natural sunscreen - Stuff Parents Need

Affiliate links may be included. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

I’m a firm believer that if you are spending the day outside with your kids and any part of that day is going to involve water activity (beach, pool, splash park, etc.) then spray on sunscreen is totally the way to go. Ounce for ounce it’s quite a bit more expensive than the lotion, but the convenience factor makes it worth every single penny.

Except there’s a problem: spray on sunscreens have a reputation as being unsafe, because you don’t want to inhale those nasty chemicals and that’s exactly what will happen when you spray them on.

And this is why I turn to Honest Company for my spray on sunscreen option. It’s a mineral-based product and doesn’t have any of the junk that your lungs need to avoid. It’s SPF coverage isn’t sky high (it’s 30) but if you research SPF a bit, you’ll quickly learn that there’s not much of a point of anything beyond 30, anyway. The truth is simply that you need to reapply your sunscreen fairly often if you plan to be outside for a while.

I find the coverage to be even and generous with Honest Mineral Sunscreen Spray, and because it is white when it comes out, you can see exactly where you sprayed and where you didn’t. Unlike other sprays, though, you will need to rub this one in a bit. It only takes seconds, and I supposed it isn’t necessary, but you will look like someone who walked through a splatter paint party if you don’t.

And now for a warning about this stuff: do NOT apply it inside your house or while standing on something you really care about (like your back deck). We have stains on our deck from this stuff because it does not wash off. Learn from our mistakes and put this stuff on while on the grass.

Honest Company sells this product for $13.95, but to get the best price you need to add it to a bundle order, as a bundle of 5 items costs just $7.20 per item, which almost cuts the cost in half. The only bummer is that you can only order 1 spray sunscreen per bundle (I would have purchased 5 at once if it had been allowed!). But you can add up to 3 additional items to your bundle for 25% off, and you can do sunscreen for all 3 of those slots if you want. The price per bottle at 25% off is $10.46, which is competitive with other spray on sunscreens your find at brick and mortar stores, only minus the nasty chemicals.

The product isn’t perfect, especially with the staining factor on hard surfaces, but it’s still my go-to for my kids. I don’t like having to tell my kids to hold their breath while I apply something to their skin, because if it’s that bad for their lungs, why would I slather it all over their largest organ (the skin), too?

Looking for more product recommendations (and tips on what to avoid)? I have a long and growing list of Honest Company reviews that you can check out to help you pick out the best of the best from this company before you make your purchase.

About a month ago I was at the zoo with a friend. We had a “sighting” while we were there. As we were checking out the macaw exhibit, something through the bushes caught our eye. It was something unusual and unexpected just beyond the greenery.

Was it some sort of animal, escaped from its cage? No, silly. It was WAY cooler than that!

It was….

wait for it….

A WATER PARK!

(Image from rain-drop.com)

Yes, true story, there’s a water park in my city and my friend and I had no clue it existed. It’s part of our public pool system. It costs just $3 to go. What an amazing find! We literally spied it while we were strolling around at the zoo, and we vowed to figure out what it was and get ourselves over there.

I should also mention that this place is a 6 minute drive from my house. Life is good, people!

On Mondays between 5-7 pm they offer family night. Everyone in your family can get in for just $5 total! I also like the timeframe for two reasons. First, it’s just after work for Tim, so the whole family can go. There’s no way I could handle both littles by myself!

The second reason I like the timeframe is because this is after the peak sun hours. Since melanoma runs in Tim’s family, it is especially important that we limit our exposure to the sun during those hours.

But even though the rays are not at their most powerful from 5-7, you can definitely still get sunburned. So we lather on the sunscreen before we head over there, and usually reapply once after we’ve been there an hour.

Lately we’ve been using these great products from Beyond Coastal. These products are natural, so icky and questionable chemicals are nowhere to be found in the entire line. Love that! I have never enjoyed having one set of sunscreens for Darah and a different set for us. We should all be using the same stuff! I’m guessing if ingredients aren’t good for Darah, they probably aren’t good for the grownups, either. The Beyond Coastal line is great for everyone.

I have enjoyed trying all the products in the line, but I think my very favorite is the face stick, which is SO easy to apply on squirmy and impatient toddlers. I like the thick, quick application!

As you head into the summer months, be sure that you are well-stocked with sunscreen, and skip the stuff with nasty additives and go straight for the good stuff, like Beyond Coastal!

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader will will a Beyond Coastal prize pack (pictured below)! ARV $36!