I am obsessed with sunscreen. I use sunscreen every single day, without skipping. I use it when I am going to the office, on a hot day, on a cloudy day; I use it when I am just staying at home all day. Additionally, I almost always reapply my sunscreen after 4 hours; sometimes I skip it or just forgot. It is because I just started the habit of reapplying sunscreen. Some of you may think, I am too much or it such a burden to wear sunscreen every day plus reapplying it every few hours. Well, for me it is not a burden at all. I love doing it. I cannot be without it. Even when I just stay at home, I will feel something is off if I don’t apply sunscreen.
I become obsessed with sunscreen also because I found the sunscreens that suit me very well. The things I consider before choosing sunscreen:
- The Texture
I have oily skin, so I always look for a product that does not give heavy feeling when I use it. I choose gel texture or creamy but watery texture. That dries up and absorb to the skin pretty quickly. There is also creamy sunscreen that gives more moisture for dry skin. When looking for the sunscreen you might want to consider your skin type and needs.
- The Protection
SPF stands for sun protection factor. SPF is a measure of how well a sunscreen will protect skin from UVB rays. Usually, sunscreen product will offer various amount such as SPF 15, SPF 30, SPF 50 and some contain SPF 100. Essentially, from what I have read, SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays while SPF 50 blocks 98% of UVB rays. The difference is only 1 %. However, I aim for SPF 50 and PA ++++ sunscreen for better sun protection. For me, even 1% matter. And using SPF 50 sunscreen just make me feel safer. Why don’t I wear SPF 100 then? Nope, there is not much of difference besides the thicker texture.
Wearing SPF 50 does not mean you can stay too long under the sun exposure, make sure you reapply it every 2 to 3 hours.
- The Price
I prefer sunscreens that have a price range between Rp 150.000 to Ro 200.000 because I wear my sunscreen a lot and finish one bottle of 30 ml within a month. I always have 2 bottles of sunscreen as a backup. I generously apply it on my skin. If I buy an expensive one I will hesitate to use it in a proper amount. So I need cheaper and effective sunscreen. Usually, Korean or Japanese brands have a variety of affordable sunscreens, such as etude house, Biore, kose, apieu or cosrx.
- The Skin Reaction
Sunscreen can be tricky. I refuse to use sunscreen back then because most sunscreen I tried always end up giving me pimples. I need to test it out for at least 1 week to see how my skin reacts. Certain sunscreen does not go well with my vitamin c serum. So I need to pay attention to the skin reaction to the product and also the combination with the other skincare product in my routine.
- The White Cast
The most annoying thing is when you try a sunscreen, and it matches your skin very well but it has a crazy white cast. After application, the face will look like it has a thin layer of white cast that does not match your skin. The white cast is caused by titanium dioxide. You can overcome this problem. I often use bronzer to balance the white cast on my face.
The sunscreen I use:
Biore Perfect Milk SPF 50+ PA++++
Etude House Sunprise Mild Airy Finish SPF 50+ PA+++
Kose Suncut Essence in UV Protect Spray SPF 50+ PA++++
I hope you will have a general consideration of how to choose the right sunscreen for your skin. Finally, the best sunscreen for you is the one that you will love to wear every single day and do not forget to reapply after a few hours.
ND PASSION 