I believe sun protection should be very familiar to all Malaysian girls, because our place is hot all year round. Sun protection is already something we must do every day. Because as long as there is a place where the sun shines, whether it is direct or indirect light, even if it is cloudy, there will be ultraviolet rays.
Then why do we have to do sunscreen? The main reason must be one thing, it is to avoid getting tanned and freckles. Because there is a saying so, 【a white complexion is powerful enough to hide seven faults】 Therefore, most Asian girls hope that their skin is as fair as possible. Another thing you might not know is Ultraviolet rays increase the risk of skin cancer.
So not just for appearance, also for the sake of our health, we should also do a good job of sun protection. The basic sunscreen action you can do is to hold an umbrella, wear long-sleeved clothes, hats and glasses or just avoid the sun, the sunshine from 10am to 2pm is the strongest,
So it’s best to stay indoors at this time. If it is necessary to go out or where you stay indoors
is exposed to sunlight indirectly, It is best to apply sunscreen.
There are 2 kinds of sunscreen ingredients. The first is the Physical sunscreen ingredient,
There are 2 type of physical sunscreens, namely Titanium dioxide and Zinc oxide. The physical sunscreen has a protective effect as soon as it is applied. Because it directly reflects ultraviolet rays. It will not be absorbed by the skin, it just forms a barrier on the skin, achieving the sunscreen effect by physically blocking ultraviolet rays. It will be looking white on face when applied, it seems to be a layer of powder, and it is sticky. So if you have oily acne skin, It is best not to use this type of sunscreen.
Because it will burden your skin, I’m afraid it will worsen the acne situation. But now I see many sunscreen products on the market are very clear and refreshing, so it also depends on the texture of the product. In fact, as long as it is not too oily, it can still be used for oily skin.
Then because physical sunscreen will not be absorbed by the skin, so it is more suitable for people with sensitive skin, children and pregnant women.
What about the second sunscreen ingredient? Chemical sunscreen will first absorb ultraviolet rays, and convert this harmful ultraviolet light into low-energy harmless heat energy and then refracts it. At the same time, it also has the function of reflecting ultraviolet rays.
The ingredients I listed here are all chemical sunscreen ingredients:
Aminobenzoic acid (PABA), Avobenzone, Cinoxate, Dioxybenzone, Ecamsule,Homosalate,Methyl anthranilate(Meradimate),Octocrylene,Octyl methoxycinnamate(Octinoxate),Octocrylene, Octyl methoxycinnamate(Octinoxate), Octyl salicylate, Octyl salicylate, Oxybenzone, Padimate O, Phenylbenzimidazole sulfuric acid(Endulizole), Sulfisobenzone, Trolamine salicylate
The molecules of chemical sunscreen are relatively small, can penetrate into the stratum corneum and be absorbed by the skin, so the irritation will be relatively high, not very suitable for sensitive skin. Its texture is usually more refreshing. So people with oily skin can choose this type of sunscreen.
Besides looking at skin condition, what else should we consider when choosing sunscreen?
I believe that when you buy sunscreen products, you should usually see the two indexes PA and SPF. PA is the anti-UVA index. The lowest is PA +, the highest is PA++++. The higher the value, the stronger the UVA resistance. What is UVA? The wavelength of UVA is relatively long. It will penetrate our skin to reach the inner layer, causing skin aging, wrinkles and suntan.
The second index, SPF (sun protection factor). This is the anti-UVB index. The wavelength of UVB is relatively short. It will directly cause our skin to be sunburned and red. The higher the SPF index, the longer it can resist UVB. Your skin will take a longer time to be sunburned and red. Of course, this timing may be shortened due to many factors. For example, sweating, contact with water, or not applying enough, will shorten or weaken this anti-UVB effect.
But don’t because you want higher UVB resistance, so you choose the highest SPF all the time. Because the higher the SPF, the oilier the texture will be, this will cause a burden on your skin and you will be prone to acne.
So actually it still depends on your scope of activity. If you just stay indoors, the exposure time under the sun is not exceeding 20 minutes continuously. In fact, you can use SPF 15-30. Because research shows that SPF 15 or higher is actually sufficient to reduce the risk of skin cancer and sun damage. Then if you go outdoors, and you expect you will be under the sun all day, So above SPF50, PA 4+ is more suitable. Then if you do something that causes you to sweat profusely, For activities that come into contact with water, it’s best to use waterproof ones. And after the activity, you should touch up immediately or replenish it according to the duration of the product’s efficacy. Usually for water resistant sunscreen products, the package will indicate that it can withstand 40 or 80 mins in contact with water.
And sometimes when you buy sunscreen products, You may see the word broad spectrum, this indicates that this product cover UVA and UVB, It’s a good thing. or there will be a logo, just a circle with UVA written in the middle. This also means that the sunscreen is broad spectrum.
Then, how long and how much do I need to apply sunscreen? Chemical sunscreen needs to be applied 30 minutes before exposed to sunlight. Because it needs to be absorbed by our skin to work. If it’s physical sunscreen, you can actually go out immediately after applying it. Because it’s sunscreen effect is onset from the moment you apply it. But in fact, many sunscreen products on the market are mixed. So I think if you don’t have to remember so hardly
Should you apply it 30 minutes before or apply it right before you go out. For safety’s sake, you can apply it 30 minutes before for all. How much sunscreen to apply is sufficient?
If you apply the whole body and the face, it needs about 2 tablespoons.
If you just apply on your face, it’s about the size of a 20 cents coin, then apply it on the entire face evenly. And also reapply it every two hours!
But to be honest, I have no way to touch up every two hours. So for this matter, just try your best. In fact, you can choose to use the powder foundation with a sun protection effect when touching up. Because it’s more convenient when you are outside. And it’s not so greasy, and you can touch up makeup by the way.
I am using these 2 sunscreens currently.
If I go outdoors, I will apply Biore UV bright milk with SPF 50, PA++++ It is a combination sunscreen. Then it has a brightening effect, There will be a bit of nude makeup concealer effect. So if it’s not for heavy makeup, basically you can use this without applying foundation. Its texture is very very watery, so it’s very easy to apply, it is natural and easy to absorb after application.
Then another one, urban shield radiant day lotion from Pure Beauty., its SPF is only 20. It contains sunscreen ingredients. But I don’t know if it belongs to the category of sunscreen. It is the Here it says made in Korea, But I think it’s a brand owned by Watson or a brand brought in by Watson, because it is only available in Watson. I bought this because I asked Watson’s beauty consultant, and requested her to introduce me to a sunscreen suitable for indoor use, with SPF not being too high, so she introduced me to this one. According to her, this product is suitable for office ladies. For example, if you stay indoors for a long time and then face the computer, screen and LED lights, this is suitable for you, because this thing can block blue light. Blue light will cause our skin to age and melanin precipitation. So the sunscreen ingredients in it can help us block these blue light. And there are some antioxidants in it, these are all helpful for skin anti-aging and reducing dark spots.
Its texture is really like lotion, it’s a white emulsion. After applying it, there is no concealer effect at all. It’s just like the effect that we usually apply serum and day cream.
In this era, the time facing the computer, the screen of the phone is very long,
So even if you don’t go indoors, I still recommend that you apply some sunscreen with relatively low SPF.
Then there is one more thing I want to remind, if you go to Hawaii and Palau, pay attention to this because these two places have begun to ban certain chemical sunscreen ingredients.
Hawaii has banned two ingredients, they are Octinoxate and Oxybenzone.
Octinoxate will affect the hormones of some marine organisms, causes them to change gender, from male to female. Oxybenzone will cause coral bleaching and death.
These two components are also banned in Palau, other sunscreen ingredients that are banned in Palau, they are Octocrylene and 4-Methylbenzylidene Camphor.
So if you don’t want to be fined while going to these two places, please jot down these ingredients. When buying sunscreen products, avoid buying those that contain these ingredients.
