I hate putting sunscreen on myself. Then I have to hate putting it on my kids next. Just add an extra 30 minutes to go anywhere outdoors, then smell funky and feel gunky all day. If you don’t put it on pre-sand and dirt, you’re in for an unwanted body scrub.

But it’s worth it.

I’ve worried a lot about which sunscreen is best for my children. Probably because my skin is made for Ireland, and skin cancers run in my family. Many hours of my youth were spent on scorching tennis courts, and now I’ve had 20 moles removed (TMI?). A few of them were pre-cancerous.

While my children don’t blind people quite like I do (thank your dad for that pigment), kids with fair skin, moles, or freckles are more likely to develop skin cancer, which is also the most common type of cancer in the US. But skin with any pigment can burn.

My sister-in-law correctly assumed I was a zoid and texted me about it:

Her: What sunscreen do you use??? I’m sure you have researched it.

Me: haha. I currently use ThinkBaby. It smells really nice and is mineral-based.

Her: Where do you get it?

Me: Amazon

Her: When did the whole mineral-based sunscreen thing start?

Me: Mineral-based is good because it means it’s an actual barrier between your skin and the sun. The chemical-based ones use ingredients ending in “zone,” which absorb into the skin and change its composition.

You want to look out for the chemical make-up of the sunscreen and the ability for it to do its job. In other words, some sunscreens are horrible for you. They absorb into your skin and have a lot of potential long-term side effects… like the cancer we are all trying to avoid. The FDA does not regulate sunscreen or other cosmetics (which is super lame), so consumer beware… that stuff could absorb into your system and cause health issues. To do its job, you want to make sure it’s at least SPF 30 and blocks both UVA and UVB rays.

One easy tip is to look at the active ingredients. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are typically good mineral-based ingredients.

I’ve been happy with ThinkBaby– I borrowed it from a mom at preschool and was shocked that it didn’t have that wretched sunscreen smell and didn’t feel like toothpaste. I was previously using Badger, a high-quality sunscreen, but it was too similar to toothpaste (cue tears).

The Environmental Working Group has lots more sunscreen recommendations. You can also plug in your current products (including all hair and skin products) to see how safe they are. Think Dirty is another helpful app (and aptly named).

Happy summer!

ingredients in ThinkBaby:

Active Ingredients: Zinc Oxide 20%, Inactive Ingredients: Purified Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Capric Caprylic Triglycerides, Sorbitan Stearate (Coconut Based), Pine Wood Resin, Vegetable Glycerin, Cetyl Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt), Sunflower Oil, Jojoba Oil, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Tocopherols (Vitamin E), Olive Oil, Raspberry Seed Oil, Cranberry Seed Oil, Hyaluronic Acid (Made From Vegetable), Glucose, Glucose Oxidase, Lactoperoxidase, Papaya

*I may earn a small percentage from products purchased through Amazon. All opinions are my own.