Credit: flickr user animalvegetable

You guys know I’ve raved about powder sunscreen before, especially those from Colorescience and Jane Iredale. Well, today I found yet another use for it — Dry Shampoo! That’s right, it’s time to wipe that grease right out of your hair.

Today I was having quite the oily hair day. I thought I could go more than a day without washing, but because my roots are showing (meaning healthy, undamaged, oily hair), by mid-afternoon I was looking pretty “slick.” Not having a dry shampoo with me, I decided to pull out the only other option in my purse, my Colorescience SunCanny Powder.

Colorescience’s unique brush applicator made it easy to apply to the roots. I just started brushing and it instantly started to absorb the oil. Another bonus? It also camouflaged my dark roots.

The great part about using a powder sunscreen is that it also protected my scalp (especially along my part) from burning when I was outside.

But, you can use any loose powder you have as a dry shampoo. Simply apply to a brush and gently swipe along the roots of your hair. Make sure you take your hair in sections to really get in there. Then, when finished, used your hands to rub it in a bit and fluff up your hair. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes.

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I really liked the SPF 30 Girl Sunscreen Spray.  It smells like green tea and vanilla!  It’s not overpowering, but a really wonderful, light scent.  I’d say more vanilla-scented than green tea-scented, but you can tell the green tea’s in there. Their regular (non-girly) sunscreen has a light mango scent, which is also lovely.

I also love the spray-on applicator.  It’s non-comedogenic, oil-free, PABA-free, alcohol-free and water/sweat resistant!  It even has added Vitamin E to scavenge free radicals.  It’s also quite affordable.

I also really like that Kinesys has a strong commitment to the environment. They use recycled products, their bottles are 100% recyclable, they use vegetable-based inks, they are carbon neutral, they use non-aerosol bottles, and of course they never test on animals.

Overall – a really great product – check it out!

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Gulf Shores

So, I went on a little vacation with the family recently. We went to Gulf Shores, AL (AKA the poor man’s Florida!) and stayed in a beautiful condo right on the beach.

As one of the whitest people on the planet, I figured I had better break out the best sunscreen I could get.  I used Skin 2 Skin and bareMinerals and I’m happy to report that I did not get burned!

Skin 2 Skin’s Organic Anti-Photoaging SPF 30 blocks the UVA rays that cause skin aging and some skin cancers and 96.7% of UVB rays, responsible for the greatest amount of skin damage, the highest degree of burns and the largest percentage of skin cancers.

I like the physical sunblockers (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) because they are safe and don’t make my lips swell up (like chemical sunscreens do).

The Organic Anti-Photoaging SPF 30 has a slight tint which is supposed to “help balance skin tone.”  The only complaint I have is the tint – it’s  a great idea, but it only works for certain skin tones.  It was slightly orange-yellow on me before I got a tan.  Afterward, it was fine.  I don’t think this would be great for very dark skin tones.

It also has Shea Butter, Coconut and Jojoba Oils to protect and moisturize the skin, and most importantly for me – I didn’t break out when I used it!

I layered bareMinerals SPF 30 Natural Sunscreen over the Skin 2 Skin cream.  The bareMinerals is another natural sunblock (UVA and UVB) that uses minerals (of course) but the cool thing is that it comes in a little container with a built-in brush for easy application.  I found it great for my face and chest, but not so easy to use on my entire body.  Mostly because you can’t see where you apply it.

It’s oil-free and preservative-free, it has aloe, vitamins and antioxidants, and again – no breakouts!

This one comes in three shades – light, medium and tan.  I used light of course!

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There are a lot of sunscreens out there, but finding a line that gives you high-quality UVA and UVB protection all without a leftover greasy or sticky feel is pretty much impossible. That’s why I was so excited when I found Sun Science.

This cute little family of sunscreens has kept me protected for the past year.

It has four products, an Organic Daily Wear SPF 30 for  the face, the Sport Formula SPF 30 for your entire body, the Hydrating Sun Mist SPF 30 which also works for the face or body (but I love to spray it on my hair and scalp), and last, but definitely not least, their Nourishing Lip Therapy SPF 15, which is quite possibly the glossiest, most moisturizing lip sunscreen I’ve ever tried.

Why do I love it? Like I mentioned, it absorbs quickly with no leftover greasiness (I can even get my husband to wear it). It gives great broad-spectrum protection, even the Environmental Working Group named it as one of the best performing sunscreens on the market today, and it smells like peppermint. That’s right, peppermint. It even has a refreshing tingle.

Oh, and the ONLY place that I could find it at is SkinCareRx.com, which happens to be running at 15% off sale on all Sun Science products. Pretty cool.

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Who knew sunscreens were not regulated by the FDA?

According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), many are ineffective at best and often dangerous.  Thank you to EWG for doing a full-scale investigation, so we don’t have to guess any more.

From Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetic Safety Database:

Does your sunscreen work? An investigation of nearly 1,000 brand-name sunscreen products finds that 4 out of 5 contain chemicals that may pose health hazards or don’t adequately protect skin from the sun’s damaging rays.

Some of the worst offenders are leading brands like Coppertone, Banana Boat, and Neutrogena.

More than a million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. every year, but FDA still hasn’t finalized sunscreen standards first announced 30 years ago. Meanwhile, companies are free to claim but not provide broad spectrum protection. Until FDA requires that all sunscreens be safe and effective, Environmental Working Group’s comprehensive sunscreen guide—including a list of 171 products that offer very good sun protection—fills in the gaps.

Some sunscreens absorb into the blood and raise safety concerns. Our review of the technical literature shows that some sunscreen ingredients absorb into the blood, and some are linked to toxic effects. Some release skin-damaging free radicals in sunlight, some could disrupt hormone systems, several are strongly linked to allergic reactions, and others may build up in the body or the environment. FDA has not established rigorous safety standards for sunscreen ingredients that fully examines these effects.

Find out which sunscreens EWG recommends here.