It’s no surprise that sun protection is top of mind for many of us as the temperatures heat up, we spend more time outside, and as more and more people learn about the benefits of year-round protection from UV rays.
Preventing inflammation, sensitivity, sunburns, and clogged pores (due to oxidized oils from UV exposure), all start with the right UV protection.
The tricky part is finding the right sun protection for our skin.
To help you out, we put together a ☀️ guide to facial sunscreen ☀️ (based on the brands that radiant rebels in the Facebook group wanted to know about the most).
Natural UV Protection
Before we get to the guide, I wanted to quickly answer the most trending question I’m getting right now about UV protection, which is: “Hey Jamie, what do YOU use to protect your skin?”
For those of you that know me (and my skin), you know that my skin falls under the “desert marigold“ flora aura skin type (acne-prone, congestion-prone, combination to dry, dehydration prone, and downright fussy!).
(pst.. find out your floral aura skin type with our quiz!)
You also know that I’ve used a holistic approach to clear up chronic acne and rarely have any issues with my skin outside of autoimmune flare-ups. I have ankylosing spondylitis and endometriosis. When not managed well, they can cause patches of body eczema – thankfully, there’s a balm for that ;).
So, it makes sense that I get asked about what I use – The assumption is if something works for my skin and yours isn’t nearly as troublesome as mine, you’ll likely be A-OK using what I do!
Not a bad assumption to be honest! Ha!
Below, I’ve listed what I use, but also made a facial sunscreen guide for anyone who would like to explore other options and learn more about sunscreen ingredients (and why some formulas just don’t work with your unique skin).
- For daily UV protection on my face, I use Calendula & Oat Facial Moisturizer.
- For heavy UV exposure days (on my face), I use Summer Shade Day Cream if I want a matte finish, or green beaver’s body sunscreen if I don’t care how oily I look 😉 (I explain why I use a body formula on my face in the facial skincare guide)
- For body sunscreen, I use a formula by green beaver (see the notes on the second page of the sunscreen guide for more info)
“When should I apply sunscreen? Before or after my moisturizer?”
One more thing before I leave you with the facial sunscreen guide! The question above (when to apply sunscreen to your face) is usually the next thing that folks wonder about after deciding on a form of UV protection, so let’s just get that question answered right now!
If you’re using Calendula & Oat Facial Moisturizer or Summer Shade Day Cream as your UV protection, you do both at the same time 
.
For all other scenarios…
When to apply mineral sunscreen: Apply it after your moisturizer.
- Mineral sunscreen uses titanium dioxide or zinc oxide.
- chemical sunscreen uses oxybenzone or avobenzone
- My personal preference is always UV protection from a mineral formula. I can get away with a chemical sunscreen for my body on occasion, but for my face, I need a mineral one if I want to avoid irritation, redness, and inflammation. Others who have sensitive skin, chronic inflammation, or autoimmune complications may find they are in the same boat as me. However, I won’t ever judge anyone for using whatever protection suits them and keeps them consistent with using a method of UV protection – it’s that important (and here’s why)
☀️ Guide to Facial Sunscreen ☀️
The guide includes…
- Reviews of 11 different (and readily available) facial sunscreens
- Clarity about which of the 11 sunscreens are free of pore-clogging ingredients (and that play nice with acne-prone skin)
- Warnings about which of the 11 sunscreens have ingredients that could aggravate sensitive skin
- Quick tips for what to watch for when looking at sunscreens that aren’t listed in our guide.
To get a downloadable copy of our facial sunscreen guide, click here.
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