Beach

With the summer winding down, I want to make sure that my tan lasts as long as it can into the autumn months. It’s been two weeks since my last trip to the beach and I’ve finally stopped peeling. I love being in the sun; I used to be that person who used baby oil to ensure the deepest, darkest tan possible but these days, it’s a minimum of SPF 15 for me. I’d like to share with you some tips on getting a safe tan and maintaining your summer glow for as long as possible.

1. Pre-Beach: Exfoliate. If you want your tan to last, exfoliate your entire body with a gentle scrub to get rid of dead skin cells. If you’re on a budget, a sudsy cleansing pouf works perfectly. If you’ve a little extra cash, try St. Ives Fresh Skin Gentle Apricot Scrub; I use this for both face and body since it tends to be less rough than the actual body scrub. If you’ve got cash to blow, then Clarins Smoothing Body Scrub For a New Skin with Bamboo Powders is both velvety and luxurious.
2. At the Beach: Use Sunscreen. Experts say that SPF15 is the minimum protection everyone should use. On a daily basis, I use Kiss My Face’s Face Factor SPF 30 for face + neck. This product goes on really smoothly and is PABA free, meaning it isn’t thick and greasy and won’t cause breakouts like other sunscreens can. At the beach, my default is Tropicana but I’d actually like to try using an organic sunscreen product. My roommate swears by Badger’s SPF 15 for Face & Body and it smells like lavender which is a natural insect repellent – double bonus! Make sure you apply a good amount of sunscreen before venturing out into the sun, and reapply after you’ve gone into the water. I admit that sometimes I’m too lazy to do this but I always regret it when I don’t. Lastly, don’t forget your lips – the skin there is very thin and easily burns so try Alba’s Tangerine Lip Balm with SPF 18, a personal fave.

   

   

   
   
3. Post-Beach: Sooth and Maintain. First thing I do is take a cold shower; I swear it helps lock in the tan. The most important post-sun action is to make sure your skin always stays moist since peeling occurs when the skin begins to dry. In Thailand I use a post-sun product by Nivea but I haven’t found any retailers who carry the exact product here in the US. Burt’s Bees has a lovely lotion called Aloe & Linden After Sun Soother . I find the consistency to be a little too thin, but I use it for the first few days after the sun and them move on to a regular lotion to ensure that my skin stays moisturized and supple. I like to use Whole Food’s 365 Everyday Value Brand Body Lotion in Lavender Blend.

I try to follow this beach skincare regimen as closely as possible, and I’ve spent a lot of time (and money) trying out all sorts of products. The items mentioned here are the ones that I’ve personally found to work best. Of course, there are tons of products out there on the market so feel free to experiment to find the best for your skin type. Happy and safe tanning!

Images courtesy of Alba Botanica and Kiss My Face.

I owe the cluster of freckles on my shoulders from summers spent at Stinson Beach, the smattering of teeny dots left over from a terrible teenage rebellion against sunscreen, the inevitability of aging and my mother nagging me about the danger of melanoma. Oblivious to anything but the draw of the sun and cute boys who surfed, I would pile into my friend’s Volkswagen Bug and speed over the hill and to the beach, the window wide open because the car leaked a constant cloud of gasoline fumes from beneath the dashboard. Once there we would rub ourselves with oil, no SPF, cooking oil really, but somehow it smelled of coconut and young. We squeezed lemon on our hair and flicked on our portable radio, listened to reggae and laid out.

View from the bluff over Stinson Beach. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jweiss3/473570667/

These days I’m all about SPF 50+. I know that lemon only dries out one’s hair and there is this spot on the back of my hand that maybe-might-possibly-please-say-it-’aint-so-but-admittedly is an age spot. The last thing I laid out is an outfit for work the next day. Still I love Stinson Beach. The wide beach, the lifeguards in the summer, the smell of corn dogs and french fries wafting from the little cafe. I love the way that everything is a little brighter at Stinson Beach, the water a smidgeon bluer than up the coast, the sand almost white and clean. Stinson Beach is the closest to a Southern California beach one can get without having to drive through the traffic of Los Angeles.

Surfers at Stinson. http://www.flickr.com/photos/monkeythumbsca/357256755/

In addition to the beach itself, Stinson boasts such facilities as rest rooms, (cold) showers, picnic areas, bbq grills and plenty of parking, making this an ideal beach for a party or family gathering. If you don’t want to cook for yourself but find yourself hungry after a beach walk, a tasty snack bar is open during summer months at the base of the main lifeguard tower.

Regardless of your interests, Stinson Beach has a bit of something for everyone: surfing, kayaking, hiking, beach combing, volleyball or just snoozing on the sand. Do watch out while in the water, though. Not only are there sneaker waves and fierce rip currents, but there have also been a few documented Great White shark attacks in the area. Luckily, the water is usually quite cold and not entirely inviting.