SPF: Don’t Leave Home Without It

Now that we've spent the month of June “sun-prepping” with exfoliators, anti-cellulite treatments, and self-tanners, we’re ready for full exposure this July. Get your mind of the gutter, readers(!)—by full exposure I mean shorts, tank tops, swimsuits…and, of course, SPF. During July we will review and recommend SPFs for the body, tinted SPFs for the face, SPF makeup, and after-sun products.
Between the Vitamin A controversies, the new FDA regulations, and certain supermodels calling them "poison", SPFs have gotten tons of press over the past couple years. At one point I was so confused about the chemicals and additives I needed to avoid in SPFs that I just stopped using them altogether. This was a bad idea. I’m very active—especially in the warmer months—and after a few long jogs and bike rides, I began to notice the sun damage occurring on my nose, ears, chest, and shoulders. I needed an SPF designed for my active lifestyle, but without the bad stuff. This is where the SPF 30 Active Block by Own came into play.

For those of you unfamiliar with it, Own is a new skincare company, which was started by one of the founders of Method home cleaning products. While I wouldn’t recommend using the Own sunscreen block on your arms and legs (it’s a small wax-y ball, and will rip out all of your arm hairs) it’s absolutely perfect for those of you who lead an active lifestyle and need to quickly apply something to problem spots like your nose, ears, chest, and hands. It has a bit of a tacky feeling upon application, but I’ve become addicted to it—probably because it smells awesome, never comes off when I sweat (I sweat A LOT), looks cool (I’m a sucker for sleek design), and contains ingredients I trust like zinc, almond oil, and sunflower wax. Over the holiday last weekend I even found that it floats…and thus doubles as a pool toy! Bottom line—if you’re looking for a little something different or extra for your active lifestyle, I definitely recommend Own’s Active Block.