Tags
chemical sunscreen, clinique, Kielh's, La Roche-Posay, physical sunscreen, Shiseido, SPF, sun protection, Sunscreen
Sunscreen is a subject I have been doing research all summer long. That is why it took me so long to write this post and I ended up uploading it so close to the fall season!
The first thing I discovered while doing my research was that it is highly recommended to wear sunscreen no matter the season!
But is it really important to use sunscreen? Is is a sunscreen better than another one? Is a sunscreen my friend using good for my skin too?
I should start by saying that my skin is rather sensitive at the moment, which makes it so easy to burn without the use of a sunscreen, highly irritable if I am not using the right one. So, for me it is really important to have on my face anything that can act like a barrier against any damaging factors!
So after a few hits and misses and a lot of research I found out that the best protection for my skin is the one which comes from sunscreen containing minerals, with a minimum of SPF 30. I also felt good with a SPF 50 sunscreen on, but I have to admit that I was not too keen on how thicker that was and the white, ghostly cast it gave me!
The ones I have been using on rotation this summer were: the Shiseido Urban Environment UV Protection Cream Plus SPF 50, the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Nutritive Oil SPF 30 UVA+UVB, ( these two were previously featured in a post, link here ), the Clinique Derma White City-Block Anti-Pollution SPF/40 PA+++ and through the last weeks of summer the Kiehl’s Ultra Light Daily UV Defense SPF 50 PA+++ UVA.
Mineral sunscreens are physical sunscreens which act like a barrier against sun rays. They bounce off from your skin the rays, whereas the other type of sunscreens – chemical sunscreens – absorb the sun rays into your skin, transforming them at that level. Both offer protection, what makes them different are: the ingredients and the process that takes place inside your skin!
This chemical process is difficult to comprehend and a bit boring, if I may say so myself, but I discovered that the mineral sunscreen is a bit more gentle and less irritating for my skin.
I have red many “opinions” where people stated that layering certain makeup on top of your sunscreen can cause such a reaction to the point where your sunscreen will not be effective anymore! That is absolutely not true! Also not true is the fact that if you apply multiple layers of sunscreens with different protective factors, those layers will sum up to give you a higher protection!
No, it depends on the chemical structure of your face; that will determine the type of sunscreen you have to use and the protection factor you need, so that you stay free of any damage! That is why a sunscreen my friend uses and is very pleased with, may or may not work for me at all!
I have also discovered that there are researches to figure out a a way of combining chemical with physical sunscreen, which I think is extremely beneficial for the health of our skin! But until then, feel free to layer a chemical sunscreen in top of a physical sunscreen, in order to achieve a better protection from sun burning!
Bottom line: USE SUNSCREEN! Any sunscreen is good! Better than nothing anyway!
And as a general advice: get to know your skin, then the ingredients that work better for you!
See you soon, beautiful! Stay healthy no matter the season!
xx, Annie
Mami și Zâna 