Chief Chemist at UK based Calypso sun care, Seena Seka, provides his five top tips that you may not have thought of this summer to ensure your skin is fully protected
Are you safe in the sun?
1. Don't bake your sun screen
Most people are guilty of leaving their sun lotion baking in their beach bag, however, extreme heat exposure can reduce the potency of sunscreen's active ingredients, so you should treat your bottle like you would any medication and store in a cool or room temperature place. Alternatively, invest in a sun lotion that can last all day long or purchase a small coolant box as storage for the beach.
2. Head to Toe - Places NOT to forget
When applying sun lotion we tend to forget the scalp, hairline and ears - especially if we are blessed with a full head of hair - assuming that this will act as a barrier. This is not necessarily the case, so to ensure no embarrassing red or inflamed scalp burns, apply sun spray to these areas generously, or look for specialist non-greasy Scalp Protector products like Calypso Scalp Protector - £4.99 which offers instant protection to scalps and partings and can be sprayed directly through the hair onto the scalp.
3. Play safe, don't reuse old sunscreen
We all like to save, but re-using old sun lotion can leave you exposed to sun damage, due to the ingredients consistency splitting over time. This causes uneven coverage when applied, so pay attention to the expiration date, and discard the product if necessary. You can also look for physical signs, like a change in colour or smell, to see if your sunscreen is still usable. If it looks, feels, or smells odd, it's time to purchase a fresh bottle.
4 . Sun bathing at night?
Yes, this may sound strange but you can still keep tanning long after the sun has gone down or simply when it's hiding behind a cloud, 80% of UV radiation is still present, so it is vital to apply cream all day long to ensure you're well protected.
You need at least 35ml of suncream to ensure you cover your entire body and receive the correct level of protection - reducing this quantity will leave you more exposed to skin damage.
5. Attention seeker
We all like to look and smell nice on holiday but we often overlook the unwanted attention this can create. Sweet smells can invite undesirable guests with insect bites being a common cause of minor skin irritations, so it's always worth applying insect repellent. A common myth is that insect repellent should be applied during the night, however it is essential to apply all day long to ensure complete protection. We recommend using an after sun that contains insect repellent at night to tick two boxes.