Best sun cream/block for cycling

wirelessdude01

Just wondering what do people use/recommend?

Koobcam

For Irish skin, get the highest factor cream you can find. I bought some Nivea sunscreen the other day and they have a really handy small container (30ml I think) which is perfect for sticking in your jersey pockets for long spins in the sun and will also not be a problem if you are flying anywhere and have it in your carry-on. Costs about €3-4.

dragratchet

unless its absolutely blistering out i use kiehls facial fuel spf 15 on my face

07Lapierre

dragratchet wrote: »

unless its absolutely blistering out i use kiehls facial fuel spf 15 on my face

I don't put any on my face..

I use this instead:

http://www.flandriabikes.com/shop/54-clothing/66-flandria-cotton-cap

laraghrider

I don't use anything really as riding through march and april usually builds up enough base that I don't get burned in summer. On a seriously hot day I'll put piz buin 15 on arms, legs and nose.

mcgratheoin

I like the Boots stick. It's compact enough to stick in my back pocket and because it's a solid stick it doesn't separate or get very watery when it's hot out. It's dead handy to reapply while regrouping at the top of a climb or at a coffee stop. It's also not going to mix with sweat and run down into my eyes. You just have to be a little bit more careful about covering everywhere as you don't get the big dollop of cream to spread out that you might otherwise. I generally use a spray-on before leaving the house, again it's because it's easy to apply and non-greasy, but the stick is the handiest for carrying with me.


In terms of protection it's got the highest rating for UVA protection and the Soltan range has consistently scored well in independent tests. I shudder when I hear the "laying down a base" or "getting a nice colour" (sorry laraghrider) but skin cancer is the most common form of the disease in Ireland and it is one of the most preventable of all. Even if you're slathered in factor 50 on all your rides, your skin will still pick up colour from the sun - but this colour is your skin's response to being damaged, like a chicken's skin browns up in the oven. I'd implore everyone on here to be sun smart this year.

iwillhtfu

laraghrider wrote: »

I don't use anything really as riding through march and april usually builds up enough base that I don't get burned in summer. On a seriously hot day I'll put piz buin 15 on arms, legs and nose.

No such thing as a base when it comes to skin cancer I'm afraid.

NamelessPhil

I use the kids version of the Boots stick mentioned above, same stuff, it's just cheaper €8.49.

I also use the kids version of the spray on sun cream. I smell faintly of watermelon for the day...

Greengearz

I use a factor 45, because I'm as pale as anything ans covered in freckles so I burn quicker then toast
It's a kids one hence the high factor and it's organic/natural as possible and smells quite nice (as far as sunscreens go)

johnk123

If I could offer you one piece of advice....

Harrybelafonte

Ambre Solaire SPF 30, or a kids one which is a 50 on tattoo. I'm a "tanner" though and "get a colour" with the slightest sun (I still have last year's tan lines). I've also got a lot of moles and am painfully aware that tanning is basically a slower burn and at major risk of skin cancer. There's no such thing as a base, you're just already burned.

Always remember face and ears too guys, you'd be surprised at how many develop skin cancer in the tops of their ears.

saccades

P20 for an all day spin.

Brian?

saccades wrote: »

P20 for an all day spin.

I've been looking for that in the local chemists with no joy. Where'd you get it?

gambeta_fc

Brian? wrote: »

I've been looking for that in the local chemists with no joy. Where'd you get it?

P20 is my go to as well, just bought a 200ml bottle at the beginning of the week. Boots had it at 18.99 but got it in SemiChem at 14.99. This was in Belfast though, prices in sterling.

libelula

Brian? wrote: »

I've been looking for that in the local chemists with no joy. Where'd you get it?

A lot of chemists will only be ordering sun cream in around now, so that's probably why. Fantastic stuff though, I can't recommend it highly enough.

iwillhtfu

Afaik that p20 is supposed to be applied a number of hours before exposure to the sun.

gambeta_fc

iwillhtfu wrote: »

Afaik that p20 is supposed to be applied a number of hours before exposure to the sun.

According to the bottle it's active after 15 minutes

arybvtcw0eolkf

Greengearz wrote: »

I use a factor 45, because I'm as pale as anything ans covered in freckles so I burn quicker then toast

When I was in Israel for a few months I found it hard to find anything less than factor 40-50.. Despite being dark skinned they couldn't understand northern Europeans looking for low factor sun screens.

I'm a pale red head with freckles too, but I work outdoors so I'm never too pale but using high factors is a lesson I took back from the middle east for all skin types.

I hear from my friends who've traveled that Australia and the USA have gone pretty much the same way.

saccades

I'm down wexford way - loads in the local tescos (has it's own display stand).

iwillhtfu

gambeta_fc wrote: »

According to the bottle it's active after 15 minutes

It's been a long time since I've used it so maybe they improved it used to be 2 hours or something ridiculous.

Cast Iron

Hamiltons Quad block SPF 50. Thick stuff but sweat proof protection is great for fair skin if you're going to be out on the bike all day.

tomasrojo

Jared Hissing Lump wrote: »

I hear from my friends who've traveled that Australia and the USA have gone pretty much the same way.

I'm rather pale, and I once tried to buy SPF20 from a pharmacist here in Dublin. He happened to be Australian and more or less refused to sell it to me, even though I told him I only wanted it for cycling to work in the summer, a maximum of forty-five minutes of exposure, all before 9am. I'm pretty sure that that SPF would be adequate for that purpose in these latitudes for eveyone except albinos.

iwillhtfu

You can buy any sun cream you want in oz most of the auld lads over there don't wear it and I'd say the majority of them have or have had some form of skin cancer.

They call it sun baking and us Irish are notorious for it over there. They just dress more appropriately for the sun if they're out for extended periods hats/shirts etc and wear a good quality high factor cream on their skin and another spf lip balm for there lips a place often forgotten.

tomasrojo

Australia at midday is a lot sunnier than Dublin at 8am. I'm not arguing against taking precautions against sun damage. I do take care that way.

nak

+1 in the P20. I'm mixed race and don't expose my arms and legs that often here, but when I do I use sunscreen.

nomdeboardie

According to this article from a couple of years ago:

P20 now contains some UVA protection. It has a 3-star UVA rating and therefore offers some protection against UVA light but not the maximum protection that a 5 star rated product has.

(Caveat: These are the words of a Boots scientist, so, while I have no reason to doubt them, there's a possible conflict of interest in that p20 competes with Boots own products (even if both are sold side-by-side), one of which the guy then goes on to recommend as an alternative )