July 15, 2011

photo credit: mommamia on flickr

Summer has been my favorite season for about as long as I can remember, but I wouldn't say that I'm a sun worshiper, or anything that extreme. I just enjoy any time that I have where I can get out in the sun, even if it's just for a walk, a bike ride, or sitting outside reading for an hour. And, I always feel a little more cheerful after spending any amount of time out in the sunshine! 🙂

Not that it's likely it'll happen anytime soon, but, if I ever did have a lazy Summer day where I had no responsibilities and could do whatever I wanted; I would spend the entire day in a lounge chair with a good book and my iPod; either at the beach or poolside.

Photo credit: sollis.se

As much as I would love to slather myself in red label Hawaiian Tropic Coconut Oil because it reminds me of those long-gone, carefree, teenage days with friends at the lake or by the pool, I do keep sunscreen on at all times.

We've got Native American Indian in our blood, so I'm lucky that I tan easy and rarely burn. I've also never have had any type of skin cancer, which is pretty amazing considering that when I was younger, I would lay out for the entire day covered in tanning oil!

And, yes, I'll admit it, my friends and I did try the baby oil and iodine combo. My only excuse for that is that we didn't know any better and back in those days no one even talked about sun damage from ultraviolet rays. Now that we do know better, we just need to make sure that our kids don't fry themselves like some of us used to do on a regular basis.

A lot of people, including my hubby, haven't been as lucky when it comes to sun damage and skin cancers. His family has the Irish skin with fair complexions that freckles and burns easily. When he was young, they spent a lot of time of the lake and he would get so sunburned that his skin would blister. Most doctors agree that the skin cancers we have now were caused by sun damage we experienced when we were younger. A lot of my hubby's relatives, like him, have experienced serious cases of skin cancer, including melanoma.

We've talked quite a bit about sun damage and sunscreens here on BigSisLilSis since both BigSis and I are passionate about the issue. I have to stay on top of my hubby and my son every single day to make sure that they have on their sunscreen. Since HayHay surfs for hours at a time, it's crucial for him to wear the best sunscreen that we can find.

Summer is in full swing now that we're in mid-July so I thought this would be a good time to do a recap of some of our previous posts about sunscreen and sun damage.

• The very best waterproof sunscreen that we've found is Vertra, which is what HayHay wears now when surfing. I talked about Vertra and some other great Summer products in this Top 15 Summer Beauty Products post.

• My hubby used to wear the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch but now his favorite is the Neutrogena Sport Face, which doesn't sweat off and burn his eyes. I mentioned both of these and a few others when I talked about Skin cancer and sunscreen.

• BigSis shared some of her favorite sunscreens in this More Sunscreen Favorites post.

• I also talked last June about the Top Four Sunscreen According to Consumer Reports.

• BigSis shared these 7 Tips for Sunburn Relief for those who may accidentally find themselves with a bad sunburn.

We hope everyone is having a great Summer so far; but whatever you do, please don't forget your sunscreen! 🙂

~LilSis