When it comes to protecting your skin from the harmful sun rays, putting sunblock on should be a very important part of your daily skincare routine. Nowadays, there are so many different choices and options of sunblock, it might make it hard for you to choose what to use. Here are some things to consider when choosing and sunblocks that I recommend.
SPF
SPF means Sun Protection Factor, this is a measure of the level of protection that a sunblock can provide to you. It measures the protection against only UVB rays, which is often considered as the main cause of skin cancer and sunburn. The SPF number suggest how long it will take for UVB rays to make your skin red when you are using a sunblock compared to how long it takes without any other protection on your bare skin. For example, on a sunny day, it might take around 20 minutes for your skin to turn to red without any sunblock or other protection. If you were to put on an SPF 30 sunblock onto your face, it should prevent your face from becoming red for around 600 minutes (20 minutes x SPF 30). The minimum amount of SPF in sunblock I would recommend is 30 SPF. Personally, I prefer using at least 50 SPF for both my face and body. However, higher amount of SPF only provides slightly better protection, therefore it does not matter too much how high the SPF is.
Broad-Spectrum Protection
You need to make sure you sunblock provides broad spectrum protection. This is because broad spectrum protection helps provide protection against both UVB and UVA sun rays. While the UVB sun rays primarily cause skin cancer and sunburns, the UVA rays are the rays that can penetrate deeper into your skin and cause aging on your skin.
For those of you who are trying to maintain a youthful appearance, preventing UVA rays can reduce the risk of premature skin aging and signs of aging such as fine lines, wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. Therefore it is very important for you to choose a sunblock that is broad spectrum to block both UVA and UVB rays.
Ingredients
Most sunblocks contain ingredients such as titanium dioxide or zinc dioxide as their active ingredients. This makes the sunblock thicker and might mean it might be harder to spread around your face. Unlike sunscreen, sunblock is a physical sunscreen that blocks the sun rays from hitting and penetrating your skin through reflection. Think of it as like a shield, when the rays hit your skin, it is reflected away.
Unlike the ingredients in chemical sunscreen, physical sunblocks contain ingredients that are less likely to irritate your skin or cause an allergic reaction. This is why many physical sunblock are often sold for infants and children. The sunblock does not need to be absorbed by your skin, instead it is like a shield that is applied on you, thereby working and protecting you from the sun as soon as you apply it onto your face or body.
Application
You should pick a sunblock that is easy to apply onto your skin, while also making sure that it feels comfortable when applied. Sunblocks usually take slightly longer to rub in because it is thicker. However, much like sunscreen, it will always work efficiently as long as you apply it properly.
There are actually many different types of sunscreen or sunblocks. This includes lotions, creams, gels, sprays and even stick. I would recommend something that fits your personal preference. This is because you are much more likely to use something that you prefer than something that you don’t like using on your skin.
Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face
Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Face is a popular choice of sunscreen. It uses zinc oxide as the main active ingredient to help protect your face. I find this neutrogena sunscreen is smooth yet creamy to put onto your face. It is lightweight and also non-greasy, this makes it good for those of you who have oily or even combination skin.
Etude House Surprise Mild Airy Finish
It is a physical sunblock that has a light airy finish (just as the name says). I found it to have a smooth finish that is slightly not greasy and not sticky. Not only does it have ingredients that protect your skin, it also includes plant extracts such as boabab seed oil and aloe vera. I did not get any irritation with this sunblock. Although it claims to be good for those with sensitive skin, it does contain alcohol and ingredients used for just the fragrance. These are not usually the best for those with sensitive skin.
Drunk Elephant Umbra Sheer Daily Defense
The packaging for this is so cute! This sunscreen is lightweight and mineral based that goes on pretty well on your face. Since this is a physical sunscreen, it is good for those who have sensitive skin as it does not require the chemicals to be absorbed into your face to work. As a physical sunscreen, it is good that it leaves a slightly more dewy feel on your skin and does not leave a strong white cast. In fact, when I used it, I found it left a slightly more dewy finish.
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