How We Pack for Sun Safety on Beach Vacations
This post was sponsored by La Roche-Posay as part of an Influence Central campaign and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
This summer we’ve been all about getting outdoors. We’ve visited Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, spent multiple days rafting and camping on the Lower Salmon River, and hit the beach at Disney Aulani in Hawaii. With all of these trips we’ve taken sun safety seriously.
Why Sun Safety Matters
My family has a history of skin cancer, so sun protection has been big focus of mine with my kids. I want to help teach my kids to protect their skin. Did you know that according to the Skin Cancer foundation, just 5 sunburns before the age of 20 can increase the risk of melanoma by a startling +80%. Sunburns can cause irreversible damage that could make the skin more fragile over the long-term, which in turn leads to accelerated skin aging and increased risk of skin cancer.
Choosing the Best Sunscreen
As we’ve been focusing on sun safety, we’ve also been looking into what sun care products to buy. I’m always looking for dermatologist approved sunscreens. Plus, finding ones specially formulated for kids is a plus as well. With as much as my girls play in the water and sweat during our beach vacations I also want a quality water resistant sunscreen. And, I’m a big fan of sunscreens that apply smoothly and don’t leave my hands feeling messy.
For our recent trip to Aulani in Hawaii, we packed along La Roche-Posay Anthelios Dermo-Kids. I’ve heard of La Roche-Posay products before and trust them as a high quality brand. The Anthelios Dermo-Kids worked great for our beach vacation. It hit all my needs for sun care and sun safety.
It’s SPF 60, meaning we get a little longer sun protection before needing to reapply. Plus it’s water resistant (80 minutes), a must for any beach and pool vacation. And application was very easy. It has a nice smooth texture that isn’t too sticky or thick. I love knowing that it has their exclusive CELL-OX® SHIELD TECHNOLOGY that has UVA/UVB protection + antioxidants such as Vitamin E to help neutralize UV-generated free-radical damage. The final huge plus for the Anthelios Dermo-Kids is that it’s for face and body, so I just need to pack one
Remembering to Reapply
One of the hardest things for us to remember on vacation is to reapply sunscreen! It’s easy to layer on sunscreen when you first get to the beach, but hard to remember to stop playing after an hour or so and reapply. La Roche-Posay has a unique and techy way to help you remember, MY UV Patches. These patches are great for a vacation since they last for a few days.
MY UV PATCH is a unique transparent adhesive containing photosensitive dyes that, when connected to the MY UV PATCH app, are able to provide real-time reading of UV exposure. Ultra-thin, ultra-water resistant and adapted to sensitive skin, it can be worn on the back of the hand for up to three days. This app can be a fun way to get kids involved in caring about their sun exposure.
Teaching Kids to Care
One of my big parenting focuses for sun safety has been teaching my girls to care about sun protection. Lizzy has taken to sun safety like a champ and applies facial sunscreen everyday. My youngest on the other hand doesn’t like the feel of sunscreen and hates to reapply it. We’ve be focused on having conversations with her about why it matters. I think the My UV Patch app would help engage her and help her feel more invested in her sun safety.
After Sun Care
Even with taking care of our skin while in the sun, we still experience drying effects from the sun. Lizzy is especially sensitive to chlorine and salt water, and complains about dry skin on our beach vacation. We always pack along some aloe vera gel and rich facial moisturizer for helping deal with dry skin.
For this trip we took along the Cicaplast Baume B5 by La Roche-Posay. It’s a multi-purpose balm for all dry irritated areas of the skin that immediately soothes and intensely moisturizes. I love that it’s paraben-free and fragrance-free!
I’m happy to say that after all our summer sun travels, we’ve only had a few minor sun irritations. With as many hours as we’ve spent in the sun I consider that a success. Don’t let sun safety get forgotten with family fun vacations, remember to pack quality products.
La Roche-Posay Anthelios 60 Dermo-Kids, is a sunscreen developed with moms, dermatologists, and pediatricians. It’s been specifically made with powerful UVA/UVB filters that provide broad spectrum, 80-minute water resistant protection, highly protective ingredients and antioxidants that are effective, safe, and gentle on children’s sensitive skin. I’ve honestly fallen in love with this product and will be planning to purchase more of the sun care products for myself and my family!
You can find La Roche-Posay at CVS and Amazon, as well as checking their for your nearest store.
