Oh Mr. Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun, Please Shine Down (But Don’t Burn) Meeeee! Sunscreen Showdown: The Best and The Worst

With so much hype and controversy over sunscreen I thought I'd do a breakdown of the billion and one sunscreens I've tried this summer and while on my trip to Hawaii. My fiancee is pastey white as can be so we are always packing lots of sunscreen! But there is such a fine line between dowsing yourself in sunblock so you don't get sunburned, which can lead to skin cancer and then the danger of slathering yourself in chemical-filled sunscreen, right? The problem of course is that natural sunscreens don't always work as well (they may not blend right or leave you sticky).  And the winner isssssss….

My unhealthy favorite: Coppertone Spray

My healthy favorite: Burt's Bees Chemical Free Sunscreen

My least favorite: TOCCA sunscreen wipes. Do NOT waste your money on these!

Everyday favorite (Non-beach wear): Cosmedix Serious Protection SPF 28

Burt's Bees Chemical-Free Sunscreen:
Good: It's natural and you can feel safe rubbing it all over you and knowing you're not massaging chemicals onto you or your kids. Doesn't smell bad or sun-tan-lotiony. It stays on for a long time because it's kind of sticky…

Bad: It doesn't rub in so well. It stays a little white on your skin unless you rub really hard. Stays on a while, which could be good or bad…

Lavanila Baby Block:

Good: Very healthy, no parabens, and way less of the bad chemicals we want to avoid.

Bad:It doesn't like to rub in like many healthy sunblocks.

Cosmedix: Serious Protection SPF 28:

Good: Light and non-smelly. Good, healthy ingredients. Nice packaging. Not messy.

Bad: Not really for a day at the beach, more like for your walk to the work. Little on the pricey side but Saks Spa uses it for a reason. This is good quality stuff.

CosMedix Reflect SPF 30: 

Good: Light and non-greasy.

Bad: Not for a day at the beach either like its buddy above. It says right on the package.

TOCCA SPF 30+ Sunscreen Towelettes $8.00

Good:NOTHING except that they're portable. We took these on a hike and they were a white, sticky, disgusting mess.

Bad: These were horrible. They go on uneven and smell bad even though they're supposed to smell like blood oranges or something.

Pratima Neem Rose Face Sunscreen 30 SPF

Good: Easy to apply. Safe and healthy ingredients.

Bad: I got a little in my eye, but I'm an idiot.

Lavera Naturkosmetik Sun 15

Good: Relatively inexpensive and healthy ingredients. Can get at any local Target.

Bad: It came out a little separated so just make sure to shake it up. May have just settled from being on a plane and then in my suitcase.

Coppertone Liquid:

Good: Blends well, stays on a long time. Cheap cheap cheap! Can buy this anywhere.

Bad: Not healthy ingredients. Who the hell knows what goes in here…Seriously I was kinda nervous putting it on my skin. But I'm a nut…

Coppertone Spray:

Good: Easy application, rubs in very easy.

Bad: Sticky as all hell. And who the hell knows what they're putting in here. Definitely not a health conscious company.

Aveeno:

Good: It's not greasy and it's cheap and you can get it at the drugstores.

Bad: My face broke out but I did a whole lot of sweating so who knows why, can't fully blame the suncreen, it is oil free…

Disclosure: I received some of these for free to do a review, I honestly can't even remember which ones but probably about half I bought. That should tell you I'm giving honest opinions since I dont even know which ones I purchased.