The Dish on Wearing Sunscreen Daily

Unless you roll out of bed and throw on some clothes before heading out the door (no judgies), your morning routine probably looks a little something like this… You crawl out of your comfy bed after hitting snooze a couple of times. A nice warm shower wakes you up. You use a gentle cleanser to wash your face and then follow up with a moisturizer for your skin type. Depending on the level of your skin-care routine, you might also smooth on eye cream, dab on some toner and apply serum. Then you do your hair and makeup (or not, your call) and brush your teeth. One last oh-so-big smile in the mirror before you grab your bag and a breakfast bar and enter into the world feeling ready to tackle whatever life throws at you. Again.

Hold up. You missed something. We’ll give you one guess.

You forgot to apply sunscreen.

Let’s rewind to the part where you wash your face and apply moisturizer. This is the perfect time to grab your face sunscreen and rub in a nickel-sized amount all over your gorgeous skin. Every day is sunday, so you need to wear sunscreen daily. Even when the sun isn’t shining.

The sun’s harmful UVA rays are the major cause of premature aging skin. We’re talking dark spots, fine lines and wrinkles. Oh no. UVA rays are known to damage existing collagen and reduce collagen production. The result: wrinkles and a loss of elasticity. Your skin is naturally aging above and below the surface whether you like it or not. That’s a fact. You can do your skin a favor and help slow down the process by protecting it with daily sunscreen use.

The sun’s harmful UVB rays cause sunburn and uneven skin pigmentation. They’re the leading cause of skin cancer, which 1 in 5 Americans will get in their lifetime.

It doesn’t matter if you’re commuting to work or spending a day at the beach; you need to wear sunscreen. We recommend that you choose a broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF 30 or higher. We also recommend wearing one face sunscreen for your skin type or condition and another sunscreen of your choice for the rest of your body. Sticks and sprays are great options for daily use because they’re virtually mess-free and don’t feel sticky or greasy. Gel sunscreen formulas are also ideal because they smooth onto skin and don’t leave residue behind.

Pop quiz: What are you going to do tomorrow after washing your face and putting on moisturizer? Hint: The answer is apply sunscreen. If you think you’re going to forget, place your sunscreen near your toothpaste so you’re more likely to remember.