I went on ONE date with a man who shall remain nameless and a few days later he sent me this TikTok:
Suffice to say, my brand is strong. I’m a pale bitch who loves a sun shade, a visor, or really anything that will decrease the chances of my Melasma staging a comeback. And today I’m gonna share my current favorites when it comes to sun protection.
We all know that the largest organ in our body is our skin, right? And while sunlight absolutely has its health benefits, you really only need 3-30 minutes in the sun (depending on the season/weather/etc) to hit your Vitamin D quota.
The rest of the time in the sun is simply contributing to pigmentation, cell degradation, potential skin cancers, aging, etc. All of which are fine, if they are fine for you. But if you’re here and reading this I’m assuming it’s not. So let’s get into it.
Before we go any further I need to hit you with a cardinal skin rule:
You can do anything and everything under the sun to your skin & you can drop Kardashian levels of money — but if you do not protect it from the sun, it will all be for nothing. Trust me, I have learned this the hard way. Please see below:
A Quick Crash Course in UV’s:
UVA makes up around 95% of the rays that make it to the earth’s surface whereas UVB rays make up about 5%. UVA rays penetrate to the Dermis, aka our second layer of our skin and they’re responsible for damaging collagen and elastin, skin aging, and wrinkles, whereas UVB only affects the first layer, aka the Epidermis and those rays are associated with skin cell damage, DNA mutations, pigment issues and skin cancers. Obviously, this is a kindergarten level breakdown but I am trying not to bore you. TLDR: you’re going to want to protect against both.
But here’s the thing… there’s not an SPF on planet earth that blocks 100%.
In fact, SPF ranks 3rd in terms of MY sun protection hierarchy:
Avoidance. If I can avoid being in the sun, I do it. I am always looking for shade wherever I go and I do my best to hike/walk/run errands around peak sun times. Is it annoying to live like this? It was at first, yes, but now it’s second nature.
Shield. Think hats, visors, UPF clothing, parasols etc.
Apply. Finally, we get to SPF.
Focusing on #2, here are a few of my FAVORITE summer sun shield items.
First up, you will not catch me in anything other than a long-sleeved UPF bathing suit. Period. Full stop. But Rory, that’s not sexy… One, agree to disagree. And two, you do you babe! I’d rather protect my chest than look conventionally hot but THATS ME.
This long sleeved number from Amazon is 42$ I bought my first one years ago and it’s still as good as new.
But I have had my eye on the Long-Sleeved High-Neck Swimsuit from Cover Swim for a while now and even thought it’s pricy (225$) it’s made in LA, it’s chemical free and sustainable when possible. Thus, this will be my next swim investment. Another brand I like is Watskin. Check out this long sleeved leopard suit with shorts!
If you have kids, I feel like UV stickers are a smart investment. These stickers start off purple, turn clear when you are fully protected, and change back to purple when it’s time to reapply. Personally, I am so insane about the sun, I don’t really need them but I still like to have them when I’m going to be in water (or when I battle test SPFs).
If the sun index is particularly high or I’m going to be on the beach, on the water, or someplace in direct sun, I bust out my reflective visor. I bought my first one about six years ago and you might think I don’t actually use it so here’s proof:
I was hiking in Lake Tahoe (fully covered) before I kayaked to the Tea House in Emerald Bay. Since sun reflects off water I kept the visor on and let everyone stare at me like I was insane (because I am).
Your car windows block UVB rays but NOT UVA… which is why I SWEAR by these magnetic car shades not only during summer but all year round. At under 20$ I have gifted these to so many people simply because of how easy and effective they are. If you could only get one thing and I was choosing, it would be a toss up between these shades or a go-to hat. That’s how much I love this product.
While we’re focused on the car, here are the Driving Gloves I wear and keep in my center console. These are meant for when you get your nails done, and if you still get gels or acrylics you should 100% be wearing these at the salon! If you want longer gloves with more coverage try these. Personally, I don’t like a glove that covers my fingers because I need to be able to grip the steering wheel but they do sell gloves that cover your entire hand. Even if you only use driving gloves on long road trips, they’re worth the 7$!
Look, I could do an entire post on Ultraviolet Protection Factor clothing (aka UPF) and let me know if you want that - but basically polyester and nylon block UV better than other fabrics, so try to stick to those for you outdoor summer activities.
Moving on to hats… Here are my favorites. This is the widest brim hat that I could find that still holds its shape. It’s giving old Hollywood glamour meets skin queen diva and it’s my pick for hanging by a pool, at a party, or on a trip where people will look “nice”. For those days when I want to put my hair up, I rock this visor (This has the longest brim I could find without it blocking my vision).
Lately I have been grabbing this straw hat for all of my hikes and walks and I love how my face and neck are always shaded. Plus, you can choose the lining- I love the leopard or the black (but I personally own the cream colored one - the rainbow one is from my parent’s house). Lastly, here is the hat that made men on the internet mad. (If you want to see the video in question click here). This is for when you need to make sure you’re fully covered (like after a peel or a laser, on a long hike, or on very sunny days). I will wear this when I want to make sure that my chin isn’t getting any sun. Do I own more hats? Obviously, yes. But these are my faves right now.
When thinking about which kind of hat to buy, remember the best sun hat is the hat you will actually wear. Even if that’s a baseball cap with minimal coverage, it’s still better than nothing. So, be real with yourself and choose the hat/visor you’ll actually wear.
Next up is a face mask, which is, IMO perfect for driving. Generally speaking, hats with the most coverage tend to block my peripheral vision which is less than ideal for driving. But a face mask solved this problem!! And yeah, you might look coo-coo bananas but with sunglasses on, but who will even know it’s you?!?
Lastly, if you have Melasma then you NEED some sort of ice roller and you should be icing your face after you come indoors, after workouts, or whenever your face gets hot. This is the one I use. But you should use whatever works for you — hell, you can even raw dawg it with good ol’ fashioned ice cubes. Just ice your damn face!!
And please, for the love of all things skincare, USE SPF 50+ frequently and liberally.
I hope this helped. If you try any of these products, I’d love your thoughts. And, if you want more recommendations or if there’s something you’d like to me cover next, let me know in the comments.
x, Rory