Hmm ... you might be wondering why I would even write this post, because I'm as brown as milk chocolate. Why would I even need to wear sunscreen?
Well, the real answer is that I HATE getting dark. I think it's interesting that in America, tan-ness is considered super attractive while everywhere else in the world, the fairer you are, the more beautiful you are. Perhaps it's my culture that has taught me to hate getting dark (could be completely true), or perhaps it's just that when I'm out in the sun for that long, my skin literally feels like it's burning (because I'm so dark. Imagine wearing dark clothes on a sunny day! That's how hot I feel when I'm in the sun.). Or maybe it could be that my parents consistently comment on my skin color, especially in the summer time.
I darken fast without sunscreen, so I wear sunscreen anytime I know I'm going to be outside for extended periods of time. I wore sunscreen constantly during my stay in the motherland, and I still got darker. I also wore sunscreen during a recent camping trip just so that I could stave off darkening any more. What was the first thing that my parents said when I got home after a week of canoeing and camping?
"OH my GOD you look so dark. Did you even WEAR sunscreen?!?"
FFFFFFFFFF.
Apparently sunscreen, like the cake, is a lie. I guess it prevents me from burning, but it doesn't prevent me from changing color ... at all. I am just so sick of sunscreen and all of its false advertising.
Every single bottle will say non-greasy, but let's be honest with ourselves. Have we ever found a non-greasy sunscreen that is actually effective, or just a non-greasy sunscreen period? They are greasy enough that my skin becomes oddly reflective (especially because I'm brown) and so that anything that touches me will get stuck to me. Ew. Non-comedogenic--that's also a good one. A week after this camping trip, I broke out as though I just started puberty. Ew. I haven't broken out that badly in YEARS. I have been using sunscreen with the highest frequency this summer, and therefore this is no surprise. Still makes me so mad, though.
Here is a little review of all of the sunscreens I have used. I have tried varying SPFs--from 8 all the way up to 70. I find that 50 is a good one because it's not too high, but it's still very protective. Neutrogena ultra-waterproof sunscreen is SO not waterproof. Many of us used it one day while swimming in the lake and got burnt (while I darkened like no other). Coppertone sunscreen, especially the sport sunscreen, is thick and greasy BUT highly effective. My ginger boyfriend uses it to prevent burning, and it works as long as he puts it on regularly enough (which he doesn't). Banana Boat for Faces says that it's non-greasy, but is definitely greasy. My face felt so slipper and clogged up after I put that on, and I didn't use it ever again. And lastly, I have used a strange sunscreen/bug repellent combination from Avon. It's not super duper greasy and it smells nice, but it wasn't super effective either at SPF 30. It was effective as a bug repellent, though, and helped repel those mosquitos from the motherland. Plus, I was told to reapply it "as often as needed" but that it will last through 80 minutes of sweating or water activity. Argh. I HATE when sunscreens tell you to apply "as often as needed." I don't know how often I need it, dammit, that's YOUR job to figure that out!
To me, sunscreen isn't as effective as it should be or claims to be. But if anyone else knows of a good sunscreen that actually works and is more comfortable than uncomfortable, feel free to share. I do understand that sunscreen is at least somewhat effective in preventing skin cancer, so good job there. I am just looking forward to more regulations and less false advertising.
PS I really want a biodegradable sunscreen because I always felt so awful watching the films flow away from me in any body of water I stepped in. You should consider biodegradable if you're going to go swimming.
That's all for now. See you all later.
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