braintrust: your favoured sunscreen

[mecse]

Summers nearly over. I realized I haven't seen a discussion of the ubiquitious stuff, which I know I use every day since I burn super easy.

I use a new one I found while in Australia over January, and have a couple of bottles. It's called Invisible Zinc:

http://invisiblezinc.com.au/

rubs on thick, comes in a nice form factor and stays around for a long time. Anyone have any favourites?

[Lewis Moon]

Darkness.

Really, I'm not a vampire or anything, it's just that, here in Arizona, only mad dogs and hopeless Freds go out in the noonday sun (or anytime past 9:00 AM)

[kgreene10]

I've been using a scent-free, dye-free Coopertone with SPF 50 but by this time of summer, my arms look like they belong to a different action figure than my torso. The stuff just sweats off. I keep meaning to try a waterproof product but haven't done so.

I ride and race here in Austin in the midday and late afternoon sun. It's deathly, but family and work responsibilities make these the only times I can ride most days.

[Tickdoc]

Rarely use it as it interferes with my wicked sharp farmers tan, but when I do I like the spray on copper tone sport 30.

I do use a 50 rub on Chapstick on the bridge of me nose, earlobes, and lips of course.

[bikerboy337]

I love the Hawaiian Tropic Sheer Touch sunscreen, use 50 or 30 SPF... lasts well for rides under 1.5, beyond that, no matter what I try, i sweat it off... but most of my rides are an hour, so its perfect... kids and family keep me from long rides these days...

[slidey]

I use Goddess Garden's stuff: http://www.goddessgarden.com/collections/kids/products/kids-natural-sunscreen-lotion

I came across them on EWG sunscreen ratings a while back, and have been using them since.

[parallelfish]

There are sunscreen evauations here:

http://www.ewg.org/2015sunscreen/

[Louis]

My most favorite sunscreen of all is to ride after 5 PM.

[BAL]

Remember the use of sunscreen neeeds to primarily be about the prevention of future skin cancer with the concern about sunburn a secondary factor. Ask me how I know. Last week I just had my 10th or so skin cancer cut off and my 30 year old kids have already had some skin cancer spots cut off.

If you do choose to ride during the high UV time of the day, be sure to use the sunscreen that works best for you. Every cyclist that has been riding in the sun for a number of years should consider getting regular check ups by their dermatologist.

[titans]

Shop owner retired to Maui and loved this product. He brought some back on his visits so I took it to Hawaii for vacation. Great stuff but you can only buy it in Maui or on line.

[daker13]

There are sunscreen evauations here:

http://www.ewg.org/2015sunscreen/

There was an epic post on this a couple of years ago.

[SteveV0983]

Living in South Florida, sunscreen is a year round necessity. I used the EWG guide years ago and settled on the following:
1) I use Badger Sport on my face, but nowhere else because it is so thick and is difficult to spread over hair.
2) I use Nature's Gate Aqua on my neck, arms and legs.
3) I carry a stick of All Terrain Aqua Sport Face Stick in my bag and reapply it to my nose and face if the ride is over 1.5 hours.

All good products that have no odor (well, the All Terrain has a little) and seem to be doing a good job. The Badger and Nature's Gate I can get at my local Whole Foods, but I had to get the All Terrain off Amazon.

[Seramount]

I am not a fan of ss and rarely use it...and never while on the bike. I'll occasionally put some on when on a boat and getting lots of reflected light off the water.

I'm wagering that there will be research in the next few years that shows the crap INCREASES the incidence of cancer.

while we're on the subject...I regularly swim laps at a muni pool and am amazed at the hordes of idiots that use the aerosol versions and have no qualms about subjecting everyone around them to clouds of chemicals (it's intended for dermal application, can't imagine inhaling it is healthy).

then, once drenched in ss, they immediately hit the water which has to remove most of the product.

here's an idea, put the stuff on at home.

rant off.

[mecse]

I am not a fan of ss and rarely use it...and never while on the bike. I'll occasionally put some on when on a boat and getting lots of reflected light off the water.

I'm wagering that there will be research in the next few years that shows the crap INCREASES the incidence of cancer.

while we're on the subject...I regularly swim laps at a muni pool and am amazed at the hordes of idiots that use the aerosol versions and have no qualms about subjecting everyone around them to clouds of chemicals (it's intended for dermal application, can't imagine inhaling it is healthy).

then, once drenched in ss, they immediately hit the water which has to remove most of the product.

here's an idea, put the stuff on at home.

rant off.
Oh I hate the spray on stuff! Oh lord!

Also, when swimming laps, I wear one of those sun-proof shirts. Vanity? meh. I've been burned too many times.

Like Arizona, I'm from Australia (although I live in NYC!) - being out in the midday sun is for british tourists only, if you ask me, and die hards who lather up on sunscreen.

The right stuff is great. The zinc material I'm talking about sticks on like crazy and doesn't wipe off in the ocean, and not with any sweat either. It takes 2 showers, to be honest.

The cancer research is fascinating and divided. For instance, last year, researchers in Sweden published an article on 20 years of data saying that those who avoided the sun in sweden were more likely to die (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24697969).

Meanwhile, in Queensland, after 10 years of study, those who wore sunscreen daily had half the rate of melanoma than those who did not (http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/29/3/257.short).

for me: i'll be wearing the most comfortable sunscreen I can find, that won't get in my eyes and make me tear up for hours. And i'll do it in January, too.

[Willy]

I am a true believer in Kinesys fragrance free spray-on sunscreen. It's SPF30, oil free and very easy to put on. The non-greasy spray is great - even easy to put on your head if you have hair there.

[zap]

Another Badger Sport user.

[doomridesout]

I never thought I'd develop a preference, but then I was given some Beyond Coastal-- BIG thumbs up for that stuff. Not too greasy, not stinky, seems to stick around, and isn't bad for discoloring jerseys.

[MattTuck]

Another Badger Sport user.

I got some of this stuff. I have to say, it is extremely thick and white, their instructions are perhaps the most precise, and yet least clear that I've read of a product.

"Apply liberally, (2mg/cm^2 of skin)...."

Oh, thanks! Let me get out my measuring tape and triple beam balance....


What happened to the "about a quarter size amount to cover a single arm, or whatever..."

[Satellite]

Banana Boat has been doing the job for me lately! When I was younger my tan took care of the duties but now Iam worried about dieing from cancer. Better late than never I suppose. For all you young ones out there wear sunscreen!

[christian]

Banana Boat Kids 50 SPF in the family size tube or whatever is at the bottom of the kids' swim team bag. I've never given it a second's thought...

[Likes2ridefar]

We make our own. Very easy. Significantly cheaper, mostly if you are buying supposedly natural or organic varieities.

[DreaminJohn]

I only use sunscreen on my face and follicly-challenged head. Dark skin and all that.

My problem, as others have stated, it that my sweat glands laugh at water/sweat-proof sunscreen. When playing golf I'm guessing it's gone by the 3rd hole. The only thing that seems to help is applying it 30 mins in advance in an air-conditioned room or windows-down car on a cool day.

Neutrogena Faces works best for me. Bullfrog is a little too thick in my above application scenario. For swimming it's Coppertone Sport.

[jemoryl]

See if you can get someone outside the US to send you a L'Oreal product with Mexoryl in it. It is more effective at blocking UVA than anything we get in the US. In Canada you can find it in Ombrelle products and I just bought some in Germany (for like 5 euros) under another name. For some reason, it is only available in the US in a crazy expensive product called something like Anthelios.