Which sunscreen brands are your favorites, and what SPF do you wear?

[hudsonam]

I am very excited to be leaving for a cruise this weekend, and I want to go buy some new sunscreen since I think all of ours are years and years old. What brands do you love? Also, what SPF do you usually wear? I usually wear 30 these days, and then if I ever get a base tan, which doesn't happen to much anymore, I'll go down to 15. I always use 30 on my face.

[o_mom]

I love the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer - it is not greasy feeling at all. I use it mainly on my face. I think it is 55 SPF. I try and get at least 30-45 for everywhere else. The spray on, no-rub stuff is great. We have a couple different brands of that - Coppertone and Blue Hawaiian, I think (it is all put away as we have overcast skys and 4 in of snow here).

[luvmypeanut]

I like the Neutrogena as well. Not greasy and my pharmacist mom said their products are really good. I'm not fair skinned and never burn so I use 30 or 45. But we live in Hawaii so anything less isn't an option for me.

[klwa]

I've liked Neutrogena, but it's just too expensive for extensive wear for me. Normally, I use Ocean Potion, SPF 50. (I'm very fair.) DS uses the "Baby" version, and so do I a lot of times.
-Kris

[jd11365]

For daily use, Neutrogena SPF 45 (but they make 30) Cooling Mist. Now, this is coming from someone who has had Melanoma, so I'm a sunscreen freak. That said, while I love that product for daily use, it's not what you want for beach use. If you plan to be in the water, sweating a lot, at a windy beach, you want a cream that you can rub deeply into your skin. The spray isn't penetrating enough for those conditions.

[Puddy73]

DC and I use Blue Lizard Baby SPF 30 when we go to the beach. It is pretty thick and a little oily, but it really stays on and protects well.

Jennifer
Mommy to Annabelle 9/08/03 & Finn 10/31/05

"If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane." - Jimmy Buffett

[table4three]

I completely agree with the recommendation for Neutrogena Ultra Sheer. I love it. I wear sunscreen daily year round and have tried a lot of brands and this is by far my favorite.

[maestramommy]

My all time favorite has been the Neutrogena SPF 45 that is dry. That is, there is something about it that when you put it on, feels dry rather than oily? I can't remember exactly how they label it, but it's on the tube as ".....dry". I used this all the time when I went climbing because the sun is very intense up there. Never got sunburned, and never irritated my skin or caused breakouts either, even after all day.

[katiesmommy]

I love the new spray on coppertone, it makes it much easier for me to remember to put it on. I don't have to rub it in and worry about missing spots. I usually use either a SPF 15 or 30

[MarisaSF]

The Neutrogena Ultra-Sheer SPF 45 or 55 is my go-to sunblock as well. Costco usually carries it in a 2-pack.

I don't like the spray-on, no-rub stuff (I tried the Coppertone Kids one once) because it smelled that awful aerosol spray smell.

[o_mom]

The Coppertone one is aerosol, but the other one we have (either Blue Hawaiian or Ocean Potion) is a pump. I only bought one of the Coppertone because it didn't seem to have as much in the bottle and ran out pretty fast. The other ones worked much better and no funny smell. It was a lifesaver last summer getting it on two squirmy, running toddlers! :-)

[JFC]

Ditto. I'm a big fan of the sprays from the ease-of-use factor. I love that I can even spray my own back. For a lotion, I LOVE Alba's lotions - facial, lavendar and regular. They are think and smell good and absorb into the skin wonderfully. At the beach I usually start of with Alba (applied at home) and then reapply often with the spray - especially after being in the water.

As for SPF - I'm a big 30/45 user. I've heard that 30 is more than sufficent as long as you reapply. My derm. recommends reapplying every 2-3 hours, and whenever you get out of the water. HTH!

[Tondi G]

we use neutrogena!

we love this spray ... my DS asks to put on sunscreen now! But don't use it on faces

http://www.neutrogena.com/ProductsDetails_325.asp?lProductLineID=15

then for faces and bodies for a good coating we use this

http://www.neutrogena.com/ProductsDetails_329.asp?lProductLineID=15

[bubbaray]

I buy new sunscreen each year.

For myself, I usually have the best luck with Coppertone Oil Free 30 on my face (I've tried pretty much everything on the market, most make my face break out horribly!). On my body, whatever. Usually start with 30, move to 15. I've used Neutrogena, its OK, but the Coppertone OilFree works much better on my face.

DH wears either Coppertone Sport 30 or No-Ad Sport 30, which has been renamed, but is from Walmart.

DD wears either Coppertone Waterbabies 45 or Disney (made by NoAd) 45 Baby. She reacts to pretty much every other sunscreen on the market.

Have a great trip!
Melissa

DD#1: 04/2004

DD#2: c/s 01/2007

[Twin Mom]

I like the Coopertone spray, but when you use the whole bottle up in 2 days on vacation, it is just not worth it. I usually use Ocean Potion brand for both myself and the kids. I buy the zinc face block in the tub for myself. I think it is SPF 50. I buy the spray for kids and usually just the lotion in the tube for me. Always SPF 30 or higher. Sometimes I use the Water Babies (Coppertone?) stick for my twins faces.

[denna]

For DS and the family we use California Baby SPF 30, it comes in a stick and a lotion.

Have a great trip!!!