It’s April and 10’s of thousands of us are heading to the beach for Spring Break.  The high school and college kids among us probably have different priorities than the families, but surf, sand and sun are on the menu.

And, the most important item on your checklist should be sunscreen.  At Absolutely Natural, we are celebrating our 26th Spring Break (our first bottle was sold in April of 1992).

We’ve had a lot of experience with the sun and have some tips on how to protect yourself while safely enjoying the great outdoors.

It’s easy if you remember the 3-P’s… Protectors, promoters and prolongers. Protectors are used on sun sensitive areas of the body (anywhere the bone is close to the skin), Promoters on the rest of the body and Prolongers, our aloe products, are used after sun exposure and on an everyday basis.  

For example, on your first day out and assuming you have not had a lot of sun exposure, you would use our SPF 30 on sun sensitive areas such as your nose, cheeks, tops of the shoulders, décolletage area for women, backs of the knees and tops of your feet.  You “dab” the sunscreen on these areas making sure NOT to rub it quickly into the skin.

On the rest of your body you could start with our SPF 15.  Again do not rub quickly into the skin but instead “lay” the product on.  Our lotions are concentrated so a little goes a long way.  Wait for a minute or so and then massage the lotion into the skin.  That way you maintain the integrity of the SPF.

Now, the most important part is what you do after sun exposure.  If you use our sunscreens as we describe, it will keep you from burning but you will pick up some exposure.  Using our aloes at night will help heal any damage and “condition” your skin for more sun the next day.  Proper use includes a warm shower, patting yourself dry and “laying” the aloes on your skin.  Wait a minute before putting the creamy, luxuriant Rosehip Aloe into the skin.  You should use the Pure Aloe first especially on any part of your body that picked up too much sun.  The Rosehip Aloe is the finishing product.

All sunscreens are not created equally, and you should avoid very high SPF numbers (50, 75 and 100) because of toxicity potential.  We also do not recommend spray bottles.  Yes, they are convenient but filled with cyclomethycaine and/or alcohol and they are extremely drying on the skin and also flammable.   There have been severe burns when accidents happened with the use of the sprays. 

Other good safety measures in the sun:

  1. Remember a good pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes
  2. A hat is also a great accessory
  3. Limit exposure during the hottest periods of the day … 10 to 2.
  4. Sit in the shade for 20 minutes every hour or so. That way your body temperature can cool a bit and you can better see how much sun you are getting.

I have worked resort hotels for 45 years and I know you can enjoy all the outdoors has to offer with the right products and good judgment.

Enjoy the spring!

Best regards

Charley