Review: Banana Boat Kids Tear-Free Sunscreen

It's really starting to feel like summer around here.  We reverted back to the 50s and 60s for a short time, but now we are back up to 80 degree weather.  The children have been wanting to get outside as much as possible, especially since we had such a bout of rain recently.  It is more important than ever to remember to apply sunscreen before we leave the house, but since we do not always remember, we keep sunscreen in a few places . . . in the house by the backdoor, in the car, and in my oldest son's soccer bag.

The sunscreen we keep by the backdoor is the Family Size Banana Boat Kids SPF 50+ lotion.  I like this lotion because it comes in a pump and is very easy to dispense.  Our 7 year old son can apply sunscreen on his own arms and legs using this product without making a mess.  It is also tear-free, which we have put to the test a few times.  When I apply sunscreen to our twin preschoolers' faces, they cannot seem to hold still no matter how many reminders we give them.  I have gotten a tiny bit in their eyes before and it did not seem to bother them at all.

For the car and my son's soccer bag, we keep a can of Banana Boat Kids Max Protect & Play SPF 110 Continuous Spray and a can of Banana Boat Kids SPF 30 Continuous Spray sunscreen.  Both sprays go on as a fine UltraMist.  I usually do not use the spray inside the house, but it is super-convenient to use outside.  I also love it for when I need to reapply sunscreen quickly after a few hours away from the house.  The spray goes on evenly and does not require the lotion to be rubbed in.  When we use this for faces, we just spray some into the palms of our hands and apply the sunscreen with our fingertips.  The only time that the spray does not work so well is when it is windy outside.  On those days, it is difficult to control where the spray lands.

Both the traditional Banana Boat lotion and spray seem to work very well.  I highly recommend the higher SPF products because I noticed my children would still turn a little red after using the SPF 30 spray.  Both the lotion from the pump and the spray absorbed into the skin fairly quickly and did not feel greasy afterwards.  There also was no strong or unpleasant scent left on the skin.  Both products are water-resistant, but we have not had a chance to test that out yet this year.

You are invited to take the Banana Boat Sun 101 Quiz to become Sun Certified.  When you do, you will prompt a $1 donation to The Skin Cancer Foundation from Banana Boat.  Also visit Banana Boat on Facebook to learn about their "101 Days of Summer Giveaway".

You can purchase Banana Boat suncare products at most major retailers of skincare products.


Thank you to Banana Boat for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon.

Living Green With Jerinda: Goddess Garden Natural Sunscreen

If you read my last review of a healthy sunscreen, you know that I’m picky about what I put on my children. We are mostly chemical free in our home, so I do my best not to put harmful, chemical-laden products on or near my children. As I’d mentioned before though, natural and/or organic sunscreen that doesn’t cost a ton and actually works is hard to find, so I’m always up for trying new ones out. Goddess Garden was nice enough to send me three varieties of their organic sun care products to test and review, and I was happy to do so.

Goddess Garden’s sunscreens are mostly organic and most of them rate as low as 1 or 2 according to EWG’s sunscreen ratings, which is perfectly acceptable in my book. The baby natural sunscreen is rated a one, which is the best rating I’ve ever seen for sunscreen on their site, so it’s the one I’ve mostly used on my children.

Each time my kids have worn these sunscreens while swimming, they’ve not been greasy, it had set in well, and they didn’t get even a little sunburned. These sunscreens do their job, are completely safe, and are mostly organic. I would recommend these sun care products to anyone for their family.

You can find out where to buy Goddess Garden’s full line of sun care products on their website, www.GoddessGarden.com.  In 2010, 20% of Goddess Garden's profits were donated to 3 different worthy charities, which included The Nature Conservancy, The Whale Trail, and the Emergency Family Assistance Association.  They are now taking suggestions for worthy causes to support with future donations.


Thank you to Goddess Garden for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon.

Living Green With Jerinda: Sunbow Natural Sunscreen for Kids

If you’re a natural and/or chemical-free momma like me, you’ve probably looked for and even tried all-natural children’s sunscreen before. If you have, you know that it can be very pricey and sometimes it doesn’t work well or leaves children feeling greasy and slippery. Sunbow was nice enough to send me some of their hypoallergenic sunscreens to try out, and I was glad to do it. Sunbow sunscreens go on in color, but dry clear, for thorough application, they don’t stain clothes, are water-resistant, Pediatrician tested and recommended, paba-free, SPF 30, and made in the USA. Plus, they are very fairly priced at $12.99 a bottle, a decent price for this form of sunscreen. Another added bonus in kid’s eyes would be that they feature favorite Nickelodeon characters Dora the Explorer or Spongebob Squarepants on the bottle. They also have a really nice face stick that makes applying face sunscreen a breeze!

Our weather hasn’t been cooperating for a good UVA/UVB protection analysis on them yet, but I’ve tried them to the best of my ability and had good results. They do set in well and don’t leave a residue and I like the price and most of the ingredients are safe. They do contain benzyl alcohol, known for neurotoxicity, and zinc oxide, which is a questionable ingredient in the natural-living world because of organ system toxicity and enhanced absorption (thus why they set in so well), but some people could overlook that. I, personally, would only use this sunscreen limitedly on my children because of these ingredients and because Environmental Working Group, a site I use frequently for checking chemical levels in children’s products, gave it a ‘3’ rating because of its moderate health hazard. Overall, that’s very good, but for my children I’d want something a little better rated. I would, however, use this sunscreen on myself and not fear the dangers of it, as it really does rate better than most mainstream sunscreens.

You can purchase Sunbow sunscreens online at SunbowSunscreen.com and Drugstore.com.


Thank you to Sunbow for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon.

Review: SmartShield SPF15 Self Tanner

Up until my mid teenage years, I use to bake myself in the sun to give myself color. From that point on, I tried to heed all the warnings about harmful UV rays by using self tanning lotions when I wanted to look a little less pale. After trying one self tanner after another, I decided it was not worth all the extra work. No matter how much I washed my hands after applying them, my palms would still look browned. Plus I needed to exfoliate my skin constantly to avoid have patches of brown dead skin on my body.

Now many years later, I agreed to try this new SmartShield Self Tanner. What drew me to this product is the fact that it contains no dyes. Instead of staining my skin, it actually causes my body to produce extra melanin, which makes my skin darker. I was worried about using this product in place of my regular body lotion because my skin gets dry all year round. So far the SmartShield, which is oil-free and contains vitamins A, C, and E and aloe vera, has done a fine job of keeping my skin moisturized. This product is also gentle enough to use on children 6 months old and up.

I honestly did not know what to expect from this product. I did not know how many applications it took to see results or how long the results would last. From what I can tell, the building of color is very gradual. To achieve the results below, I used the SmartShield Self Tanner every other day for a week (a total of 4 times). I was able to detect some visible results after the first application.

Before

After

If you are looking for a deep dark tan, this is not the product for you. This product yields a natural-looking tan. I do think that you would need to use the lotion once a day to maintain this soft glow.

The SmartShield Self Tanner contains Avobenzone, which helps to block UVB and UVA rays. I would like to see this product available with an SPF higher than 15, otherwise it is only practical for sun protection while running errands and not for outdoor activities which require prolonged sun exposure.

This product retails for $12.99 for a 4.5 FL oz bottle and can be ordered directly from Smartshield.com, where you will also find sunscreen, lip balm, and insect repellent. For a limited time, SmartShield.com is offering Free Shipping on orders of $50 or more. You can also find SmartShield products at select outdoor retailers.

Thank you to SmartShield for sending us a sample product free of charge to base this review upon.