youm0nt

so whats the "best" sun block to use?something that doesnt sting your eyes and feels light on the skin.what do you all use?

Delta

And this one for the face.

twahl

I use several different ones. I hate spending money on the stuff, especially with 4 of us riding, but it's better than burn and cancer. I'll use about anything on arms and legs, but I like a spray so the new Coppertone continuous spray is a good base.

For my face I like Bullfrog spray. This stuff doesn't run down your face and in your eyes, it stays where you put it. Close my eyes and spray, eyelids and all, and have never had a sting from sweating and this stuff rolling into my eyes.

HiYoSilver

see my thread on sunburn. You want physical blockers with Ti dioxide or zinc. Most popular chemical sunscreens loose effectiveness after about one hour. There are also reports of 9x increase in cancer in those using chemical sunscreens. None of the chemical sunscreens block both UVA and UVB. Other alternative is to wear SPF shirts/jerseys or treat jerseys to raise SPF from 5 to 30. See thread on SPF 50 shirts for more details.

FYI the new zinc/ti sunblocks are microlized so they are not as white as the old sunguard nose sunblock.

shokhead

Non-oily spray.

ken cummings

Oh yes. Anything else is just a sun-screen. One of my greatest memories of the wonders of Science was when I walked into a Turkish Pharmacy (Apteek) looking for some sunblock before going mountain climbing. I had no Turkish and he had no English. Round and round. Until I had that AH HA! moment and wrote ZnO2 on some paper. Big smile on his face and he got me a tube of Zinc Oxide sunblock. Like Latin for plant names, the table of Elements is universal.

Onomatopoeia

Bullfrog is my favorite. It's one of the few that I don't sweat out and turn ghostly white... Beware of the one that uses alcohol in it though--I woke up half the neighborhood the morning I put it on right after shaving. The corollary is to always read the label carefully...

youm0nt

https://www.drugstore.com/products/pr...-PLST-0-SEARCH

how about this product?it has titanium dioxide but no zinc oxide.

Sporkinum

My problem is that the sunblock stains around the collar and sleeves of my shirts. It doesn't wash out either.

caroline_c

i use nature's gate sport block. it's not oily, doesn't stain my clothes, SPF 30, largely natural ingredients, and not tested on animals.

BillyBob

What kind of marketing is sun proof shirts? I never heard of such a thing. My regular clothes prevent me from getting a sun tan. Why would I need to buy a special shirt?

CommuterRun

I haven't found one that doesn't sting the eyes, but then I haven't tried the Bullfrog spray that Twahl mentions.

Any waterproof SPF 30 is good if applied properly.

I was told by a Dermatologist, a while back, that any SPF over 30 is a waste. Because in order to be effective, sunblock has to be periodically reapplied and the extended amount of time that a higher SPF would give is rendered moot by reapplication. That being said, any sunblock is better than no sunblock.

I use whatever's on sale when I need it.

RonH

At home I have Neutrogena SPF45 Age Shield sunblock.
I carry Hawaiian Tropic Ozone 50+ in my panniers on my commuter. Never know when I'll be out and about during the day.

Cyclist01012

Bullfrog. without a doubt the best I have used......It wont sweat off.

wabbit

I use 60 SPF Antihelios on my face- it's a bit more expensive but worth it.

I also like Coppertone sport (45) and Neutrogena. Both are non gooey. I usually use 45 but if it's later in the day or not really sunny I'll use 30 and I'll be okay.But on every ride I always put sunscreen on my face, 45, 50 or 60, depending on the length of the ride and the UV index. I tried Hawaiin tropic (greasy). Another one I like is Ombrelle by L'Oreal.

SimiCyclist

+1

Some of the brands mentioned here do not contain Titanium dioxide or zinc oxide (Bullfrog and Coppertone). So while they may keep you from getting burned from the UVA rays, they don't protect you from the cancer causing UVB rays. I use Blue Lizard, which has both Ti dioxide and zinc oxide.

https://www.crownlaboratories.com/blu.../products.html

CommuterRun

^^I have a tube of Blue Lizard that another skin cancer survivor gave me recently. I haven't tried it yet, trying to use up all the other that I have around here first.

It's good stuff?

donnamb 

It's a nice sunscreen, but be careful if you or anyone you live with has a problem with tree nut allergies. We discovered my housemate is allergic to kola nut, in addition to most other tree nuts, when she sat on the couch after me when I had Nature's Gate on. Spent a delightful evening in the emergency room. She's allergic to "natural" colas that use real kola nut for flavoring, too.

youm0nt

that blue lizard looks like good stuff! i was looking for something with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.wouldnt "10 percent Zinc Oxide, 5 percent Titanium Dioxide" be better than the other sunblocks they have?

SimiCyclist

Right. I use the "Sensitive" or "Baby" product, which has both Ti Dioxide and Zinc Oxide.

slowandsteady

Neutrogena oil free stick is the only one I can wear without feeling like I am wearing a grease sweater on my face.

chromedome

Somebody mentioned blocking both UVA and UVB, which is the right idea.

I read a brief article about SPF 45 blocks about 98% of UVA and UVB, SPF 30 blocks about 96.5% and SPF blocks 95%. But since then I've lost the article, so I don't have the article title or author's name. Maybe a google search, but I'm too lazy.

I avoid getting it in my eyes by not putting it on my forehead, which I figure is covered by a cap and helmut. I also follow the directions by putting it on 20 or so minutes before I go into the sun. I reapply every couple of hours, or when I stop for a rest, or if its looking like I'll be heading into the sun for an extended period of time.

roadie gal

I've had problems with sweating the Bullfrog into my eyes. OUCH!

I now use Aloe Gator. I get the sp 40 Baby Gator. I've been very happy with how it works, and it doesn't hurt when you sweat it into your eyes.