To ask how much SPF you take on a sunny holiday?

[nothingbeatsajet2]

I’m off on my first sunny holiday in a couple of weeks and I’ve just bought all my toiletries.

i’ve ordered:

1 x face spf cream for the mornings
1 x face spf mist for day to day
2 x spf sprays for mornings and after swimming
1 x mist for during the day
1 x scalp mist

all are spf 50 apart from the scalp mist as boots only sell it in spf 30

Yeah, that should be enough for your first two months of holiday.

To be honest, I just wear DD’s suncream, which is SPF 50, and take loads of it. I don’t worry too much if I’m in a city or resort as there’s always a shop selling it it too.

I think that’s unnecessary, I take a bottle of spf 50 and that’s it.

I’m just not used to constant sun exposure. I’m probably outside for about an hour a day in the UK sun and can find myself going pink, so I want to be safe rather than sorry

I stay in the shade covered up so hardly need any, but my sun worshiping kids get through two bottles each. (600ml)

Sounds like tonnes, and most places you’ll find 100’s of shops and supermarkets that will sell it, unless you’re going to outer Mongolia

I get the 400ml bottles of factor 50 from boots. 2 bottles will see the 4 of us through a 10 day holiday. We're all pretty pale so I'm fairly liberal with the application and reapplication. I CBA with lots of different products though, we just use the same cream for face and body.

I’m away for 12 days - each bottle is about 250ml I think

I take a small factor 50, large 30 and a tiny zinc cream in case the nose and cheeks need a little extra, particularly if swimming lots.

I hate wearing sunscreen, so I cover up instead. I have a big hat and loads of loose linen / cotton shirts and palazzo pants!

So I barely use any. I have a similar approach for DC - I prefer clothes rather than sunscreen. So one small bottle between us lasts for ages.

PS should have also said, I take less rather than more because if I run out I can always buy more at the destination. Less risk of it exploding in my bag, which did happen once.

I’m going to be annoying and let you know that mists aren’t really recommended as sun protection. They don’t cover enough of your body to give the stated spf and they blow away in the wind when you spray. I think jet spray type spfs are ok but I wouldn’t use a mist.
Anyway there’s 3 of us going to Spain for 12 days soon and I’ve packed 2 bottles of spf 50. We can buy more in Spain if we run out.
I use my own facial spf and try not to let my face get in the sun. I don’t use any scalp spf as it makes my hair greasy, I just always wear a hat.

I don't have all the misty things and hate sprays because once your hands have suncream on them, it's impossible to use the bottle any more.

I have normal supermarket own suncream and face suncream because the normal version seems to make me spotty. For a week I'd take two bottles per person if I had luggage space, possibly less if there was a proper supermarket nearby (eg Mercadona or Lidl in Spain) but not if there was only Spar, Dino or convenience stores as suncream is ridiculously expensive there and often seems to be put out front in the sun so likely gone off.

I can’t find a hat I like anywhere 😭

I have melanoma and am psychotic about suncream. I always have been as an adult. I’ve actually never even been on a lie around on a sun lounger baking holiday ever in my adult life. But my parents didn’t really do suncream when I was a child 🙄 so now I have cancer. Anyway, I am psychotic about suncream, but I only use one. A very good SPF 50 cream. It goes on all parts and everyone. Sometimes I bring multiple tubs because I go through so much of it.

For 12 days I would take two bottles of Factor 50 and wear a hat.

About 100ml per person per week. All factor 50, cream not spray, the once a day kind (albeit I do top up anyway).

I take a couple of bottles of factor 50 P20 for us all and we apply that as a base layer every morning as it’s up to 10-hour exposure. Then a couple of bottles of cheaper cream to top up during the day/after being in the pool! Me and the DDs are blonde, pale and burn easily.

You tend to be able to easily buy more abroad anyway if needed.

I take a couple of bottles for family of 5. If we run out I buy some. But we generally take v little luggage.

Same - never been burned using standard SPF 50 suncream and I am not great at reapplying either.

What’s with the mist? I take a big bottle of 50 and use it all over. Lasts about 2 weeks

Why all the mists and sprays? They are expensive and gimmicky and don't work as well. The best way to get protection is a cream. Apply liberally.

For during the day, so I don’t have to get the cream on my hands.

each of the sprays are 200ml, so 400ml for the 12 days.

the face one is non negotiable, but I use it everyday anyway so whatever is left over can come home with me

That’s not enough for correct coverage. Look up the finger method -

The "two-finger rule" is a simple way to measure how much sunscreen you need. To use it, you squeeze two lines of sunscreen directly onto your index and middle fingers, from the base of the palm to the tips. One application of this size equals about 1 gram of cream.

You should use this two-finger amount for each section of your body.

To get the best protection, measure and apply it to these 11 separate parts:
Face and neck: 2 fingers
Chest and stomach: 2 fingers for the chest, and 2 fingers for the stomach
Upper back and lower back: 2 fingers for the upper back, and 2 fingers for the lower back
Each arm: 2 fingers per arm (or 1 finger for each side of the arm)
Each leg: 2 fingers for the front of the leg, and 2 fingers for the back of the leg

Thats about 8 grams per application.

I take 2 bottles of factor 50 and a hat. I've never differentiated between face SPF or body SPF, or for morning Vs all day.

I burn badly if I don't use high SPF and multi purpose kids suncream has seen me through many holidays. Buy more of the same type if going for longer or actually taking kids.

Too much faff with all those bottles op, don't overcomplicate it!

If you don't rub it in you don't get good distribution - it's really not realistic to expect adequate and even coverage from a spray or mist if you apply outside.