0 In beauty/ travel

serious about sun protection

When I’m on the beach, at the pool, or anywhere that there’s lots of sunshine, a wide-brimmed hat is never far from me. And while the assumption that I’m trying to protect my unicorn hair is an accurate one, my sun protection obsession is far more deeply rooted- in my family tree.

[in partnership with my friends at Rogaine]

I’m (pretty obviously) multiracial, and while the melanin in my cafe-au-lait skin can fool people into thinking I don’t need to care about sun protection, that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, melanoma and and other skin cancers have been diagnosed in multiple relatives through the last few generations. So any tan I have is a fake one, I’m meticulous about using lots of sunscreen and properly re-applying it, and, yes, I’m often hiding underneath a hat.

So it was no surprise in the Dominican Republic last week, when I kept sunscreening myself and all our travel companions. Especially so close to the equator, I wasn’t taking any chances when it came to protecting myself and my health. Bug repellent was always promptly followed with a thorough layer of SPF 30 sunscreen all over my body- and I was grateful for the coconut fragrance of the Coola Suncare eco-lux sport Spray SPF30 Tropical Coconut“>Coola spray to cover up the stench of bug spray.

No one’s surprised that my skincare obsession has encompassed facial sunscreens as well, and I wear a wardrobe of SPF. I alternate my Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+/PA++++“>Biore holy grail sunscreen with this ZO Skin Health Oclipse Sunscreen Primer SPF 30“>ZoSkin one when I want a little coverage. I lock down my makeup and add another layer of SPF50 with UncompliKated. And Colorscience powder sunscreen gives me life- I keep it in my beach bag (at home, there’s one in my purse and another in the car), and reapply a quick dusting every two hours or so- it couldn’t be easier to protect myself.

I can’t help that genetics and family history make me extra worried about skin cancers, but I refuse to allow myself to be hemmed in by those fears. An island girl to the bone, I love spending time outdoors, frolicking in the waves, and all things beachy. I’d rather be proactive about sun protection to help defy my DNA and live my life in a way that brings me joy.

There are some hereditary issues where all you can do is fight the good fight. As tender of a subject as it is, hair loss is one of those- and it’s also inevitable for both men and women as they age. We all know I take my hair seriously, so I’m certain that I’ll enlist Rogaine in my battle to keep my hair full and healthy as I get older.