Powdered Sunscreen.

 

I ran across something I'd never heard of  before the other day when I was reading my newsfeed.  I knew sunscreen came in spray, lotion, but I'd never heard of it in powdered form.  That made my mind go "wow".  It made me want to find out more about it.

We all know that dermatologists strongly recommend we wear sunscreen all year round.  We know it needs to be reapplied on a regular basis but that is kind of hard if you have it under all your makeup.  In theory, powdered sunscreen is a great way of reapplying sunscreen over your makeup so you have full protection but does it work that way?

Let's start with what powdered sunscreen is.  Powdered sunscreen is a sunscreen that has the same texture as setting powder. They are found either in a container with a retractable brush or in a compact like you see women use in films from the 1940's and 50's. These sunscreens tend to be quite light, great to wear as a finishing touch to your make up and are not heavy like lotions or creams.

On the other hand, there is some question as to whether sunscreen in this form is able to provide the same  protection as cremes and lotions. It turns out they are sort of as effective but with restrictions.  To get the most effectiveness out of powdered sunscreen, they cannot be used as the initial source of sunscreen.  They are much better used to retouch your sunscreen after using a lotion or creme for the initial application.  In other words, use the lotion or creme sunscreen when you get ready for the day and use the powder to tough up your makeup throughout the day.

Traditional sunscreen lotions and cremes provide the best coverage and should be applied under your makeup.  It is recommended that sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours.  Since you don't want to take your make up off and reapply the sunscreen off before putting the makeup on again, one can use the powdered sunscreen every couple of hours to improve the effectiveness of your sunscreen protection. 

However understand that powder sunscreens tend to be less effective on their own because they are not absorbed into the skin and they cannot create a good barrier.  In addition, they do contain less SPF than their liquid counterparts and need to be reapplied more frequently to get the full benefits of sunscreen.

The nice thing about powdered sunscreen is that they feel much lighter than lotions or cremes. Since they feel more like a setting powder, they are much easier to use over the makeup you are wearing. They are ideal for sensitive skin and they come in easy to take with you packaging.  They slip in your purse easily.  

Remember, do not use powdered sunscreen as your main source of protection, use it for touch ups.  Since it is a powder, it can be difficult to apply evenly and the SPF rating my not be as accurate as it is with liquid sunscreen.  If you decide to use a powdered sunscreen, look for a broad spectrum one that protects against both UVA and UVB rays with an SPF of at least 30.  Check the ingredients list for titanium or zinc since these two ingredients physically block the rays and are less irritating to the skin.  If it contains iron oxide, that is great because the iron oxide protects against blue light. Finally, look for ceramide 3, olive glycerides, vitamins E and C, and antioxidants for extra protection.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.