The Secret to Having Beautiful Skin

If you know me then you know I am obsessed with sunscreen. I swear by it. I know I have talked about it in my post Three Beauty Buys That Are Worth Spending Your Money On and I know I have mentioned this in my post about wandering around lower Manhattan but I will say it again: I do not like getting tan and if I forget to put on sunscreen it can temporarily feel like it is the end of the world. I know I am not the only person who has this fear though, if I was then hearing: 'Put sunscreen on everyday!' would not be so common.

Sunscreen is not only your best anti-aging product, it is also prevents skin cancer. People always say put sunscreen on everyday but I feel like it is always directed to just putting sunscreen on your face. Put sunscreen on all over. Why? You do not want to have wrinkly hands or neck (or anywhere) when you are older do you? And I am sure you do not want to deal with skin cancer either.

Basic tips on how to stay protected:

Back to the topic of skin cancer, make sure to put sunscreen on the most commonly missed places:

-Your scalp: Especially where you part your hair (If you do not feel like putting sunscreen on your scalp then wear a hat)

-Your toes: Do not forget to put sunscreen in between your toes

-Your feet

-The back of your knees

-Your ears: the top of the ear

-Your lips

-The back of your hands

-Your shoulders and the outside of your arms

When choosing sunscreen:

-Make sure that the sunscreen you are getting has at least an SPF (sun protection factor) of 15 (What is SPF: I do not know exactly how to word this so I'll quote The Skin Cancer Foundation: SPF is 'a measure of a sunscreen's ability to prevent UVB from damaging the skin').

-Make sure you are getting a broad spectrum sunscreen. This means make sure it can protect you from both UVA and UVB.

-WebMD recommends choosing 'a sunscreen that contains zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, because the compounds are less irritating than others and do not get absorbed into the skin' noting that those two ingredients are the safest ones there are at the moment.

Remember:

-Apply sunscreen 30 minutes prior to going outside. Do not wait until just before you head out.

-Reapply sunscreen every 2 hours or so.

-Wear sunglasses.

-Wear a hat.

-Sunscreen is important but try to stay in the shade from 10am to 4pm. This is when the sun is the most harmful.

-Cover up with clothing. Sheer or light weight white clothing does not always work, dark fabrics and fabric that is tightly knit are recommended. For added protection wash your clothes with SunGuard.

-Always wear sunscreen, even when it is cloudy out!


When out in the sun try a maxi dress and a light weight jacket. Also, rather than wearing sandals try wearing a light pair of shoes that cover your toes like Toms for better sun protection.  

Have any sun tips? Let me know! I love reading them. Okay, later!