Tuesday Tip | Our favorite mineral sunscreen
There's been some slightly troubling news in recent years about the ingredients in regular sunscreen; enough to make me a little nervous about slathering it on our skin at the beach and pool.
So, we've switched over to mineral sunscreen, which has much better ratings as far as safety goes.
The brand we love is Thinksport, which I first received in one of my Mighty Fix shipments a few years ago.
(If you'd like to try the Mighty Fix, a monthly subscription service, use code FRUGALGIRL3 to get your first month for only $3.)
Why do we love Thinksport?
- It spreads on easily
- It doesn't stay white like some mineral sunscreens
- It comes in a tan version for facial use
- It smells like Fruity Pebbles!
And of course, since it's a mineral sunscreen, it's considered safe to use.
The first and most important question, though is...
Does it work even on really pale skin?
I can say a definitive yup. Mr. FG is the most burn-prone individual in our family, and this has kept him unburnt for a week at the beach.
Sonia is also quite prone to burning, and Thinksport is working great for her.
Is Thinksport reef safe?
Yep! Chemical sunscreens can damage coral reefs, but Thinksport is made with non-nanotized zinc, which is considered to be safer for coral reefs.
(For more on that, here's a Consumer Reports article.)
Is it expensive?
It's definitely more expensive than cheap chemical sunscreens, but not that much more expensive than pricier chemical sunscreens such as Neutrogena.
To stretch our sunscreen a little further, especially somewhere like the beach, we like to wear surf shirts (they're good for boogie boarding anyway).
Then we only have to apply sunscreen to the uncovered skin.
And of course hats and umbrellas also help.
Where's the best place to buy it?
It's available on Amazon, but if you have a Mighty Nest subscription, you can add Thinksport to your monthly box, and the price there is usually even better than Amazon's price.
I have not had a lot of luck finding this in brick and mortar stores (I checked a lot of drugstores), but if you have a tip about where to find it, let us know in the comments.
Thinksport vs. Thinkbaby
As far as I can tell from my googling adventures, the only difference between these two products is the scent.
Sometimes the Thinkbaby version is cheaper per ounce than the regular, so get whatever is less expensive!
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Do you have a favorite natural sunscreen to recommend?
I'm not affiliated with Thinksport, and they haven't asked me to write this post. I'm just a really happy customer, and I want to spread the word about safer sunscreen. I think you're gonna love if if you try it.
I got this in my Mighty Fix subscription, too, and it works on me as well. I'd rather use a barrier rather than chemical sunscreen when I can, too. I think you can find this at health food stores and perhaps Whole Foods, places like that. It seems like I've seen it there.
I've tried a few mineral sunscreens and while I do like the Think products better than others, after a week in FL, it had gotten on all our swimsuits and my husbands and son's skin was flaky after using it. I've since tried Blue Lizard and think it is great! It rubs in so easy and the scent is very light.
We also use blue lizard and it was recommended to us by the dermatologist for my kids with sensitive skin.
Oh, I bought some Blue Lizard last December when I was trying to use up the FSA balance. I can't wait to try it now! Thanks for the tip. I'll have to use it up before I try Kristen's suggestion. Use what you have, right?
I second wearing the surf shirts/ rash guards-- whatever they're called (we're not surfers here). We also try to avoid the hours of strongest sun.
Thank you for the recommendation; I've been iffy on sunscreen on years BUT my uncle died of melanoma so I've been scared for sure.
As someone with a family history of skin cancer and sensitive skin, I try to be very careful of sun exposure, especially on my face. Elta MD's UV Physical Broad Spectrum SPF41 is a GREAT sunscreen for the face, even if you have sensitive skin. It is lightly tinted so you don't look like a ghost, too. While it's quite costly, a little goes a long way and a tube will usually last me all summer. (And it's certainly a lot cheaper than a dermatology appt!)
We use badger for DC2 who is apparently allergic to everything.
Beauty counter mineral sunscreen. They also have a stick which is awesome to apply to little people's faces
We like Trader Joe's mineral sunscreen stick. And if anyone's interested to really delve into reviews of mineral sunscreens, the Kitchen Stewardship site has really gone into detail (tested a whole bunch of them on their family).
Love Thinksport! Currently using it now at the pool. I found it at the FSAstore.com. They usually have a good selection of mineral sunscreens.
I love thinksport as well and I got it from well.CA!
Badger sport is a good one and rated well by Consumer reports.
We LOVE Think Sport. As a true saltwater family either boating,snorkeling or fishing every day over the summer with our 2 kids this reef safe sunscreen WORKS for all of us!! We've been using Blue Lizard for 11 years ( Since my son was born), and still use it but we now rotate it with Think sport (for a year or so now) and love them both equally.
Thankfully, this summer more brands have come out with mineral options and at my local Target, you can get Coppertone ($10) or Sun Bum and Bare Republic ($15 each) made with zinc instead of chemical sunblock! Pretty happy at the convenience of getting a mineral sunblock without much hunting this time. 🙂
We tried the Think Baby sunscreen this past week at the beach after reading your review of it and it worked very well for us! I liked that we could use it on both adults and our four littles. My husband did get burned a tiny bit but he was in the water awhile and never reapplied.