Holiday Sunscreen Rules!

I've just got back from a sunny holiday, and despite the near constant reapplication of sunscreen, I have still caught the sun (my partner and child fared even worse, because of their refusal to exit the pool. I thought I'd share some pre holiday tips so I can come back to them next year.

This year we took away with us 3 x Altruist sun spray (250ml bottles) and 3 x 40 ml facial sunscreens, plus a matte sunscreen and SPF50 lip balm. All this for a family of three may seem like a bit much, but let's take the following into account.

• Dematologist advice varies but I would say 3 finger lengths of sunscreen is for the face and neck (about 5ml) and 30ml for the rest of the body is sufficient. 
• When it's sunny out, the rule is to reapply every two hours, and more often if you're in and out of the water. 
• Most water resistant formulations are only effective for up to 40 minutes in the water, and you'll have to reapply once you towel off.
• Research has shown that most people are wearing about 50% of the sunscreen required to protect skin effectively. My 750ml of sunscreen was enough to provide 23 applications of sunscreen - clearly not enough if we all reapplied the right amount every 2 hours!
• Apply sunscreen a good 20 minutes before heading out, to give the skin time to absorb the product properly so it can do its job. 

Have a look here for a great selection of my go to sunscreens. Have fun out there and stay safe 🌞