We love the enthusiasm behind skin care these days, and the amount of DIY-facials and skin care tricks we see on social media! Suddenly everyone is slapping their faces, gua sha-ing, and becoming mad scientists in their bathrooms. But there are a couple trends that could be doing more harm than good, for instance, mixing your sunscreen with oils to make a more even spread and dewy finish. Read on to find out why that could be setting you up for UV damage, and for four more sunscreen tips.
1. Don’t mix your sunscreen with anything else. This is a huge don’t! We know it’s fun to be little chemists in the bathroom, mixing up potions, but if you mix your sunscreen with anything, it dilutes the concentration. This makes it less effective, so the SPF you read on the bottle will be lower as a consequence.
2. Don’t use facial oils under sunscreen. Since oil is great at breaking down products (think: double cleansing) oil might also be breaking down the sunscreen. It could also affect sunscreen’s water resistance and how long it stays on the skin. Just to be safe, use your facial oil and sunscreens as different times of day.
3. Wear sunscreen even when indoors or at night. Wait what?!? Yes, you heard us! There are UV dangers even indoors, as UVA rays can pass through glass, and because incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs give off UV rays. Just when you thought you were safe. We love blue light blocking sunscreen by @supergoop.
4. Be sure to check the expiration date! Most sunscreens expire after three years. Things that shorten how long it will last include exposing it to excessive heat (like in your car) or in the direct sun. Be sure to store in in the shade or wrap it in a towel at the beach to ensure it will last until expiration.
5. Set an alarm to reapply. Sunscreen must be reapplied every 2 hours. Also, did you know chemical sunscreen takes 20 minutes to soak in to become effective? No slapping it on and rushing out the door!