The Best Sunscreens That Protect & Nourish Your Skin

You guys know that I am a huge stickler for wearing sunscreen every day, and I often buy makeup products that have SPF in them because I always want to keep my skin protected.  In California there’s no escaping the sun! It’s always important to wear sunscreen, especially during the summer months when the sun can be more intense. You NEED to protect yourself from harmful UVA and UVB rays that can cause irreversible damage. UVA rays can be dangerous because they can penetrate the layers of your skin, causing wrinkles and aging. UVB rays will hit the top layers of your skin and can cause burning and skin cancer. You need to lather up, but I know you also don’t want to walk around with a heavy, pasty film all over your face, because that’s never a good look. So today I want to share a few of my favorite face sunscreens with you guys. I even wear these if I am not planning on going out, because I get lots of natural light in my living room and office. If you are in an work/live environment that gets natural light coming through your windows, you should know that windows don’t protect you from all UV rays. That sun streaming inside your home isn’t necessarily as harmful as it is outdoors, but you are still exposed to UVA, which can harm your skin.

Now that you know why you should always protect your skin, here are a few of the best face sunscreens and why I recommend them.

Clarin’s Sunscreen Multi-Protection Broad Spectrum SPF 50
This is by far my favorite sunscreen. If you’re going to be outside for a long day of hiking, chilling at the beach, or lounging by a pool, this is the sunscreen to have on you. It protects you from UVA/UVB rays, pollution, and free radicals, but it also contains ingredients that will improve your skin’s texture and tone. What does this all mean? Well, it’ll keep your skin young and healthy, reducing your chances of dark spots and wrinkles due to the sun. You’ll also love how lightweight it is. Plus, it never looks greasy or leaves a white cast if you accidenty apply to much product.  It’s a little bit costly at $42, but SO worth it! My husband and my brother love this stuff too so we go through a lot of it.

Kiehls Super Fluid UV Defense SPF 50
This sunscreen is another nice lightweight formula with SPF 50. This product contains Vitamin E which helps nourish and protect your skin. It also claims to protect against 90% of aging signs, like wrinkles and uneven skin tone. While I love the texture of this formula I’m not a huge fan of the scent, but we all have our own fragrance preferences, right? It’s still a great sunscreen that I would definitely recommend.

Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30
I am a huge fan of a moisturizer with built-in SPF. It’s not necessarily the only SPF I use each day, but it’s super helpful to incorporate this moisturizer with spf into my beauty routine. This would be one I would recommend to wear under your makeup, or on days you want to go makeup-free. There’s a little bit of mica in this moisturizer, which gives your skin a subtle glow that is so lovely. This product helps to even out your skin tone and improve typical signs of sun damage. It’s also oil free so it won’t make your skin look greasy.

Quick Tip: if you’re at a summer party and you’re going to be taking lots of pictures, a sunscreen with an SPF higher than 15 will cause flash back. Keep this in mind at night, if you’ll be using your camera flash.

Summer is such a beautiful season, and there are too many fun things to do than to stay inside all day because of the sun. Just make sure to use a great face and body sunscreen to protect yourself indoors and outdoors. Your skin will thank you (so will your health!).

What are some of your favorite summer activities? Let me know in the comments!

Image by Imaxtree via Byrdie