SPF - Ally Aldridge

Here are the products that I’ve loved this summer.

Alba Botanical

Sunscreen SPF 50 (RRP £15.99)

This has been one of the hottest summers in a long time and sun safety is important to me.

What I love about this product is the twisty caps to open and close meaning you never worry about loosing the lid. Being able to spray makes application quick and I can reach everywhere easily. It is clear, so I don’t get white streaks and it doesn’t stain my clothes.

The Kids bottle is my 4y old son’s but when my sensitive one runs out, I have used his. The kids one smells great with a fruity scent – an added bonus. We have reordered both more than once this summer!

The product is free of nasty chemicals, has a broad spectrum protection and recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation, it’s non-sticky and biodegradable. Plus, it’s water resistant for up to 80 minutes!

Acorelle

Summer Mist (RRP £13.00)

The frangipani flower on the front of the bottle is my wedding flower and first attracted me to the product.

What I love is that this summer scent is designed to stay fresh in the heat with ingredients that are photosensitive. It has a beautiful light fruity scent that isn’t overpowering. All the ingredients are natural and will leave skin soft and not sticky.

Hurraw!

Sun Protection Lip Balm SPF 15 (RRP £4.99)

This lip product is moisturising and protective in the sun. The zinc oxide in it, is a natural sun protection and I think it does lighten my lip slightly but I like the look. It is meant to have a flavour but I can’t smell or taste it so it’s very light. All the ingredients and organic.

Ren

Flash Defence Anti-Pollution Mist (mine is a sample/travel size. The full 60ml RRP £24.00)

I have been loving facial mists this summer to keep myself cool but this one was my favourite.

In addition to refreshing my skin and being free of harmful chemicals, this product protects your skin from pollution and boosts your defences. I don’t live in a high pollution area but it made my skin feel great and I noticed a difference.

Salt of the Earth

Natural Deodeant (RRP £5.99)

I have been using the pink Lavender and Vanilla one for a while now and love the scent. Sometimes, I think lavender can smell a bit old fashioned but this is a gentle clean smell.

I decided to give the melon and cucumber one a go. The cucumber smell is stronger than the melon, it gives off a refreshing unisex scent.

At first, I found it strange that it felt like I was spraying my underarm with water as it feels wet. My old deodorant coated my pit in a dry powder. I gave it a go and I am so glad I did. It is gentle on the skin under there which is often forgotten and doesn’t make me feel itchy whereas my old deodeant did.

Smelling fresh all day in the heat without irritated skin makes summer so much better so it made my list.

Nobody understands the importance of being safe in the sun like a redhead! Plus, being pregnant makes your skin even more sensitive to the suns rays – people who don’t often get burnt are more likely to when pregnant.

Here are the products I am using to get me through summer this year:

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Shopping this morning – ready for the #sun ☀️
A post shared by Author Ally Aldridge (@redfae) on Apr 21, 2018 at 12:18pm PDT

Riemann P20

I usually buy this from Savers as they often have the best price going. I buy SPF 50 and spray it on before leaving the house and forget about it as it lasts 10 hours!

The spray does have a yellow tinge to it but once dry it is clear. However, I take care to avoid getting it on fabrics as I think it could stain.

My job involves driving and my arms can get roasted through the windows. When I wear this I don’t need to worry. I also use it on my son when he goes to nursery and he will play outside all day if it is hot. The staff do reapply if the kids have played in water. So far, he’s not returned home burnt.

Sadly, I can’t find anything to say they are cruelty free so I suspect they are not. I would love to discover an organic and cruelty free alternative that offers 10h+ protection.

Malibu

I was in Savers getting my P20 and this was next to it on the shelf. It’s my first time buying this brand and I just picked it up as I needed something for my face and it was cheap. A sunscreen specifically for your face is necessary as other products can block your pores and make your eyes water.

It is a very light cream moisturiser and I apply it before my make up. I’ve not suffered a flakey nose and I’m quite pleased with it.

Malibu is cruelty free and most products are vegan friendly. I had no idea and it was a nice surprise to discover this.

Acorelle’s face balm is an organic alternative, however, last year I was so upset by my experience with their other sun-care products I actually complained – they didn’t care (no response). I was also tempted by Coola but their products are more pricy and I couldn’t find space in my budgets.

Alba Botanica

This brand is great but tricky to track down in the UK. I bought mine from Cos Natural.

I got SPF 50 kids for my son (yellow bottle) and SPF 50 sensitive (green bottle) for me. The product reminds me of Ambre Solaire which was a sun lotion I swore by and has made the switch easy. It’s easy to spray and doesn’t need to be rubbed in. The lotion is clear. You twist the lid to lock it so it doesn’t spray in your bag.

Alba Botanica is everything I could wish for; effective, ethical, cruelty free and organic!

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Show us how you summer! Everything you need for a successful beach season is in our giveaway. Here’s how: ? Make sure you’re following our account ? Upload a post that shows us your favorite way to spend summer, and tag it with #AlbaBotanicaEndlessSummer ? Tag two friends in the comments to spread the word! We’ll choose one winner at random. For more details, see our #LinkInBio.
A post shared by Alba Botanica (@albabotanica) on May 25, 2018 at 12:51pm PDT

On my wish list:

Coola: Is still on my wish list and as soon as my budget can accommodate a purchase, I will get this. I like their SPF face moisturiser and SPF make-up fixing spray.
Jane Iredale: I’m praying they release a BB shade between 1 & 3 because I loved this and it has a high SPF… but it was too expensive to keep buying both shades and mixing them together. I’m also tempted by their high SPF face powder.

The best and worst sun lotions by a redhead!

Last year I wrote about the sun lotions that have earned my trust and those that broke my heart and blistered my skin. If you want to know the best and worst, please click here or on the title picture below.