Sunscreen With Vitamin D & What Sunscreen I’m Using This Summer

Written by Maia, President

With temperatures feeling distinctly summer-like in much of the country, I’m not surprised that many of you are asking about my top sunscreen recommendation, and what I put on my own children.

Here’s the truth: my kids don’t wear sunscreen every day, even in the summer. Of course, if we are at the beach or even at the park for hours, I slather them up. But I’m convinced that some vitamin D is good for us, and that it’s hard to get enough from food or even supplements (if you do want to supplement, this is the one I give my kids).

You’ll have to decide how much sun, if any, you feel comfortable allowing your kids to have before applying sunscreen. Mine can handle an hour or so before they are at risk of turning pink, depending on the time of day and if they are in and out of direct sunlight (if we are at the beach midday, I wouldn’t do more than about 20 minutes). It’s worth noting that a client’s friend is a dermatologist specializing in melanoma and she feels that children shouldn’t be in ANY direct sunlight between the hours of 10:00 and 2:00.

Anyway, back to the question of the best sunscreen. I think there are two:

1) Kabana Green Screen has a short list of entirely safe ingredients (including zero chemical sunscreens and non-nano zinc oxide), and it is the only sunscreen on the market that contains added vitamin D, which can safely be delivered transdermally. If your kids wear sunscreen whenever they are outside, Kabana is a clear winner.

2) Despite my high regard for Kabana Green Screen, it’s actually not what we are using this summer. Although I figured out a way to apply it so it leaves almost no white sheen (the trick is rubbing it in VERY quickly after squeezing it onto the skin), my kids still hate the application process. Because of this, Babo Sheer Zinc Continuous Spray has been a total game-changer, and it’s all we use.

What’s your favorite natural sunscreen?

Stay sane,

P.S. We were reminded of the importance of reapplying sunscreen throughout the day after a 4-hour canoe ride resulted in pink thighs for my son–his first ever sunburn! 🙁 I felt terribly!

(By the way, this was his first canoe ride and he LOVED it, proving my mom’s point that kids need more time in nature!)