Safe sunscreen

[dinabean]

I really enjoy using Sunforgettable by ColorScience. It's a Zinc Oxide powder and comes in a stick/brush that is refillable. It is spendy -- ~$50 for a tube -- but that tube lasted me all summer, brushing the exposed parts of two kiddos daily before summer camp, and I like that I get better whole-face coverage -- it's hard to get under their eyes with creams.

http://www.amazon.com/Colorescience-...DateDescending

[Tuckervill]

Take a look at what sunscreen did to my Droid. The rubberized coating was blistered off. The sunscreen penetrated the screen and separated it from the glass, rendering it inoperable. The credit cards that were in an aluminum and plastic wallet were also destroyed. The magnetic strips all came loose. The signature strips came off. The ink UNDER the laminate on my driver's license ran as if it were wet paint in a rain storm.

I will never use sunscreen on my skin again.

Karen

[OakLeaf]

Yeah, I have some little polycarbonate jars that I use for carrying stuff like aloe gel when I travel and chamois lube when I ride. I figure that much exposure is safe (I hope). Back when I used stuff like Coppertone sunscreen, I put some in one of those, and it melted it shut.

I still remember learning about litmus paper in the third (fourth?) grade. Teacher asked all the students to bring some household acids and bases to test. Some kid brought lemon extract. That melted the plastic container we used, too.

I'm really careful about what I put on my skin now, you bet, and I use very little sunscreen of any kind because of the importance of sun exposure, but the lesson isn't necessarily that your sunscreen is bad. Different plastics are soluble by different chemicals, including a lot of perfectly natural stuff.

There's a related lesson about exposing your helmet to harsh chemicals...

[Blueberry]

Take a look at what sunscreen did to my Droid. The rubberized coating was blistered off. The sunscreen penetrated the screen and separated it from the glass, rendering it inoperable. The credit cards that were in an aluminum and plastic wallet were also destroyed. The magnetic strips all came loose. The signature strips came off. The ink UNDER the laminate on my driver's license ran as if it were wet paint in a rain storm.

I will never use sunscreen on my skin again.

Karen

Did it leak onto the droid? Or was that just from handling it? When I used to use Bullfrog regularly, it did that to a few pens (lab work in college).

[TsPoet]

Take a look at what sunscreen did to my Droid. The rubberized coating was blistered off. The sunscreen penetrated the screen and separated it from the glass, rendering it inoperable. The credit cards that were in an aluminum and plastic wallet were also destroyed. The magnetic strips all came loose. The signature strips came off. The ink UNDER the laminate on my driver's license ran as if it were wet paint in a rain storm.

I will never use sunscreen on my skin again.

Karen

Repeat the "experiment" with water, soak items in the same container in that much water in the same amount of heat for the same length of time. I'm betting your droid is still destroyed. Unless there was heat or pressure, your credit cards may or may not survive, but repeat the study again with 5% alcohol or something reasonable but with a little more solvent properties.
Wouldn't blame sunscreen for what happened quite so strongly.

[badger]

I've been using Mychelle Dramaceutical Sunshield the past couple of years. Not only am I more aware of the nasty chemicals a lot of sun creams have, but I'm more sensitive about the effects of them on the coral reefs. And the best thing of all is it doesn't run into my eyes to sting, and also doesn't make me break out.

I also use the All Terrain sunscreen when I swim outdoors. I use the SPF 15 because the SPF 30 has more chemicals in it.

[OakLeaf]

Badger! You don't use Badger?!

[badger]

ha ha!

I actually don't like badger sunscreen. I love the sound of the ingredients, but WAY too greasy (and expensive!) I use their sunscreen lip balm for when I do major outdoor activities but not for every day because it really does leave my lips white.

[lisathew8lifter]

you guys have me all thinking about sunscreen - thankfully i'm seeing my derma on thursday for a full body exam and will ask her opinon on sunscreen. i can't wait to hear what she says!