Five Essentials to Stay Tan-Free at the Beach

I recently went to Fiji for vacation. It was my first beach vacation in over 20 years. Since I don’t get tan and am always sun smart when outdoors by wearing sunscreen, I was a bit apprehensive about spending so many consecutive days in the strong sun close to the equator. So I just had to plan well and that’s certainly what I did.

I brought five essentials that allowed me to stay protected and therefore tan and sunburn-free while at the beach.

1. Sunglasses. Protecting the delicate eye area, as well as stopping unnecessary squinting from the sun is a must. Most sunglasses offer full UV protection, but always double check to make sure yours do.

2. UV-protecting shirt. In the photo, I’m wearing a shirt over my bathing suit that protects the skin from 97% of the UVA/UVB rays–far more than a regular t-shirt. I get it from a company called Sun Precautions and it is light and airy – perfect for protecting my skin in the hot sun.

3. Big hat. Of course a big floppy hat provides excellent coverage and shade for the face, so it was comfortable to wear and kept me protected.

Read:Am I Protected from the Sun in the Shade?…

4. UV-protecting mineral powder. Most mineral powders have at least an SPF of 20, but when at the beach, I like to have a bit more protection so I use an SPF 50 from a brand called ColoreScience available for purchase here on my website. Applying cream and lotion-based sunscreens aren’t always as ideal for reapplying to the face (greasy fingers getting on my books, magazines and iPad) so what’s nice about the powder is that it comes in a self-dispensing brush so it can be easily dusted onto my skin. It’s also water-resistant so I found that it stayed on very well when swimming and snorkeling.

5. Sunscreen. For my body, I use a sunscreen spray. I find it easy to just press a button and spray it on the skin without getting my hands all greasy. I do however, hold it about 3″ away from the skin so that I really get a good coat of it. I would reapply about every 90 minutes and certainly after every swim.

All in all, it was a great vacation and as I intended, I came back as pale as when I left!

Well not exactly…little Miss Perfect got a little overconfident with her UV-protecting shirt and forgot to reapply sunscreen to the exposed area of her chest. So I actually got a touch of light sunburn. Oops! Oh well. I too, am human.

Read: Summer Tips for Protecting Your Skin During Outdoor Activities

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