticed by now, I am a little crazy-pants about my skin. You can read about my obsessiveness here. Well the madness continues and this time I am talking about becoming a vampire aka staying away from the sun and being pale all year round. Sounds amazingly attractive……. I use to wake and bake all the time in college. Heading to the tanning bed every other day, laying out for countless hours in the sun and bragging about how I never get a sun burn. I was like a bronzed goddess 8 months out of the year. Those were the days! Now I am all “save my skin from ruins”!! I wear a hat when I lay out to block the sun from my face, I never step outside without sunscreen (on my face, need to work on my body), and I make sure to sit outside for a only short periods of time. Skin care is so important, as skin cancer is the most common cancer in America. Safety first friends!

Here are ways I save my skin and hopefully save yours!

Sunscreen

 

 

Always apply sunscreen before heading out the door, even if you are not going to the pool. Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you should know by now how damaging the sun is for your skin–causing skin cancer, wrinkles, sun spots, and more. Protecting your skin from the sun is so so so important! When I am at the pool, COOLA is my favorite sunscreen. It is great to apply to your face as it not only nourishing for the skin, but it is filled with organic ingredients. For everyday use, I try to keep product application to a minimal, so I always look for moisturizers that have SPF in it. When applying sunscreen for the day, it should always be your last step and should be applied 20-30 minutes before stepping outside—and don’t forget your ears, nose, and feet!!

For full body sun care I like Neutrogena dry-touch  sunscreen.  It is lightweight, as it does not have the “heavy” feel that normal sunscreen lotions seem to have. Since sunscreen expires and we only use it a few times a day (tanning use, not every moisturizer) it really makes no sense to spend too much. Neutrogena is affordable and easy to buy at any local drugstore.

Lips always tend to get burn since they are constantly being moisturized by our saliva. This lip balm not only has SPF in it, but has a tint of color and looks oh so chic!

Wear A Hat

Last summer I started to wear hats while laying out. Not only does it protect your face from direct contact from the sun, but it cools your body. I am not really a hat person–trying to be–but wearing them while tanning is important. I tend to wear ball caps like this one from Vineyard Vines at the pool, but have considered going for a wide brim hat. Woven material absorbs ultraviolet rays better than cotton does. Cotton also tends to get wet from your hair and dry materials offers better protection. I recently purchased this hat from J.Crew (now back in stock!!) and can not wait to wear it. I looks pretty chic and classic! If the brim is too wide for you, a panama hat is always a stylish option.

Eat Healthy Foods

Food does wonders for our bodies. Not only does it keep you healthy (and happy), but certain foods can actually protect you from sun damage.

Citrus Fruit
Green Tea
Carrots
Red Peppers
Spinach
Salmon
Walnuts
Dark Chocolate
Tomatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Watermelon
Almonds
Sunflower Seeds
Apples

These foods will help kill cancer cells, reduce inflammation aka sun burn, hydrate and nourish skin cells, and antioxidants that help restore damage cells. Snack on these foods while laying out—and all the time!

Find Shade

I know the point of laying out by the pool or on the beach is to get a tan, but I always try to sit under the shade for a while to give my skin a break from the direct sun. Most pools will have umbrellas to sit under or a shaded pavilion to sit and eat the foods mentioned above. If you are a beach goer, this cute umbrella from Target is worth getting!

Drink Water

 

Like the healthy foods mentioned above, drinking water is just as important—maybe even more–to consume while you lay out. The sun dehydrates your body, so we need to keep our bodies feeling hydrated at all times. Before heading out, refrigerate the water an hour before to keep it cool longer.
When you are laying out in the sun, sip the water slowly and frequently so you can stay hydrated. Constantly sipping on water is better than drinking only when you are thirsty.