What Sunscreen for Kiting/Watersports??????

[jstjohn3]

Parasol

[cedralpass]

bullfrog gel 'surfer's' version 30spf. it seems to stick well on the skin so i don't find it getting into my eyes at all.

i have been using some bullfrog product since i was 6 growing up in florida.

Burning my face 3 times at sherman on Nutragena "Active". Tried the Bullfrog sunday. Worked as advertised on forum. 2 thumbs up. Co-workers were impressed i didnt burn again!

[Yoda]

I'm blond haired and blue eyed with fair skin. I work in the outdoor industry and have tried nealy every brand of sunblock that is 30-50spf. After all my searching and trying, I finally found what I consider to be the best sunblock ever - SOL Sunguard.
http://www.solsunguard.com/bluewater.html
http://www.solsunguard.com/aboutus.html

A cool thing about SOL is you can pick your flavor depending on usage... like water specfic or high altitude applications. They are the only brand supposenly using pharmacuticle grade sunblock instead of commercial. All I know is that SOL works!!! :)

I just found a local dealer... Tahoe Mountain Sports. They even stock the water specific version. http://www.tahoemountainsports.com/stor ... ater.shtml
For those that have issues with sunblock stinging your eyes then this is your sunblock. The best sales pitch I've ever seen was the SOL rep rubbing the sunblock directly into his eye and then standing there without even a blink... SOLD! I can confirm that I've never experienced it sting my eyes either. This is some good s#@t!!!

[liv2kitesurf]

wow. this is a great thread. I will consider many other peoples' sunscreens since I use of sunscreen every time I am in the sun (even thought I am dark complexion).

My brand, which I have used extensively for years , is Coppertone Sport Sunblock SPF 30 GEL (Gel is key for me, No Creams, goes on clear with alcohol base and dries on. No washing off, no slipping around. I live by it.) It is a little hard to find, so I buy more of the BLUE tubes every time I find it, so that I have at least 2-3 tubes at all times.

http://www.amazon.com/Coppertone-Sport- ... B000FKGGYE

[dz]

Site w/ a comparison of the level of toxicity of various sunscreen ingredients. there is a breakdown of the ingredients for each brand of sunscreen, as well as their UVA&B ratings.

It arrived recently by snailmail on a sent senator Carole Migden's office:

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/browse ... nothanks=1


Cosmetic Safety Database

[liv2kitesurf]

Site w/ a comparison of the level of toxicity of various sunscreen ingredients. there is a breakdown of the ingredients for each brand of sunscreen, as well as their UVA&B ratings.

It arrived recently by snailmail on a sent senator Carole Migden's office:

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/browse ... nothanks=1


Sunscreen Safety Database

Wow. That is a phenomenal site. =D>

it does disrespect my sunscreen a bit but I will look open-mindedly at it for something else. it tells how many are better than your sunscreen and why it did not like yours for toxicological and effectiveness reasons. (I am not sure they will appreciate the special needs for protracted watersports usage).

As a pharma (and sunscreen) nerd, I will really have a field day studying the sunscreen site.

[Greg]

Lacaverde wrote: One thing I did discover, it's pretty key to slather up well before you hit the water, any product is less likely to slip if it's set into your skin.

This bit of advice is very pure.., I interpete "well" to be: lotion should be applyed 30 minutes PRIOR to getting wet,
G.

[~emily.]

as stated by others, the key to keeping the stuff on & from stinging is to apply to CLEAN skin and early enough that it's really on-there before you get wet.

When we're in Central America we use the Coppertone Sport 50. Apply once first thing in the morning to clean skin & good to go all day in the sun, water, etc. But only the Zinc stuff is sun-proof.

Another important thing to remember is that Sunblock "expires". The SPF factor diminishes with time. Buy new every summer. A year-old 30 is probably only a 10-15 now...

[EvanOR]

The stuff at Trader Joe's. It's dirt cheap but is not greasy and has lots of zinc in it so it really works and stays on in the water. It does leave a " white haze " so may not be the best option if you want to preserve your vanity on the water... :)

[windhorny]

I did a test today and put on some bananboat on my way to work, yes while driving. Apllied liberally. Later, like 3-4 hours later I washed off at work and noticed how the lotion almost instantly clouded the water and essentially came off. So my question is, does suntan lotion really stay on when you are out on the water getting sprayed? I notice that if i lotion my face before going out, the water will make it run down my face and into my eyes causing, sometimes, extreme blindness. just curious what the feedback is on this as it would seem if the lotion was advertised waterproof, this would not happen.