Amount of Sunscreen to bring?

[LK/JK]

IHi,
I'm sure this has been asked before so sorry for the repeat. We are going to be at CSA for 12 days and I'm trying to figure out type and quantity of sunscreen to bring. We both have done a few "Fake Bakes" to get a base tan but I have no doubt we'll still need alot of sunscreen. $20 to buy it at CSA seems excessive and we want to avoid it if possible.

Questions:

What brand do you have the best luck with?

Spray or lotion (a tube of lotion seems to last longer) ?

I have read that anything over SPF 30 is a waste. Opinion?

How many spray or lotions in your opinion do you think 2 mild skinned people from Boston will need?

Thanks,
James

[Carolem]

We used a can of spray lotion a day, We started with SPF 60 and worked our way down to 15 on the last day.

[redinthehead]

I like the walmart brand equate sport spf 50. Why pay extra for the name brand stuff. For the two of us for 8 days we bring 2 large bottles, plus some chap stick with spf protection.

The trick in not getting burned is to put the sunscreen on before you leave your room in the morning and then reapply after you get out of the water even if sunscreen claims to be water proof or every hour or so depending on skin type. As a red head I know how not to get burnt, lol

I dont like the spray as I think most of it is just blown away.

We'll be there in 6 days.

[sherrynchuck]

We like the Coppertone Sport as it's not at all greasy and has no odor. For 8 days we used about 2 bottles between the two of us, we may have opened a third but maybe for one days use. I have tried the Banana Boat Sport as well and while it seemed to work just as well as the Coppertone I found it to be a little more greasy.

The spray types will make your floor slick if applied in your room or on your verandah. If applied outside you have unpredictable coverage as they are so light any slight breeze will blow it away. I've tried the stuff at home and don't have good luck with it, I find I miss spots and then burn since I'm not covered. I also find I use more than with the lotions.

I have never heard that anything over SPF 30 is a waste, doesn't mean it isn't fact I just have never heard of it. A little google research wouldn't take long and would certainly reveal much info if you are concerned. Whatever SPF you decide to buy realize that a sunburn can really ruin your trip, don't skimp in order to come home with a great tan. The first few days use a good SPF and apply at least twice daily. If you want to come home with that great "we just had a beach vacation" tan bring a lower SPF for the latter part of the trip and you can use it when you see how you are tolerating the sun after the first few days.

[dirtleg]

Much of the spray on sun screen ends up making a slick spot on the floor, if you put it on in your room. We much prefer the lotions. We use spf 30 for the first three days then switch to spf 30 in the morning and spf 15 the rest of the day for the remainder of the week. We have used Banana Boat and the Target house brand lotions and been happy with them. We take two 8 to 10 oz. bottles of each spf to last the week.

[Fluffin]

I have to agree with Reds. As a blond I also burn very easily even though I pretan. We also use the Walmart Equate brand and have had great results. I start with the 50 for a couple days, then go to 30 for a few until I get to 15.

The exception is for my face. I recently discovered Neutrogena 70SPF after trying so many different sun blocks and all other types of products. This is the first product that I have found where I do not have a Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer look.

I also apply the lotion before leaving the room as it take about 20-30 minutes for it to soak into your skin and be effective. I can honestly say I do not reapply after I get out of the water. I may put some on my shoulders throughout the day but that is about it.

My friend introduced me to Vichy products a couple years ago. It is an excellent after sun and general skin repair product. Rather expensive but if you wish to prolong your tan or put a quick stop to a potential burn/peel situation this will work.

Have a great trip!!

[Vickyj]

What brand do you have the best luck with? I like Aveeno for my face--30 and I tan easily, but don't want to age any quicker than I already am. For the rest of me I like Australian Gold, hubby likes Banana Boat. For me it comes down more to scent.

Spray or lotion (a tube of lotion seems to last longer) ? Both. Spray for my back, lotion for the rest. But with spray, if you spray outside it goes everywhere, so be conscious of those around you who may not want to be spotted. You will go through spray much quicker.

I have read that anything over SPF 30 is a waste. Opinion? No, it is not. The difference is watch the label for if it's a sunblock or a sunscreen. I used a number 50 while in Florida over spring break the first day. It definitely blocked the sun. How do I know? Because the place that I missed got fried. Ouch!

How many spray or lotions in your opinion do you think 2 mild skinned people from Boston will need?I think the recommendation is 2 oz per application. You need to apply about 30 minutes prior to being in the sun and then reapply very often--even if it says waterproof sweatproof. We bring different strengths and usually by the last day, I am using a on most places except shoulders and tops of my feet (usually 15). Yes, I take ALOT of sunscreen. I learned many years ago that pre tanning doesn't work. You might just feel better about putting on your shorts and swimsuit. I am naturally dark complected. I also am off during the summer and spend a lot of time outside. We went to Jamaica at the end of July following 2 weeks in Florida at Disney, the beach and the pool. I thought I wouldn't burn and was that conscientious about using sunscreen and I got burnt.

It's better to over pack on the sunscreen and be prepared. I have used WalMarts equate and Walgreens brand spray sunscreen for the kids and it works well, it just doesn't last long. No Ad is also a good brand to use.

[kathymjollie]

We usually bring 2-3 cans of Aveeno sunscreen in SPF70 and 35 for a week's stay. The 70 is for my husband who is a redhead and burns easily. This is a waterproof sunscreen, so we only have to spray once in the morning. I find the spray to be more convenient, and it provides good coverage. If you have a part in your hair, be sure to apply sunscreen on the part.

I would also suggest you bring lip balm that has sunscreen in it. I had never used it in the past but on our last trip to Jamaica (April, 2010) I actually had sunburned lips...very painful.

[Beer_Suds]

We use the Walmart spray type as well. We pack 1/2 as many bottles as days there. So a 12 day trip would be 6-7 bottles of varying degrees of SPF. While cream lotions do last longer - us "harrier than average" people appreciate not having it caked up, and my wife appreciates not having to try to rub it in on my back

[luv2sun_stl]

Questions:

What brand do you have the best luck with? We like the Target "UP" brand LOTIONS

Spray or lotion (a tube of lotion seems to last longer) ? Definitely LOTIONS, the spray will not last you!

I have read that anything over SPF 30 is a waste. Opinion? I have SPF 50-use it for the burned spots

How many spray or lotions in your opinion do you think 2 mild skinned people from Boston will need? I would bring at least three decent sized lotions. If you have room in your luggage, bring the fourth too. Two SPF 30 and two SPF 15.
Have fun!!

[rrallen]

Being a redhead too, I've learned the hard way after several Jamaica trips. I use 70 on the parts that don't normally see sun like my stomach and those other bits. (We're AN beach goers) I've burned those areas one too many times in Jamaica. I use 55 on my face and 50 on the rest of me and I still get a lot of color. Be sure and reapply it if you're in the water a lot. I got burned in April by forgetting to do that. My arms and legs have seen a lot of sun over the years so they don't burn as quickly. Not sure what I'll look like when I'm 80 but God willing I'll find out!

[melody]

We brought 6 bottles of spray in different strengths for a stay that length plus I brought some cream for our faces because it doesn't have oil. We had some left when we were done but I would rather have too much than too little. The spray takes up more space but it SO much faster and easier. Just make sure not to spray it inside the room as it makes the floors very, very slippery and then sticky and gross. I used 30 at first and then went down to 15 but I don't burn as easily as my husband and I also don't spend hours sitting in the sun. If we were going to be sailing on a hobbie cat or something I would have used 45 probably. That's what he usually uses.

Don't forget to put some on your ears and scalp or part in your hair! We always see a lot of people with peeling, red ears and scalps. It's an easy thing to forget.

[kiki23]

Speaking as a fair-skinned upstate NYer, I agree that the key to having a perfect Couples vacation is avoiding the sunburn! We make the applying of lotion based sunscreen part of our morning pre-breakfast routine, which is nice to do in the privacy/comfort of your room so you don't have to worry about straps. ;-) It takes about 15-20 minutes for sunscreen to absorb into your skin and maximize your protection. I take a selection of 1 tube each 15, 30 and 45 SPF (waterproof for him, coppertone with skin enhancing for me - I like the way it smells!) and then also 2-3 cans of spray-on SPF30 for reapplication during the day. I like to find the mini-bottle of SPF50+ for my face to manage freckles.

However, the best investment I made was a good beach hat and a few shoulder covering cover-ups. A UPF rashguard is also a good idea if you are doing a lot of watersports (snorkel, scuba, boating etc).

Have a great time!

[Trancediva88]

We stayed at CSA for 7 days in the middle of May and brought 3 bottles of SPF 30 (pump spray, the aerosol's go too quickly) and we had about half a bottle left over. As stated above, we applied before we left the room and roughly every two hours. We did not even get close to getting burned. Nice even tan lines. Enjoy Paradise!

[Sublimebrad]

We use lotion and spray and brought too much. We stayed 7 nights and used all of a 50 spray and 12 tanning spray for legs. Used most of a 30 lotion bottle and a little 45 lotion bottle for faces. That was plenty.

[Kerry]

We are leaving saturday, for 8 days... We are taking a can of spray for each day ( 8 cans, varies in spf) .. And 2 bottles ( medium size) slap on lotion... And 1 bottle of 80 spf Faces... Hope this helps..

[webejammin]

We will bring probably 4 bottles of varying degrees of coverage for 10 days. Lowest will probably be 8 (my husband tans extremely easily) and the highest will probably be 18 or 30 if I'm still feeling pale by the time we leave. Sometimes I'll bring the 30 just to have a good back up in case I do fry too much. We have used many different brands, but I prefer lotions over sprays and tend to lean towards Hawaiian Tropic (we have used many brands including chemical free, but the ease of application and the lovely smell keeps us going back to HT). The sun is stronger in Jamaica, so go with your instincts and don't under estimate! Better to be over protected than not enough and ruin the vacation by burning the first day.

[Melvin76]

Our favorite is Coppertone Sport Lotion, spf 30. We used 1 bottle every 2-3 days. We visited SSB a lot so we used more than the 'average' person might.

Personally, I do not like spray, it goes everywhere, messy and not sure it provides good coverage.

[Rastadelphian]

I definitely recommend the lotion, not spray. I, along with others I know, always seem to have missed spots with the spray, and I think you get more bang for your buck anyways. I think the missed spots happen because it does blow away a bit.

I had 50 spf and 30 spf and there was definitely a difference. I'm a fair-skinned Northerner but I'd tanned the month prior for a base tan, and I still got a bit burnt with 30 spf when I spent time in the sun at midday. Go with the 50 spf, I'd say. I still got tanned...I saw wayyyy too many people walking around with burn marks and I always think an evenly pale body looks a million times better than a spotty burn/tan.

I'd bring 2 normal sized bottles. I used up almost a whole bottle in 6 days.

HTH!

[columbo]

Alot,very expensive there!!!!!

[sherrynchuck]

I was doing some reading on the internet today regarding SPF for another reason...someone said they'd heard anything over 30 was harmful and I was seeking info to dispel this obvious rumor...and I came across some helpful information that was confirmed on multiple sights.

If you could normally be in the sun for 10 minutes before you burn then applying an SPF 15 would then allow you 15 times that or 150 minutes before you burned. However, when speaking of protection from harmful rays (in terms of cancer) protection does not increase proportionately...spf 2 absorbs 50% of harmful rays, spf 15 absorbs 93% and spf 34 absorbs 97%.

"Water-resistant" sunscreens maintain their protection after 40 minutes of swimming while "water-proof" sunscreens maintain their protection after 80 minutes of swimming. A helpful fact to know when considering reapplying...seems no need to reapply every time you take a short cooling dip depending what type you are using.

If you are curious do a google search on sunscreen spf facts, it was kind of interesting reading and rather helpful.

[excruzr]

We were at Sans Souci recently and went thru 1 can a day. We spend 90% of our time on the A/N beach so we were sure to apply liberally and often. I believe we used water proof 30 purchased @ walmart for about 5.99 per can.

[Dustin_Megan]

If you can find it. Bullfrog spray. Key is it is not aerosol but a pump spray. Waterproof/sweatproof. Will make the floor sticky so spray out on the corner of your balcony. Also don't get it on your sunglasses. I think we took 4 bottles but not all were full. We were there for 10 days and I only applied once each day unless I showered for some reason and then was back out in the sun. I know WalMart sells it but I try to avoid that place. HEB (a grocery store chain in Texas sells it too. They sell one that also has protectant from bugs. Never needed that in Jamaica. It is a silver bottle with a royal blue (or maybe green cant remember i think the green is the bug spray one) pump sprayer on top. it is awesome.

[tracyl]

I LOVE Ocean Potion... I bring 30 and 15 but seem to use the 15 most often! It also smells so good! I also use a facial 40+ lotion on my face...I tend to use the "freebies" that I get with Lancome gift with purchase week!

[Chris]

I recommend that you don't skimp on the amount. As another responder to the OP said, avoid spoiling an otherwise perfect stay in paradise. Bring enough.