It’s hard to believe this is the final post in our 2-week “Safe in the Sun” series! To recap, we’ve talked about:
- Sunscreen vs. Sun Exposure: Risks & Benefits
- The Benefits of Sun Exposure
- Minimizing the Risk of Too Much Sun Exposure While Maximizing the Sun’s Benefits
- 5 Homemade Sunscreen Recipes
- Our 3 natural sunscreen reviews: TruKid, Kabana and MelanSol
Overall, I gave all of the sunscreens a positive review. My family didn’t burn while wearing any of them, and the ingredients in each one are much better than what you would find in a conventional sunscreen.
But you may be wondering: Which one is my favorite? Which one would I buy my family if I were you? (I received all 3 brands free of charge for my reviews.)
Well, it depends. Here are my top favorite features of each one, and at the bottom I will tell you my favorite. 😉
TruKid
Pros:
- chemical-free ingredients (and no vitamin A!)
- perfect consistency
- smells amazing
- perfect for kids
Con:
Pricey
Kabana Organic Skincare Natural Sunscreen
Pros:
- top-knotch ingredients–NO petrochemicals!
- very few ingredients (6-9), and I could recognize them all
- added vitamin D3
- SPF testing data available to public
- tinted versions can double as make-up 😉
Cons:
- The SPF 35 version is a bit chalky.
- Pricey
MelanSol
Pros:
- antioxidant ingredients
- rubs in well
- My favorite feature is that it starts working immediately…no need to apply in advance!
Cons:
- Pricey
*Get MelanSol for 25% off through 8/15/12 using code: HUMBLE1!
And for my absolute favorite of all 3?! Drum Roll….
Kabana Organic Skincare! If money were absolutely no issue, this is the sunscreen I would go with every summer. The company website is chock full of helpful information about both sunscreens and sun exposure, and the ingredients are the best you will find. I love that there are no petrochemicals in this sunscreen!
Now…if price were (and, honestly, it is an issue with my family) what would I do?
I’d make my own. In fact, next summer, that’s what I plan on doing–using one (or more than one) of the 5 recipes listed in Wednesday’s post.
But…to be completely honest…I hope I have some Kabana leftover–because I truly love this sunscreen!
Would I buy the others? Yes, I absolutely would buy the others over the store brands.
Anne @ Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy
Good to know! Thanks for doing all the research and testing for the rest of us 🙂
Erin
You’re welcome! I imagine your reviews would be similar to mine.;)
Alicia
Thank you for doing all of this research! Are all three of these sunscreens free of vitamin A? I’m in the process of trying to find a good sunscreen for my fiancé. He is very fair skinned, has a history of skin cancer in his family and his job requires him to be outside literally all day long. Usually from 7am-7pm during the summers. And hes always turning red. I don’t feel right about buying him the name brand sunscreens he’s used to using, but I also obviously don’t want to not have him wear anything. Are all three of these proven to be the kind that don’t increase skin cancer risk? Is there one in particular you’d recommend for him? Of these or the homemade kind? I know you aren’t a doctor but you seem to know your stuff when it comes to this topic. 🙂
Heather
Ava Anderson Non Toxic avaSUN line is my favorite and what I would recommend for a truly safe sun protection.