Last November I was diagnosed with a Melanoma. It was in the middle of my lower back and looked like a smear of Vegemite and not like any other mole or freckle on my whole body. It was one of the biggest shocks of my life. I've always worn sunscreen have hardly have been badly sun burnt, I never go 'tanning' and my skin is not freckly or pale. But I had a melanoma.
It was removed and tested and thankfully was all taken out with biopsy which meant no on going surgical treatment was needed. Skin cancers are very much thought of as a 'lower grade' or 'less harmful' form of cancer, this is not true at all. I am not sure how I developed a melanoma, maybe it was that time I was at the beach and I forgot to put sun screen on the one spot on my lower back, maybe it was that other time when I was 11 at school camp and I forgot my rash vest and went swimming in the lake. Who knows, but the one thing I am very confident in is that I never go in the sun without sunscreen ever again! So here are my favourite sunscreens which have been keeping me cool over the summer:
1. Neutrogena Beach Defence SPF 50+ Spray Sunscreen $16.99 available from www.priceline.com.au
This bottle is amazing! It is an aerosol can which allows you to spray the sunscreen on hard to reach places like your the back of your legs and the middle of your back, so you will never miss a spot again. The scent is non offensive and it does a great job at protecting you if you are going in and out of the water.
2. Dermalogica 50 Sport Protection SPF 50+ $45.00 available from www.dermalogica.com.au
If I am exercising or walking around in the middle of the day this is my favourite sunscreen, after applying it to my face and arms it wont budge for hours. It is 50+ and will not let you down.
3 Dermalogica Solar Defence Booster SPF 50+ $62.00 and Dermalogica Oil Free Matte SPF 30+ $62.00 both available from www.dermalogica.com.au
These two Dermalogica sunscreens are fantastic if you are needing to apply a sunscreen under makeup. They don't have any of the regular sunscreen stickyness or oil which is left sitting on the top of your skin, they prime your skin leaving an undetectable vail of sun protection.
4. Wot Not Natural Sunscreen SPF 30+ $26.95 available from www.nourishedlife.com.au
A friend recently told me she didn't wear sunscreen because of how toxic the ingredients were, so I went on a hunt to look for natural sunscreens on the market. After trying a few this WOT NOT sunscreen was the nicest I tried, it was easy to rub in and not too thick, it also wasn't heavily fragranced. People often complain that sunscreen breaks them out, it is actually not the sunscreen that is breaking you out but the fragrance which is masking the spf smell. If you have this problem then I highly recommend trying a natural sunscreen next.
5. Milk and Co Dry Touch Sunscreen SPF 30+ $12.95 available from www.milkandco.com.au
My beloved Milk sunscreen, I love you. This has kept my skin safe during many an afternoon paddle at Gordon's Bay. The texture of this sunscreen is lovely and the tea tree scent is so fresh.
6. Mukti Tinted Moisturiser with Sunscreen SPF 15+ available from www.nourishedlife.com.au
This is a great product if you are looking for a natural tinted moisturiser with an added SPF. The coverage is very sheer so I apply a concealer over the top if I am wearing it as my base. The consistency leaves your skin feeling quite tight and matte feeling, so there is no element of oily slip that's going to happen when you apply makeup over the top.
I hope this post has been helpful for anyone out there curious about new sunscreens that are on the market or for those of you looking to up your sun protection game. On a last note I would like to say is that there is no such thing as a healthy tan and please think before you go out into the sun because you are risking your life.
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