sun tan lotion????????????/

I have certainly read and learned a lot from reading this message board, but the one thing I am looking for is a sun tan lotion, that will give a little color, but not let you fry, its not worth it to me, to burn, to get the color. Do I want a sun block? or just a high spf, I have seen so many out their, just do not know which one is the best to say safe. Thanks
Gail Legend June 22

[jleq]

Lotion should be a minimum of SPF 15. SPF 30 is better. Children/people with pale skin/who "burn easily" might want something stronger. While you can buy it on the ship, it's much cheaper to buy it before your cruise.



Post Edited (06-04-05 13:57)

[hockeyluver]

This is just F.Y.I. I was told by our pharmasist to buy your sunblock where you are going that the same lotion sold here in canada may have the same spf number but may not protect as good as in the southern states, and not to use last years it looses its potency and should be replaced the beginning of every year.

[okiemom]

I am very fair and I would recommend going to get a spray on tan (at a salon that sprays it by hand) then use the highest SPF you can find. This way you have color but most importantly protect your skin. Burns are very dangerous and the problems (cancer) may not show up for years. This is what I plan on doing for our December cruise. The salons can customize your tan to make it darker or lighter just for you. Stay safe in whatever you do.

[themomtk]

I used spf 45 last cruise and blistered. I guess I needed to add more often I used and applied once every three hours. So this curise will add it every hour. So it all depends on the person and the different meds you take. My meds make me more likely to burn.

[nolou525]

You should try out any new sunblock beforehand. My mom took a new sunblock on her trip to Palm Springs last year. She didn't burn from the sun but got a bad rash and got very sick. They determined at the hospital that she had an allergic reaction to the PABA in the sunblock. She and the rest of my family only use PABA free sunblock. Just alittle FYI.

[runner1909]

As a skin cancer survivor with a lovely scars on my nose and left cheekbone, my advice is to use a high sun block. Get your color from self tanners. I just love L'oreal's Sublime Bronze towellettes. I get many compliments on my "tan" and the best part is, no skin damage.

[Darcy]

Like anything else, make sure you try the self-tanners or spray on tanners at least once, well before you go. My husband's ex-wife went for a spray-on tan at a salon and something in her skin reacted with the pigment and she turned orange. Some self-tanners can also come out orange. I would experiment well before leaving.

[LisaK]

you will need a broad-spectrum UVA/UVB waterproof sunblock with SPF.
If you are very fair, and burn easily get an SPF45.
Reapply your sunscreen frequently.
i use SPF 30

[Dave the Wave]

Ok, here we go with some "professional" advice. I spent 12 years as a poolside tanning consultant. I have sold Panama Jack, Coppertone's Spectra, Caribbean Sol, Sun Solutions and a few others. You did not mention your skin type but here is my two cents.

Sunscreens are like screen doors. They let the breeze in but keep the bugs out. The let some sun through but "screen" out the more harmful burning rays. Anything over SPF 15 is a sunblock. A SPF 30 is not twice as good as a 15 and a SPF 45 is not 3 times as good. If you burn with a sunblock it is because you did not apply it evenly or frequently enough. You should use higer SPF on more sun sensitive areas such as nose, shoulders, tops of feet, new tan lines, ect...

A SPF 8 will allow you to spend 8 times longer in the sun than without protection. In other words if you burn in 30 minutes, this will allow you 4 hours IF you apply frequently and evenly. It is easy to miss spots and these show up later as red areas and you will be uneven. By applying frequently you will hit the spots you may have missed the time before. It is a good idea to have a tanning partner to apply to the hard to reach places like you back and inner thighs. Using a sunblock and laying in the sun is like laying in your cabin. Spend a couple hours in the sun in the morning, avoid the midday sun and get a couple hours in the later afternoon. A tan is your natural protection against the sun. AS you tan, you don't burn as easy.

Most importanly, use a good aloe vera moisturizer after the sun to replenish and heal your skin so you can go back out the next day. Ice down the aloe, take a hot shower with your tanning partner and then take turns rubbing the cool aloe all over each other. This can be the fun part. A good way to start is use SPF 15 in sun sensitive areas and an SPF 8 on the rest of the body. AS you tan go to the SPF 8 on the sunsensitive areas and a SPF 4 on the rest of the body. Most self tanners will stain, skin, hands and clothing and make you look orange. it is hard to get these on evenly.



Post Edited (06-06-05 09:58)

Thanks Dave,
for taking the time to write all that. It was just what I was looking for....................


Gail Legend June 22

[Dave the Wave]

Sure Gail, Remember, "It is better to be tan and tasty, than white and pasty."

[nolou525]

Dave--what are you doing on the Carnival forum? Thought you were strictly a Royal Caribbean guy.

[Dave the Wave]

I have been on one Carnival cruise and just might do it again someday. I have a certificate for a free 3 nighter I have to use by February 28th.

[hockeyluver]

Where were you yesterday dave? My daughter was out on her friends boat and came home looking like a lobster!!

Dave
are you really really a Royal caribbean guy, I am looking into a ship that is going out of either N.Y. or Boston I have always been a Carnival gal, but if I have to change in order not to fly then so be it, what can you tell me. I went into their wb site last night but nothing was coming up, and I heard they had a few. I am of course still learning how to do this computer stuff
thanks Gail

[nolou525]

Dave--if you decide you don't want to become Carnival guy, I'll send you my address and you can send me the 3 night certificate. <VBG> Anyway, glad to see you on this forum too. Give Carnival another try. Just think a whole new set of ladies!!!! :o)

[Dave the Wave]

Gail,

If you want top go Royal Caribbean, you will have a rare opportunity to go on one of my favorite ships after the stretch. The Enchantment of the Seas will be doing a limited number of sailings up there this summer before she returns to Ft Lauderdale. I am booked again in November and can't wait.

Dave,
It has to be either April Vacation or Summer time 2006, as I have kids still in school, this summer is the Legend In June so this summer is out. If you find any let me know I can always call them ,I like finding my own and calling to book. I only picked Royal caribbean as I heard they were coming this way , I went out of Boston to Bermuda on Norwegion and compare to Carnival it was a joke, and so very bad.
Thanks Gail

I'm in Florida. I use a 35 SPF at the Florida beaches. I used the same strength in the Caribbean and got sun burned.

Wow!!!!!!!!!!this is not going to be easy is it????????????

Gail

[LisaK]

Gail the key to remember especially on the first few days is to limit your sun exposure, don't lay out in the sun for hours and hours on deck or on the beach your first days out, you will fry no matter what type of sunblock you use. re-apply your sunblock frequently even the waterproof/sweatproof kinds. You also need to be especially careful if you are doing any kind of snorkeling, the reflection off the water of the sun beating down on you basically doubles the suns rays. We always wear sunscreen and then put on a white t-shirt to help reflect the suns rays.

Each person is different and you should know how you tan. I know that once I get a base tan I can spend all day in the sun. So before the last cruise I went to a tanning bed and got a good base tan. Then on the ship we stayed pool side all day everyday I used a SPF8 and came back quite tan.
Another guy on the trip with us used spf50 and still got burnt.

Gail,

I pretty much learned that they key is reapplication. I am very fair, yet I tan quite well when I use some sort of sunscreen. I used a 15 on my body and a 30 for faces just on my face all week long. I reapplied every hour no matter what and came home with a fantastic color. Not red, not exceedingly dark, just a nice healthy color that looks like I've been on vacation. Like someone mentioned, take special care on hard to reach places. I actually did my initial application naked in the cabin bathroom before putting on a suit. And my reapplications I carefully lotioned immediately underneath my suit as much as I could in public. I STILL got some red lines on my chest and tops of my thighs. You tend to sweat more there and the fabric of your suit rubs it off, so just take care on those locations. I went through two decent-sized bottles of SPF 15. Take extra.

Gail,

I pretty much learned that they key is reapplication. I am very fair, yet I tan quite well when I use some sort of sunscreen. I used a 15 on my body and a 30 for faces just on my face all week long. I reapplied every hour no matter what and came home with a fantastic color. Not red, not exceedingly dark, just a nice healthy color that looks like I've been on vacation. Like someone mentioned, take special care on hard to reach places. I actually did my initial application naked in the cabin bathroom before putting on a suit. And my reapplications I carefully lotioned immediately underneath my suit as much as I could in public. I STILL got some red lines on my chest and tops of my thighs. You tend to sweat more there and the fabric of your suit rubs it off, so just take care on those locations. I went through two decent-sized bottles of SPF 15. Take extra.

Gail,

I pretty much learned that they key is reapplication. I am very fair, yet I tan quite well when I use some sort of sunscreen. I used a 15 on my body and a 30 for faces just on my face all week long. I reapplied every hour no matter what and came home with a fantastic color. Not red, not exceedingly dark, just a nice healthy color that looks like I've been on vacation. Like someone mentioned, take special care on hard to reach places. I actually did my initial application naked in the cabin bathroom before putting on a suit. And my reapplications I carefully lotioned immediately underneath my suit as much as I could in public. I STILL got some red lines on my chest and tops of my thighs. You tend to sweat more there and the fabric of your suit rubs it off, so just take care on those locations. I went through two decent-sized bottles of SPF 15. Take extra.

[LisaK]

another important thing to remember -put sunblock on your ears, on your scalp if you have thining hair or are bald, on your lips and very importantly on your FEET!! oh my gosh does a sunburn on the bottoms and/or tops of your feet hurt - OUCH!!!
and pack the ALOE SUNBURN GEL with Lidocaine in it. Chill it, it feels soooo good on a sunburn.

I am very, very, very fair skinned and have used Ocean Potion SPF 50 and Mary Kay's SPF 30 and knock on wood, haven't gotten badly burned yet. Dave is right reapply and reapply again and again.

I was once just on the deck in Grand Cayman not trying to really get any sun, and was out there for fiftenn minutes and came back and saw strap marks from the top I had on...the sun is fast if you don't have on any sunscreen!

Always be safe, a tan isn't work getting skin cancer and dying from!