Why I Moved From Chemical to Mineral Sun Block for My Kids

TL;DR: I switched from chemical to mineral sun block for my kids because it felt gentler, and gave me more peace of mind. On top of that, mineral products seem to protect the planet better, too.

I didn’t think much about sun block in my younger days. I grabbed whatever was on the shelf, which usually meant something easy to rub in that didn’t slow me down too much. As long as it said at least SPF 30 or SPF 50, I figured I was covered.

But when I became a parent, the script was flipped upside down. I wanted to be the best Mom I could be, so I did some digging around online. On top of that, the chemical sunscreen my Mom put on my son at her place made his eyes sting.

That’s the main thing that led me to look a bit closer at the difference between chemical and mineral sun block. I wasn’t looking to overhaul everything, just to feel a bit more confident in something we were using pretty much every day.

What Using Sun Block Looked Like When I Was Younger 

When I was a kid, sun block was just part of the routine. I’d never ask questions about it, because it was just there and it seemed to work…well, most of the time, it did. I have to be honest, putting it on was always a bit of an afterthought – so much so that it often involved a rushed job on the driveway or in the car.

It did the job, but it always felt a bit chaotic and never something I was fully confident about. The biggest thing I remember is how much of a negotiation it became. 

My brother would complain it got in his eyes, and sometimes I didn’t like how it felt on my skin, and my Dad would be trying to hurry everyone along while making sure I hadn’t missed a spot. It wasn’t a huge issue, just one of those small, repetitive things you just got on with.

On family trips out, we’d find….

• No one ever wanted to keep putting on every two hours (like you’re supposed to) because of it stinging a lot, or at least making our skin red.
• After a long day out at the beach, we’d almost always come home with a ‘kissed by the sun’ look. It was part of Summer for us (because we didn’t reapply it like we should).
• My skin would always feel a little raw for a few days after a day out, even if I hadn’t been burnt, which turned out to be a skin reaction to the sun block.

This was a different time, for sure, another era. However, things have changed a lot since then, and I know a lot more about sunscreen because of looking into things. It made me change to a mineral product and never look back.

Why I Won’t Ever Switch Back

Once I made the switch to mineral sunscreen, even my kid’s little gripes about putting it on stopped. It felt better on my skin, and it was lovely to hear that my boys felt the same way. As a result, there’s now much less stress and arguments before we go outside, whether that’s to go to school or heading out on vacation. 

Being sun-safe just feels like part of getting ready, and I’m not second guessing whether I’ve done it properly or if it’s going to turn into a problem later.

It just took the edge off the whole routine. I’m no longer having to deal with complaints, and I’m not rushing through it either. That means, I’m not having my kids coming in having had a small part of their skin burnt because I missed it because of hurrying.

In addition to all that…

• I’m not standing there wondering if I’ve missed a spot or didn’t use enough before we head out
• It actually feels like it stays where I put it, even when they’re running around
• Reapplying doesn’t turn into a whole ‘thing’ anymore
• No more “it’s in my eyes” screaming five minutes later
• I don’t think twice about it any more

We’ve not been through some big, dramatic shift in our lives – it’s just sunscreen after all. It’s just that now all the little annoyances have quietly disappeared, we can concentrate completely on having fun. That’s worth a lot.

Kids Mineral Sun Block Lets Us Enjoy the Outdoors to the Fullest!

At the end of the day, we didn’t have to completely overhaul the way we protected ourselves when it’s sunny outside. It was just a small tweak to a new product that’s changed things. The new mineral product we use is so gentle, I never have to worry about a reaction – even with my youngest who has eczema!

It’s also made me pay more attention in general. Not in an obsessive way, just in a “does this actually work for us?” kind of way. It could happen for anyone reading this, too. I’ve proved that there’s something out there for everyone. 

Now, we’re set. We’ve now got something that works, and I can spend more time laying back and enjoying the day, and much less dealing with complaining or sunburn. Whichever way you slice it, that’s a big win!