Spray on sunblock?

[Packman Pete]

Are there any good brands of spray on sunscreen? While we're at it, are there any spray on sunscreens with insect repellent? If not, there should be. I despise smearing gloopy gloop all over my body, and I can't be the only one.

Thanks!

[Daniel Pittman]

Never tried it myself. I hate wearing sunscreen unless I'm on the water. I'm a 'hat and clothing' type sunscreener. Here's a link.

[Ian]

I'll try to find her blog and post it here later but my friend invested a lot of time into researching different sunblocks after her daughter was diagnosed with skin cancer. Bottom line was that she couldn't recommend any of the spray on sunblocks. At least not the aerosol ones. We do a lot of boating and I haven't found any that work either.

Edit: here's the link

http://littlestwarriorspot.com/2011/06/20/sunscreen-101/?blogsub=confirming#blog_subscription-5

[Jerry Adams]

According to http://www.ewg.org/2012sunscreen/

sunscreens aren't very effective

they will prevent sunburn, but don't block UVA and UVB which cause skin cancer and skin ageing

they can actually make things worse if you stay out longer because you're not getting burned, so get more UVA and UVB exposure

best – stay out of the sun – easy to do in Portland

or wear sun hat with brim, long sleeves, long pants

zinc and titanium are better at blocking UVA and UVB because they stay on surface, but that means they wipe or sweat off easily, kind of messy

they say avobenzone is better than oxybenzone or retinol which can cause cancer themselves

there's a lot of uncertainty about all of this

[Cayenne Redmonk]

Kinesys

[Daniel Pittman]

The Sawyer website has some pretty good information on sunscreen ratings, ingredients, etc.

I do like Kinesys sprays, but I spray it on my hands then rub it on my neck and face. I use a waterproof spf30 stick on my ears, nose, and lips. But a good hat and long sleeves and pants trumps any sunscreen.

[thrillhouse 617]

If I have to use a spray it's Neutrogena Ultra Sheer. It dries good and isn't greasy at all.

[Packman Pete]

I am thru hiking the Oregon PCT in August. Apparently it can get miserably hot in stretches, and I am the guy who hikes in shorts even when it's snowing. I just can't see myself in long pants when it's 90 degrees. And, I'm the guy who goes from pale skin to red skin with no tan skin in between. Portland has made me a wimp around the sunshine. Is it really that sunny along the PCT, or should I expect mostly shade?

[Jerry Adams]

Usually lots of sun, and it's high in the sky and you're at altitude so it's worse. I've done only maybe 10% of PCT through Oregon but from my experience there's a lot of shade, but also a lot of clear areas.

Sunscreen does prevent sunburn and you don't want severe sunburn.

I've always liked shorts and no shirt, but I've been trying loose fitting long shirt and pants and maybe it's not that bad.

[Daniel Pittman]

Seriously, you sound like a good candidate for an umbrella.

[Dale Wambaugh]

An umbrella is good for the head and shoulders, but not so much for the legs.

Get a tube of good stuff and just get used to slathering it on, or hike with a helper ;)

[Kent C.]

Pete, like you, I burn very easily. From shorts up, it's wide-brimmed hat & RR L/s shirt. But I too hate long pants and avoid whenever possible

For the last couple years I have had success using Banana Boat skin & scalp spray-on (pump) and have not gotten my legs burned at all. Saw it in the store a couple days ago, so it's still avail.

This is the only pump spray I've found. Pump is important to me because it's easy to repackage into a smaller pump-spray bottle for only a few days' use.

Be sure to spread out the droplets as soon as you spray on though! One time I didn't and got a "polka dot" sun burn!

Finally, it's been a while, but as I recall, Consumer Reports has found combo sunsrceen/repellant to be less effective than each separately (especially the repellant part).

[Monty Montana]

I'll second the recommendation for Banana Boat Quick Dri Body and Scalp sunscreen. It's not oily or greasy, dries dry, and one of the active ingredients is avobenzone. The only con is the added fragrance…why do manufacturers always feel they must add stink-nice to their products? It's just a potential bear attractant in my book. So even though I use this product, I mainly rely on a big brimmed hat (no wussy, fashionista baseball cap) and long sleeved shirt. Since I'm not one of them thar Southern California sun worshipers, I don't care if I don't turn bronze during the summer…I kinda like that as a senior I still have unwrinkled, baby-soft skin!

[Author]

Posts