2noblecrows: Must Have Suncare....

Dear Kara,

Since it is summertime I have been trying out all sorts of sunscreen products. Skin cancer scares the bajeezes out of me so I am very anal about protection. I learned that if your sunscreen is more than 1 year old toss it, it has lost its protection and most likely built up bacteria. (gross) I also learned from the doctor that you are supposed to reapply protection every 2 hours. I had been reapplying more like every 3-4 hours.

I have tried out almost everything under the sun and here are my favorites.... (so far)

Face....
If you want the creme de la creme nothing beats Lancaster Sunscreen. If I could, I would use only their line for all my sun care. Their products feel nothing like a sunscreen, more like your favorite cream, and works amazingly. I have used their anti-aging sunscreen ($80+) and their regular ($40ish) both awesome. When I see the bottle (since its orange) I think of it as the Hermes of sun care.

Body....
Right now I have really been loving Kiehl's Vital Sun Protection lotion Spf 30 ($19.50) The lotion goes on easily, has a light consistency, does a great job and doesn't have any scent. (which I love)

The Quick Options....
I am not a big fan on relying on a spray to do all the protection because I have read enough material that claims it isn't effective but it is just so easy that I like having it on hand. Neutrogena makes one that is even for wet skin which is really nice because after you get wet you can use this just to boost up the protection.

Another great quickie for protection is Dr. Dennis Gross' powerful sun protection wipes, they are super easy and so compact that you can keep them everywhere.

Hair....
This is particularly important if you have colored hair because you don't want the sun to undo all you just paid $$$$ for. Fredrik Fakkai makes a great summer hair invisible summer protection conditioner. ($22)