Understanding Sunscreens

Sun Protection Factor (SPF) is a multiplier of your skin’s ability to resist burning. So if normally your skin burns after 10 minutes of sun exposure, applying sunscreen with an SPF 10 will increase the exposure time to 110 mins before you get burned.

Sunlight is composed of radioactive rays, which get filtered out by the atmosphere layers of the Earth. Of all the dangerous rays that the sun emits, the ones that reach our skin are the UV rays.

UVB rays stimulate vitamin D production, appearance of moles, and can lead to sunburn with overexposure. There are more UVB rays in sunlight in the summer. UVA rays are responsible for tanning of the skin, as well as negative effects of sun exposure like as wrinkles and melanoma.

The SPF rating that comes on sunscreen bottles is determined by an FDA required in vivo test which involves exposing volunteers’ skin to the sun until it sunburns and then evaluating the protection factor that the sunscreen gave that skin.

Some studies have shown that sunscreen’s protection factor doesn’t rise as evenly above SPF30 as it does in the ratings below. Recently this number has been raised to 50 but keep in mind that SPF50 isn’t twice as good as SPF25.

Look for products labelled as UVA/UVB broad spectrum, and don’t forget to check the ingredients for zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, avobenzone, and ecamsule (aka Mexoryl) which are all effective at blocking UVA.

Hair be gone - depilatories

Depilatories (such as Veet, Nair) contain chemicals that dissolve the proteins in the hair so the fibers break off. The chemical process is actually a more extreme version of the permanent wave process, which is also related to hair relaxers.

Since skin is made of keratin protein, it can also be attacked by the thio reaction. Beware of skin burns or irritation of the hair follicle (folliculitis). Using depilatories can sometimes cause ingrown hairs as the broken hairs grow beneath the surface of the skin. Follow the manufacturers’ instructions and test a small patch to assess for irritation or allergic reactions. Don't ever use these products on eyebrows, near mucous membranes, or on broken skin.

All about hair coloring

Temporary hair color is basically a colorful gel or cream that coats your hair (sometimes even sprays). It lasts a couple of shampoos at best. Use this type for fun! Get wild and make your hair super red, pink, blue,or even orange!







Semi Permanent Dyes use ingredients known as “direct dyes.” They stain the hair and take several shampoos to wash out (some last up to 6 weeks). They are a great way to let you experiment with a touch of color without long-term commitment.









Permanent hair color (oxidative) is the most serious type of color. It typically involves bleaching your hair to remove the natural color, then adds in color molecules to lock inside the hair shaft. It should last until your roots grow out but some fading from washing will occur. Although the color can last months and look great, the chemical process is damaging to the hair.

Daily Tanning Lotions to the Test

Ok, it's time to get some color! I've tried a few of the popular brands, pictures of my color to come :)

Jergen's Daily Glow Moisturizer $4.99

Original product for tanning plus moisturizer in one! Works great actually, the only setback is the fragrance. The tan builds gradually as it claims!

Jergen's Express Daily Moisturizer $6.99

I would like to like this express version, but for some reason I developed a yellow tint and my friend developed an orange one. Fragrance is better than the daily version.

Aveeno Custom Color Daily Moisturizer $7.99

This version you can turn the dial to go from light to darker in seconds. This one worked ok, slightly yellow, but I didn't care for the smell.


Loreal Sublime Daily Glow $6.99

This one is as good as the Jergen's daily formula, but with added shimmer. It smells better, but my skin had a reaction to the sparkling ingredients.