Wear sunscreen daily is a mantra you hear quite a bit...and rightly so...but do you know how to properly apply your sunscreen?

Easy enough, put it on and go, right? WRONG! Sure that will protect you from the sun exposure...for a little while. But to properly and effectively wear sunscreen and get its maximum benefits, you should follow these sunscreen tips.

Four Important Sunscreen Tips To Wear Sunscreen Effectively

When Should You Apply Your Sunscreen?

To be most effective, sunscreen should be applied at least 15-30 minutes before you go out in the sun. It needs the opportunity to penetrate your skin to protect it.

You should apply sunscreen even on days that are not sunny! The UV rays are not blocked by clouds and you still get exposure on cloudy days. Also, the UV rays can reflect off of many different types of surfaces, including snow, water such as the pools, oceans, lakes, and rivers, sand, and even light-colored concrete...so you may be getting sun exposure when you least expect it, even when you are sitting by the pool in the shade!

When not camping by the water, many people also feel they don't need to put on sunscreen...this is not a good practice. Sunscreen should be applied every day...even when you are not camping...but especially when you are camping! It is a good camping safety practice because when camping you are outdoors most of the day...the sunscreen helps you prevent a painful sunburn even when you don't feel you are getting sun.

How Much Sunscreen Should You Apply?

Apply liberally. The biggest mistake people make is to apply too little. You should apply one full ounce of sunscreen, which is approximately enough to fill a shot glass, to all areas of your body that are exposed.

Should You Reapply?

A big, fat YES to this question! Reapply your sunscreen throughout the day, at least every two hours, even more frequently if you have been swimming or sweating. Reapply frequently even if the sunscreen you have says it is water resistant, waterproof, or even for those that say they have all-day protection.

Does Sunscreen Expire?

Yes it does! Most sunscreen bottles will have an expiration date on them and you should take it seriously. Over time, the effectiveness of sunscreen does diminish and you want to make sure your sunscreen is as effective as possible!<.p>

The FDA requires that sunscreen work at its highest effectiveness for three years...so if you have purchased your sunscreen bottle within the last three years it is most likely still good.

However....remember you should be wearing sunscreen daily, not just when you are camping, so your bottle of sunscreen, if you are applying in proper amounts, should not be lasting you three years!

Sunscreen for Children

It is very important that children wear sunscreen. Their sensitive skin should be protected...but many times it is hard to get the sunscreen on them before they become moving targets again. For me the easiest method of getting sunscreen on my children is to use the spray bottles...they work quickly...or to use the sunscreen wipes. The kids like those because they have less of a chance of getting in their eyes.

Sunscreen Tips are Important Tips!

Because it so important to wear sunscreen and wear it properly, we would like to quickly summarize for you what we mentioned above:

• Wear sunscreen daily
• Re-apply your sunscreen every couple of hours, and even more often if you are swimming or sweating
• Use a minimum of SPF15, SPF 30 is better, we like SPF 70 for the face
• Apply liberally, use about 1 ounce per application

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