Can we talk sunscreen?

[Manda]

We use the Neutragena spray brand (I can't deal with the greasy/wet feeling from the other brands and the eye-stingy-ness of Coppertone). You go thru the spray cans so much faster than the lotion types, but it's worth it, IMO, for the ease of use factor. My son periodically fights the spray kind though. We are all fair-skinned and I consider it a personal failure if we even get the slightest bit of tan. Normally, I take 4 or 5 cans of spray sunscreen for our family of 3 and 2 tubes of lotion for faces and occasionally bodies. We apply it every morning before getting dressed. We usually return to the room mid-day to swim or relax or both and we'll reapply at that point (if we swim, before and after swimming). So at least 2 applications a day, usually 3, more if it's a water park day. We also wear swimshirts in the pools so that we don't have bother with full stomach/back/shoulders sunscreen application. I'll admit that in June though (when the sun is at it's absolute strongest and the days are the longest), we did color the slightest bit on water park days. I re-applied constantly (every 1.5 hours or so) with water-proof sunscreen and there just wasn't enough sunscreen in the world to keep us un-tanned. Florida June sun is like nothing you'll ever experience in the midwest.

 

[rubato]

Lots of folks here tell me that I over-kill it, but I'm a perfectly pale redhead, as is my DD. DS and DH are also fair-skinned. We burn easily, and my family has a serious skin cancer history, so I take no risks at all.

In a week at the beach in FL at that time of year we will use about 20 cans of continuous spray. At WDW, where we are indoors about half the time, we use about half that; 10 cans or so, plus wax sticks and Ocean Potion dab-ons for our faces and hair parts. We reapply every 2 hours when in street clothes, and every 90 minutes if at a beach/pool. (When at WDW on park days we will do a full-body under clothes application when first getting dressed, then reapply only to exposed areas for the rest of the day. I've been know to burn through clothing.)

As the adult dose for proper coverage is one fl. oz. per application, and the can normally holds about 6 oz., one can of the spray is good for essentially one full day of sun exposure for one adult.

My son is a pale, freckled redhead as well. We use lotion only, no spray and go through a bottle just for him. Hubby and I don't ever burn. He works outside and I lay out all the time (yes, I know it's bad, but oh well! My choice.). I don't like the spray for my son because I don't know for sure that I got everywhere. And, it seems so thin. At least with the thick lotion I know he's covered because it takes me so long to rub it in!!! We go in January, so I don't apply it as often as I would if he were sweating.