Today we’re gonna talk about sunscreens. The easiest way to understand sunscreens is knowing you have three types: physical ones – which are my personal favorites, you have chemical sunscreens, and you have the ones that combine both of these properties.

Physical 

Physical sunscreens stay on the surface of your skin and block UV rays. They do this by using mineral filters. Imagine them like putting a piece of fabric that covers your skin so the rays bounce back. Some Physical sunscreens that I like: are Elta MD, I also like Aveeno. There’s plenty to choose from.

Chemical 

With this type of sunscreen, your skin absorbs the UV rays, and that’s why I don’t like them. Then they convert the rays and throw them back as heat. 

Physical-Chemical

These types just combine all the ingredients to make both functions.

How to know if a sunscreen is physical or chemical?

Just turn the bottle! If you see more than four ingredients, then more than likely you are holding a chemical sunscreen. Try to avoid them. On the other hand, physical sunscreens normally have Zinc or Titanium among their ingredients.

How about the number? 

The number of SPF (Sun Protection Factor) it’s super important. Maybe you’ve seen or bought these sunscreens that say 100 in big letters. Sorry, but there’s no such thing as SPF100. Over 50 you are just applying extra chemicals that your body doesn’t need. Just reapply your sunscreen. It doesn’t matter if it says “sweat-resistant”, “water-resistant”... We have to reapply it, period.

And something very important I forgot to mention in the Melasma post. If you know you’re gonna be exposed to the sun, do not use retinol or acids. These things are amazing but if you’re out in the sun they are gonna make your skin more sensitive, so you can get those spots that we’re avoiding.

I hope you enjoy this post, and if you have any questions or something specific that you would like me to talk about, just let me know. I will be more than happy to do it.

Have a wonderful day, thank you!

Selene