Makeup with sunscreen - are they really effective?

Hi Friends,

Combination products are extremely helpful, I love using Moisturizers with SPF, Tinted sunscreens, Lip Balm with SPF, Foundations with SPF. These generally lower the layers of products to be layered onto the skin, reduce the time of application, cutting the overall expenditure, fewer number of products to carry around , etc.

Product Review - Vedic Line + SunProctor Sunscreen Cream Gel SPF 30

Hi Friends,

When it comes to sunscreens I prefer mine to be Matte, Chemical Free, Broad Spectrum and with SPF from 20-50. This works for me absolutely fantastic. I have three such sunscreens and other than them I neither ever tried anything else nor I felt the requirement. I don't like the so called Moisturizing Sunscreens. When I think of such product, it reminds me of sticky feeling, sweat and white casts. I despise these traits of few sunscreens.

Recently, I tested one very interesting product.. A moisturizing gel sunscreen. Initially I had zero hope from it.   But after trying it on .. well it changed my perception....

Introducing Vedic Line + SunProctor Sunscreen Cream Gel SPF 30

What Does Vedic Line  Says:

Ingredients:

Packaging:
A pretty basic orange squeeze tube with a flip cap. Locks perfectly. No product leakage what so ever. Travel friendly.

Product:
White gel like cream. It has the texture of a souffle cream.It has a slight fragrance which is floral with sweet notes.

My Experience with the product :

The texture of this product is somewhere in between cream and gel. Its light and fluffy, non- runny. It blends in easily without being greasy and tacky.  It has a slight fragrance which is floral with sweet notes, which is not overpowering and faints after a while. When blended, it just disappears into skin without leaving any white cast. It actually makes skin feel hydrated and smooth. No stickiness at all. For first few minutes sunscreen imparts a glow, but its gets settled into a hydrate look.

This works pretty well as a sunscreen. But technically it is a sunblock as it is non carbon based product. It contains Titanium Di Oxide. It saves me pretty well from the sun tan. I apply it after every 2-3 hours for maximum protection.
I tried it for about a month. It didn't break me out and stays strong on its claim on being a sweat proof formula.

Price : INR 210 for 75ml

Pros:

• Works against UVA and UVB
• Souffle texture
• SPF 30
• No white cast
• Blends easily
• Imparts a glowing finish
• Floral fragrance
• Hydrates the skin
• Sweat Proof
• Chemical free
• Stops tanning
• No breakout
• Will be good for dry skin or for use in winters
• Paraben Free
• Dermatologically Tested

Cons:

• Zinc Oxide is missing.
• No proper information about the spectrum coverage.
• Not suitable for humid conditions and esp. if you like matte finish.
• Although it claims to be suitable for all skin type but I feel oily skin people might not like it.

Last Words:

Excellent Moisturizing sunscreen. Vedic Line has excelled in this product. Dry skinned people will love it. It will also be good for Winter Season as well. I like to apply it on my arms as I have a dry skin and I can skip using a moisturizer.

Available online at : www.goodlife.com and http://www.healthkart.com/

Stay Beautiful :)
Shweta

PR Sample. Honest Review

SunScreen and SunBlocks - Difference and Similarities

Hi Friends,

These day markets getting flooded with SunScreens and SunBlocks. People are getting more aware about their use. And with increasing heat more and more people resort to Sunscreens.

With increasing number of products comes along the confusion of choosing the right product. These days there are basically two types of sunscreen categories available in market. Sunscreen and Sunblocks. Usually people get confused amongst these. Here I try to mark out Differences and Similarities in these two product types.

  Differences : 

Sunscreen	Sunblock
Traditional Carbon based Sunscreen	Newer Chem –free Sunscreen. These have Zinc  Oxide and/or Titanium Oxide
Coats the skin and acts like sponge  and absorbs the damaging ultra-violet rays to protect the skin	Reflects the light from the skin, acts like a mirror so UV rays just bounce off the skin.
These are to be applied atleast 25-30 minutes before stepping out in sun	These work immediately as they act as mirror and don’t have to get absorbed into skin. So You can step immediately outside in sun.
Has to be applied in more quantity to get the actual and full benefit	Needs very small amount to protect the skin. The size of particles is so small that it spreads easily and small quantity covers larger area
Need quantity about a size of ONE Rupee coin of product to cover the face	Needs Pea size amount to cover the face.

Similarities :

• Both need to be re-applied every two to three hours and after you sweat and after you swim.
• If both have the same SPF, if your sunblock has as SPF of 30 and your sunscreen has an SPF of 30, they’re both going to give you the same level of sun protection.

Bottom Line :

Whether it is a sunblock or sunscreen both have same ability to protect skin from sun damage. The only technical difference is in the way they work. One Absorbs UV rays and another Reflects. Many people have a misconception that absorbing by UV rays sunscreen becomes harmful. But it is not the case. When the UV rays are absorbed by the sunscreen they become harmless. (There is some Chemistry lecture, which I don't want to get into). 

I prefer using sunblocks because there is no down time , it starts its work as soon as it is applied. And i can easily reapply it when outside without worrying about the 20 mins sunscreen would take to get absorbed and work effectively.

My Favorite SunBlocks are :

• Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock - SPF 50
• Lotus Herbals Safe Sun 3 In 1 Matte Look Daily Sunblock - SPF 40

So, Be it rain or shine apply your sun protection everyday. 

Stay Beautiful :)

Shweta 

Decoding Sunscreen and Tan part 3

As I said earlier I can't stress enough on the benefits of the sunscreen, here are last few questioned answered.

Can sunscreen be applied on infants?

Yes, sure it should be.  As and when the kid is taken outdoors in the sun, sunscreen use is a must.  On infants gel and solution based sunscreen shouldn't be applied as these can be extremely drying.  Use SPF between 15 and 30 with UVA protection or broad spectrum protection. Try this Lotus sunscreen.

Can you get tanned through window glass?

Yes, we can. Window glass can stop UVB rays which cause sunburns but it doesn't stops UVA rays which cause premature ageing and skin cancer. But as we know that tanning is after effect of sun damage, therefore yes we cannot get sunburn , but definitely we can get tanned.

Home remedy for Sun burnt skin?

A really great home remedy for irritated skin like sunburn or poison ivy is milk and water compresses. It's very simple. Put equal amounts of milk and water in a bowl, room temperature, take a smooth material like a T-shirt or handkerchief, put it in the liquid, wring it out half-way and apply it to the irritated skin for about 5 or 10 minutes. The evaporation of the liquid causes a cooling sensation, makes your skin feel better, and the protein in the milk buffers the irritated skin and goes a long way toward making it feel better. And by the way, use skim milk, not whole milk, because the fat in whole milk doesn't help, it's just the protein in the skim milk, and you'll find relief every time.

I'l do a separate post over Makeup and Sunscreen, and Sunscreen and Vitamin D..

Stay Beautiful :)

Shweta

Decoding Sunscreen and Tan part 2

Continuing with the Importance of sunscreen in our daily skin care routine, this post has queries related to sunscreen as a product and its application process.

What order is sunscreen applied?

As a general rule, sunscreen is always applied first. In order for sunscreen to work it has to bind with skin and a chemical reaction takes place to make sunscreen able to absorb or block the sun rays.

So Sunscreen first, Moisturizer second or sunscreen first, Makeup second, even if your makeup has SPF.

Only one exception can be the acne SPOT treatment product, as they are applied only to the acne spot and not the whole face, its okay to apply them first

How much sunscreen do I need?

In order to get the maximum benefit and full SPF protection from the sunscreen, you need amount that’s about a size of a one rupee coin or one-third to half of a teaspoon to cover your face and neck. And to cover entire body, you need an ounce of the product.

What if I don’t apply the stated amount?

When the proper amount is not applied to the skin, the SPF comes drastically down, for ex. SPF 15  comes down to SPF 4  and you don’t get desired level of protection.

How frequently do I need to apply the sunscreen?

You need to apply sunscreen every 2-3 hours or after you perspire, or after swimming.

How long do I need to wait before applying the next product?

After you apply a product u wait until it “sets”, means it absorbs into the skin, it dries and is not sticky.

What is the proper application process of the sunscreen?

Don’t just take sunscreen on your palm and rub it on your face. Rather take it on your fingertip and dot the entire sunscreen on your face and neck evenly. Now rub it in the skin. This way the entire skin will be coated thoroughly.

Do moisturizers with sunscreen work?

Yes, they do. For ex. If there is a moisturizer with SPF of 20, it will give you that stated coverage, no matter if it is mixed with the moisturizer. The products such made are tested in the same way, but the only catch is they need to be applied first to the skin so that the sunscreen can bond with skin to protect it.

Does a very high SPF on a sunscreen give much more protection than a lower SPF?

For instance, is a 60 twice as protective as a 30? The answer is no. SPF means "sun protection factor" which tells you how long you can be in the sun without getting a burn, but the relationship between SPFs and the amount of protection you get is not linear. So, in fact, when you double SPF from 15 to 30, you go from 88% protection from the burning rays to 95% protection, an increase in 7%, from doubling from 15 to 30, but double again from 30 to 60, and you only get 4% more protection, from 95 to 99. So, using higher and higher SPFs is not necessarily going to give you a tremendously greater amount of protection from the sun. It's better to use an SPF between 15 and 30, which is in a liquid that feels good when it goes on your skin, so you'll re-apply it frequently than to use a very, very high SPF.*

Does Sunscreen Work After Its Expiration Date?

People think they need to throw out their sunscreen immediately after the expiration date but that's not so. It really does continue to work as an effective sunscreen for a long amount of time after that time. An expiration date is just the amount of time, usually a year or two years that the manufacturer demonstrated and tested that the sunscreen still works, but it doesn't stop working, it doesn't stop being an effective sunscreen the day after the expiration date. In fact, for weeks, months or maybe even years after the expiration date, you can still use that sunscreen and it will give you the full protection that you expected from it when it was first originally manufactured. So the take-away here is, it's much more important to use sunscreen and use it every day than to be guided by the expiration date on the bottle.*

 I can't emphasize enough on importance of sunscreen in our daily skin care routine. Please adopt this very important step and see how your skin changes. 

Stay Beautiful :)

Shweta

* From the article by Dr. Neal Schultz, one of New York's most trusted and respected dermatologists

Decoding Sunscreen and Tan part1

Sunscreen is probably the most important product in everyone's skin care routine. It not only protects us from getting tanned, but also from the harmful effects of sun rays which include premature aging, wrinkles, and even skin cancer. But sadly there is no proper awareness within people regarding this. Here is my attempt to explain this impeccable product.

Do we need sunscreen everyday?

Be it Shine or cloudy, you need sunscreen each and every day.  Is it 5 minutes or 50 minutes being out unprotected in sun, skin is exposed to harmful effects of Ultra – violet light. UVB rays causes skin cancer and UVA rays cause premature skin aging and wrinkling.

What is SPF?

Sun Protection Factor is an aid to tell you that how effective your sunscreen is against the UVB rays of the sun and causing sun damage. The SPF rating tells you how long you can stay in the sun without getting the sun burn with that sunscreen compared to what you could have stayed without one. For example, you can stay for 10 mins out in sun before you get a sun burn without using a sunscreen. If  you use a SPF of 10 then you can stay for 100 min (i.e. 1 hour 20 mins) in the sun, without getting sunburn.

What is tan?

When the skin gets injured due to harmful effects of UVA and UVB rays of the sun, it darkens. The brown color acts as a defensive shield to protect against additional Ultra- Violet injury. To avoid getting tanned use a broad spectrum sunscreen. Even with a sunscreen you will get somewhat of a tan but this tan will be much less dangerous than the one without it.

How to choose a sunscreen?

There are three simple steps to choose a perfect option:

• Choose a sunscreen with SPF between 15 to 30 SPF,
•  See that the sunscreen is also labeled with UVA protection or Broad spectrum protection,
•   Make sure it’s appropriate for your oil and water skin type. So that it doesn’t causes you break out or dry you out.

I recommend sunscreens with an SPF of between 15 and 30 which gives you between 88 and 95%* protection that feels good when you put it on, so you'll be more inclined to use it, re-apply it 3, 4, 5 times a day, rather than putting on a higher SPF sunscreen that's thicker, less pleasant, and you don't re-apply after the first use in the morning.

Is Higher SFP better?

Higher SPF like 85, 95,120 are no good. A sunscreen with 15 SPF gives you protection of 88%, 30 SPF gives 95% protection and 60 SPF gives you 99% protection. Anything over 60 SPF like 80, 90 or 100 is just a hoax and is misleading a consumer. As we go higher in SPFs, usually, the cream becomes more thick and viscous, and you are much less apt to reapply the sunscreen. The only way to get the real benefit from the sunscreen is to apply it frequently, atleast 3-4 times a day, after you sweat or after you swim.

Stay tuned in for more ..

Stay Beautiful :)

Shweta

*extracted from a leading medical magazine.