Beauty Moment | The One Thing Your Daily Routine is Missing

I get complimented on my skin and asked about my regimen all the time. It never gets old though because it lets me know that I’m doing something right. The one thing that I do faithfully is daily sunscreen. So you thought sunscreen was only for the summer, ha? You thought that skin was protected, ha? I sound like Juvenile, ha? LOL. No, seriously.  The one thing that you’re missing from your daily skincare routine is sunscreen.  It’s not just for the summer.  I don’t know about you, but I encounter the sun EVERY DAY and my skin needs all of the protection.  It’s true, UVB rays are stronger during the summer months, but UVA rays are present year-round.  The UVA rays are the ones that age you and change your skin at the cellular level. Skin cancer…no thanks. Also note, 90% of aging doesn’t come years, it comes from sun exposure. Sunscreen not only protects the skin but daily use can significantly improve the health and texture of your body’s largest organ.

I’ve been using daily sunscreen for a while now either layered on its own (like this Black Girl Sunscreen) or in a product. The BGS is super light and sheer and doesn’t leave that ghostly film/color that regular sunscreen leaves. Melanin and ashiness DOES NOT MIX! No one is trying to be fly and ashy!! Ok, I digress.

Here’s what you need to know:

• SPF (Sun Protection Factor) measures how much UVB radiation is absorbed.  Unfortunately, we don’t know how much of the UVA rays are affected. The good ole USFDA hasn’t caught on to what the Europeans and Canadians are doing. Go figure. Anyways, the recommended SPF amount is at least 30. 

• Ingredients are important. This is a pretty big thing for me. You always want to avoid chemicals like oxybenzone (expecially more than 6%), octinoxate, homosalate, and octocrylene, which can spread UV rays through the body.  Say yes to minerals like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.  And you can layer sunscreen on top of serum, especially one with Vitamin C, for better protection.

Can you get the SPF protection without actually using sunscreen? Why yes! Yes you can! Some moisturizers have some SPF coverage. I’ve been using Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer forever, and recently started using this Josie Maran one and I love it! 

According to Q, sunscreen is a must in summer but also winter, spring, and fall. You want your skin to look it’s best 365, right?? Get you some sunscreen in your daily life and thank me later!!

Black Girl Sunscreen SPF 30 (website) (Target)| Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer with SPF 30| Josie Maran tinted moisturizer with SPF 47

Cheers to fabulous skin and daily protection!