OT (sort of..): Sunscreen...

[oldguy00]

Just wondering, aside from when you are out riding....do you put sunscreen on as part of your daily morning routine, use it all the time??
If yes, what brands do you guys/gals use that:
1. Don't leave your skin feeling oily all day
2. Don't smell like you poured a tropical drink on yourself (gotta be workplace friendly).

Thanks!

[Onno]

My wife uses various creams that have sunscreen in them every day, all year, even in the depths of winter. Keeps her skin looking young. It's worked so far! I need the Vitamin D, so only use it when I expect to be in direct sunlight for long periods.

Check out this hilarious article from this weeks New Yorker on sunscreen...
http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2009/08/10/090810sh_shouts_borow

[gman]

I use Neutrogena for Men After-Shave lotion. It's SPF 20 and smells just like every other one of their products for men (which is odd in itself). It's about $5 for 4 ounces and you can get it at just about any CVS, Walgreens, Target, Walmart, etc.

I have tried many other things, and as you have mentioned, most smell like cocount oil.

Being a bald guy and living in Texas, I cover my head, face, neck and ears every morning as a part of the routine.

[bocarider]

Living and riding in South Florida, effective sunblock is essential. Neutrogena Ultimte Sports Sprayon works really well for me:

http://www.neutrogena.com/econsumer/ntg/productdetail.browse?segment=men&catId=3&subCatId=9&productId=481&target=/products/sun/sport-spray-spf-70.jsp

It has an SPF of 70, sprays on fast and does not stink. The face lotion of the same SPF works well and does not sting your eyes when it drips in with sweat.

[William]

I use Neutrogena for Men After-Shave lotion. It's SPF 20 and smells just like every other one of their products for men (which is odd in itself). It's about $5 for 4 ounces and you can get it at just about any CVS, Walgreens, Target, Walmart, etc.

Being a bald guy and living in Texas, I cover my head, face, neck and ears every morning as a part of the routine.


Along those lines: I use Nivea For Men Replenishing Balm. Works great, covers well, and is quite soothing after shaving your scalp.



William (Who told you to put the balm on it!! ;) )

[Kevan]

I'm sporting a brand new scar on the left side of my neck, from a skin cancer growth that was just removed. About 2.5" long, I get the stitches removed Monday.

I'm both fair skinned and blue eye and probably should be working and living a night shift existence. I guess I'm paying for some recklessness in my yut. I've had over the past 5 years 3 mohs procedures done on my neck roughly in the same area. Due to the placement of these growths, I'm thinking the driver's side window might be the root cause. Dunno...there were plenty of summer sunburns back then too.

I recommend slather the stuff.

[jemoryl]

I've been quite pleased with Bullfrog spray-on gel. Not greasy, waterproof and the smell is somewhat citrusy.

[znfdl]

Living and riding in South Florida, effective sunblock is essential. Neutrogena Ultimte Sports Sprayon works really well for me:

http://www.neutrogena.com/econsumer/ntg/productdetail.browse?segment=men&catId=3&subCatId=9&productId=481&target=/products/sun/sport-spray-spf-70.jsp

It has an SPF of 70, sprays on fast and does not stink. The face lotion of the same SPF works well and does not sting your eyes when it drips in with sweat.


Best stuff I have ever used.....

[scottcw2]

(Who told you to put the balm on it!! ;) )

I didn't tell you to put the balm on it!!!

[mscott]

If you are going to use the stuff every day, like I do, I would encourage you to go to the skin deep website. They rate the stuff based on safety and cancer/health risk as well as for coverage. I alternate Badger SPF 15 and Sun Sport - SPF 30. The Badger is a bit greasy, the Sun isn't at all. Badger has a mild smell, the Sun no smell. The Badger is however one of the safest.

Just my $.02

[Karin Kirk]

I agree with mscott. I used to use Neutrogena until I read about some of the ingredients. I'm not sure I want my sunscreen to contain potential carcinogens, especially when there are other alternatives. I have studied that cosmetics safety database several times and tried different brands and have settled on the Alba Botanica brand of sunscreens. They come in different spf's and flavors and for me they strike a good balance between being safe, being pleasant to use, and getting the job done. Even Dave will use that brand, which is saying a lot!

Here is the 2009 sunscreen guide http://www.ewg.org/cosmetics/report/sunscreen09/findyoursunscreen

[Don49]

http://www.ewg.org/whichsunscreensarebest/2009report

[Acotts]

I hate sunscreen. But I put it on anytime I am in the sun for more than an hour or so.

But i hate it.

[jimp1234]

Expensive but best I've found. Blocks both UVA and UVB rays using zinc oxide.

http://skincarerx.com/Obagi-C-Rx-C-Sunguard-SPF-30.html

[Bud_E]

I agree with mscott. I used to use Neutrogena until I read about some of the ingredients. I'm not sure I want my sunscreen to contain potential carcinogens, especially when there are other alternatives. I have studied that cosmetics safety database several times and tried different brands and have settled on the Alba Botanica brand of sunscreens. They come in different spf's and flavors and for me they strike a good balance between being safe, being pleasant to use, and getting the job done. Even Dave will use that brand, which is saying a lot!

Here is the 2009 sunscreen guide http://www.ewg.org/cosmetics/report/sunscreen09/findyoursunscreen

Yet again -- everything I know is wrong. Apparently I've been using the wrong stuff for several years now ( Coppertone Sport ). I'll be lucky if I make it out of here alive.

[ty-ro]

I got some of the Hincape stuff and really like it. It's not greasy at all and goes on easily and seems to block the sun well. Two thumbs up for George.

[Karin Kirk]

Yet again -- everything I know is wrong. Apparently I've been using the wrong stuff for several years now ( Coppertone Sport ). I'll be lucky if I make it out of here alive.

Life if full of things that'll kill you. You'll be just fine so long as you don't admit (publicly) that you drink Starbuck's coffee.

[Bud_E]

Life if full of things that'll kill you. You'll be just fine so long as you don't admit (publicly) that you drink Starbuck's coffee.

.

[Chad Engle]

I've been quite pleased with Bullfrog spray-on gel. Not greasy, waterproof and the smell is somewhat citrusy.

+1

Daughter is very fair skinned red head, works wonderfully.

[Willy]

I have used for the last 4 years Kinesys - Fragrance Fee - good stuff, spray's on, not greasy and does the job.

A lot of bike shops and sport's stores carry it. They also have a smelly one that I avoid.

[Louis]

Expensive

You aren't kidding - $39 for 3 oz

Does that come with a bikini-clad blonde to apply it in the tough-to-reach spots?

[dnades]

I try to find something with zinc oxide as the active ingredient and have the other items be something natural that I recognize(aloe,grapeseed, etc). The screens out there are not regulated in any way much like cosmetics. They can put whatever they want in it with no repercussions. Another interesting fact is that your eyes have the ability to measure the uv rays which tells your skin how much melanin to produce to protect your skin from those harmful rays. So watch out with those sunglasses! :D

[WadePatton]

i use the bullfrog gel, non-greasy, no stinky. readily available.

and it try to ride before the sun awakes fully. :cool:

[bzbvh5]

I have that olive oil skin that heats up quickly and I burn easily in this Texas sun. A dermatologist friend says the spray on doesn't protect as well as the cream. I forgot why. but I'm doing the SPF 50 cream. I also found that if you get rid of you arm and leg hair the cream goes on much easier and you get better coverage.

[Louis]

i use the bullfrog gel, non-greasy, no stinky. readily available.

Same here, but is it still manufactured? I've found Bullfrog spray (which I don't like, because it gets all the place when I spray it) but can't seem to find the gel.

[572cv]

I tried a few new ones this year, including neutrogena. I like the Hincapie the best. Water based, doesn't irritate or seem greasy. good coverage, easy and quick to use. George &Co. did well with this product.

[dekindy]

A speaker at our Rotary Club meeting experienced the death of a relative and also a close friend from skin cancer so she puts lotion on daily, which is a little extreme.

According to the sunscreen analysis website that I reviewed, the CVS and Walgreen brand sunscreens are some of the safest from an ingredient standpoint, mostly waterproof and nongreasy, and readily available and affordable. That is good enough for me. Some of the safest choices are expensive and not readily available so thankfully the house brands are good options.

I have been using the CVS Sunblock with Zinc Oxide, SPF 45+, all summer with great results. One application in the morning lasted all day for the RAIN ride that took me 10.5 hours.

[little.man]

I have that olive oil skin that heats up quickly and I burn easily in this Texas sun. A dermatologist friend says the spray on doesn't protect as well as the cream. I forgot why. but I'm doing the SPF 50 cream. I also found that if you get rid of you arm and leg hair the cream goes on much easier and you get better coverage.

I read an article years ago talking about SPF and what it *really* means. If your skin will burn in 15 minutes of Sun exposure, then an SPF of 50 means it will take 50 times as long before the burn will take place. It DOES NOT mean that the Sunscreen protects better from uva/uvb rays. The article went on to say that companies were using the SPF rating more as a marketing gimmick and that to get that higher SPF rating, above like 35+, they were using more toxic substances. What the article recommended was re-applying Sunscreen regularly. No need for an outrageous SPF of 50+. Some are now reaching SPF ratings of 100. Another recent article that I read re-iterated that an SPF of 100 really does not provide better protection than a lower SPF if properly applied.

The other danger was that people would not apply as much sunscreen with the higher SPF's because they think that the high SPF means better protection, so less can be applied. Wrong. That ends up being worse.

The Bullfrog gel is still available. Walmart does not seem to carry it here, but Academy Sports here does. I have used that for a long time. I do not believe the spray is as good because you may miss spots with the spray. Used the Bullfrog with the zinc dioxide before a ride and looked like some kind of ghost. Had some pretty interesting remarks on that one.

Rember the first Bullfrog sunscreen years ago. You had to rub it in, wait a while, then re-rub it to "activate" it. Got turned on to it from the Waterski magazine I used to read.

Agree with the comment on easier to apply with shaved legs. Out of all the reasons cyclists use for shaving their legs, I have yet see that one used, but it seems to me to be one of the most regular benefits.

Mark

[Seramount]

guess I'm the odd one, I don't use sunblock.