Mother Hen's Homestead: June 2018

My Favorite Natural Sunscreens

With summer in full swing and trips to the beach planned, I get asked all the time what I recommend for sunscreens. So I've come up with a list that I've rated that meet my standards for health and safety for you, your kids, and the ocean. I also want to emphasize the importance of some sun exposure. Vitamin D is an essential component to health and is best absorbed when your body makes it itself through sun exposure. I recommend an spf of 15-30 and if you are only going to be outside for a half hour or less than I'd personally skip it unless you're the type to burn that quickly. I'll add a great video going more in depth on the topic at the end. Well here's my list of favorites:

Beautycounter’s countersun line : this line is my favorite by far, and not just because I sell it, it works great goes on smooth and doesn't leave you ghostly white. It's also very water resistant making it an excellent choice for swimming and going to the beach. It also smells nice and doesn't have that strong mineral sunscreen smell. I love the stick for getting close around the eyes and squirming kids and the lotion. But if you're a spray person it also comes in a mist that is propelled by air pressure and not butane. It is a bit pricey, $20 for the stick, $36 for the mist and $39 for the tube of lotion but it's totally worth it and they also come in travel sizes as well! You should apply every 80-90 minutes especially when in and out of water or sweating heavily. They are safe for the whole family to use and get great scores on the Environmental Working Groups Skin Deep Database as well. You can find them here: http://Beautycounter.com/meganbrockelbank

Goddess Garden Organics Sunscreens: this line is my second favorite. It also goes on smooth and doesn't leave you white like a lot of the mineral sunscreens out there. I love the kid and baby lotions but I just recently found out that they now offer a spray and a stick. The reason this is ranked as number 2 is because it isn't as water resistant so you have to reapply more frequently. Although I haven't tried the sport so that might work better than the regular versions. It can be hard to find and is also a little on the pricier side, around $18 or so but it also scores really well on the EWG too. I actually just found the baby lotion at my local Marshalls for $6.99 so that was a steal!
Kiss my Face Sunscreens: we've used the baby's first with success. It's not my favorite but it works good. It leaves you a little bit whiter than the others but goes on fairly smooth. The spray got on my daughters crocs and I wasn't able to get it off so that was also a bummer but it's pretty affordable, prices ranging from $8-14 and easy to find. It comes in a spray, lotion and I think they have a stick too.
Badger Sunscreens: I really want to give these guys a better rating cause they are an awesome company but it's are hard to apply and leaves you pretty white. But it works really well to block your skin from harmful rays of the sun and gets a great score from the EWG. It has a very strong mineral sunscreen scent but it is really water resistant which is great when doing water activities but can be hard to remove comebath time. It's also cost effective around $13 a tube and you can find it at a lot of places where we are. It also comes in a bug repellent too so you don't have to put on two separate things when outdoors which is super convenient!
Alba Botanicals sunscreen: their sunscreen goes on well and rubs in pretty good too. I've used it myself but not on my kids so I can't get a good sense of how well it protects against burn because I don't typically burn but I didn't while using it but that's not saying too much seems how I very rarely do. The ingredients aren't the best, some that I would personally use, that's why it's ranked so low and why I don't use it anymore. But it is the most cost effective option though, you can find it around $8 or so a tube and you can find it just about anywhere.
Caribbean SOLutions sunscreen: I love the coconut smell of this sunscreen! It just reminds you of the beach. However not all the ingredients are listed and I can't find any ratings on them either. It's also very hard to apply and leaves you kind of white. I personally like that it's only spf 15 which I find to be harder to find these days but it isn't my first choice. There are many others I like better and at $12 or so a bottle I can find ones I like better and that are more transparent in their ingredients too.
Pure Haven's Summer Cream: although technically not a sunscreen because there is no SPF rating, it has non nano particle zinc oxide so it does offer some sun protection for those seeking less SPF coverage. The company is also amazing and everything they make is 100% nontoxic and certified organic. It goes on really great and also doesn't leave you white. You can find their stuff here: http://purehaven.com/meganbrockelbank