To think the price of sun block is DISGUSTING

[imaynotbeperfectbutimokmummy]

I mean, its an essential. These companies know we have to buy it. They do ridiculous bogoff offers - but i don't want two bottles, i want one. Its no good the following year so its not like its really any good value for money.

I just had to part with £5 for emergency sun block - looked like rain when i left to pick DD up, after lunch in cafe it was scorching again - she looked like she was catching the sun, im paranoid so had to buy the smallest bottle of stuff, boots own make - still cost £5, wont last five minutes.

[quidnunc]

Yup, it's a rip off.

BUT, did you see the Which report into suncreams and their actual effectiveness vs. what is says on the label? They looked at 'real' measured SPF, and moisturising effect etc. It turned out that the best was the cheapest - Problem is I can't remember if it was Asda or Tesco own brand. Tesco I think. It was around £3 or £4, and had much higher effectiveness than the £15-£30 branded equivalents.

[Meglet]

yanbu. I can't believe those ingredients are that expensive.

[Stretch]

Oh yes, I agree!

Didn't know that about the own brand. I always bought the more expensive stuff as having red hair I thought I'd be better protected..Obv not!!

FWIW, I buy the 2 for 1 suncream offers with a friend, so we get a bottle of the nivea stuff for just £5.50 each.

[Portofino]

YANBU! I nearly fell over at the weekend when I bought 2 bottles here - one for dd and one for me cost more than 30 euros! They don't seem to do own brand version in the Belgium supermarkets. Or 2 for 1 offers.

I hope it's cheaper in France, as we're on a tight budget anyway and we'll get through loads in 2 weeks. (sensitive skins!)

[FluffyBunnyGoneBad]

Do you really need to use it though? If you stick them in some cotton shirts, a baseball cap and keep them in the shade is this not OK? ds is allergic to something they put in the sunblock, I know about skin cancer but sunlight also gives you vitamin D. If he was in the blazing sun I'd slap it on, allergy or not but he's not had any on yet and not even a suntan. I know I'm probably wrong in doing this but surly some sun's OK? Lots of water, shade?

Feel free to tell me otherwise as I'm not 100% about this.

[Stretch]

Well, I can burn on hot but overcast days, and in the wind!
My DCs have very fair skin too and DS does not keep his hat on enough, so I HAVE to slap on suncream.
I do try to keep him out of the sun, but we have an hour walk to and from school twice a day, so he would burn without suncream. Parasols don't work either as he likes to twirl them!!

BUT, I have seen them UV t-shirts on here mentioned a lot, so maybe that will work??

[FluffyBunnyGoneBad]

There lightsabres arn't they?

He seems to have survived so far. It's not that I don't want to buy it, I just have not found one he doesn't react to. It is bloody expensive, it should be cheaper. It would cost the NHS more in treating skin cancer for the lobsters of society.

[imaynotbeperfectbutimokmummy]

im not sure fluffy - if DD is like me, which i suspect, she will have leather skin and not burn easily, despite catching the sun very easily. I probably wouldn't worry early morning or later in the afternoon, but mid day where we couldn't keep in the shade then sun block it is.

I think some sun is good too. DD had a uv swim suit, its too small and i was too strapt to buy a new one, was paranoid again at pool the other day.

[Morloth]

I pay 17 quid a tube for my stuff. Pisses me right off, but it is the only one that stops the sunburn AND the rash.

[abraid]

£5 a bottle doesn't sound much to me, tbh. Not in comparison to other health essentials.

[imaynotbeperfectbutimokmummy]

but its one of those novelty size bottles, only bought it because i got caught out without any, theres enough for one or two applications i reckon.

[tigermoth]

I too am taken aback at the price of sunblocks this year. I was in superdrug and most things were seemed around £10.00 with BOGOFS so I suppose in reality around £5.00 a bottle. Still a lot.

Poundland were doing lots of suncreams (both high and low protection) earlier in the year (before it got sunny of course!).

I did pick up a tube of factor 8 for a quid today in Poundland - I wanted a higher factor but that was all I could get.

[Lulumama]

asda do two bottles for £5

it is excellent, 5 star ultra UVA and UVB protection

[sweetkitty]

Asda or Tesco's own label £3 a bottle or something works just as well.

[Lizzylou]

I ordered a big P20 bottle last night from Amazon (It's been peeing it down here since!) for DS1 as he is at school, it's once a day stuff. Almost £20

I agree, it is extortionate.

[Lizzylou]

We use Tescos own when we are with the DS's all day though.

[screamingabdab]

quidnunc Which report found Asda to be the best.

[chocolatefudgebrownie]

we use Asda's own. It's smells lovely and seems to do the job for about 3 quid. Not bad!

[verygreenlawn]

Trouble with suncream is, you need a lot to make it effective. So if you use it as it's meant to be used, yes it IS expensive.

Another shameless vote here for P20 - the only cream that doesn't give me a rash and I've never burnt using it.

[jemart]

I always buy boots own brand, its usually tucked away in a corner on the bottom shelf of their suncream display. much cheaper than all the others and very high spf, I think they go up to spf50.

[abraid]

'but its one of those novelty size bottles'

Oh OK--sorry missed that.

Re. P20: it's worth being cautious with this one. Boots won't sell it anymore because it only protects against, I think, UVA, not UVB rays. SO you won't obviously be burned but dangerous rays will still affect your skin.

This was annoying to learn because we relied on it for hot weather.

[abraid]

'but its one of those novelty size bottles'

Oh OK--sorry missed that.

Re. P20: it's worth being cautious with this one. Boots won't sell it anymore because it only protects against, I think, UVA, not UVB rays. SO you won't obviously be burned but dangerous rays will still affect your skin.

This was annoying to learn because we relied on it for hot weather.