This post is brought to you by Blue Lizard. I received complimentary sun safety products in exchange for an honest review.

Keep your family safe from skin damage this summer with these easy to follow sun savvy tips! Plus check out how Blue Lizard can help keep you covered!

You know how important it is to protect your skin this summer. I shouldn’t have to really drive that point home, right? Sunshine is pretty and all, but those sun rays are damaging. Sun damage can lead to skin cancer. Ergo, protecting your skin from the sun is common sense. Sadly, many of us still fall short when it comes to sun safety. I stand on my soapbox shouting that we need to be more sun-savvy, yet last summer I got a sunburn so red, lobsters were jealous.

Since skin cancer runs on my mom’s side, I know it’s even more important for me to be careful in the sun. The problem? I’m forgetful. Tips like “wear a hat” are great…if I had a hat that I liked. Other ideas, like “stay out of the sun until the afternoon” aren’t practical when I’ve planned a day that starts in the morning. So I’ve come up with what I think are EASY ways for you and your entire family to be more sun savvy. No hats required (unless you want one!).

Easy Sun-Safety Tips for Your Family

Cover Up: While I’m not a fan of hats (I have a round little apple head that just gets lost in them), summery scarves work well for keeping your scalp covered and protected. Water shirts for kids are another great idea, although Jacob doesn’t always like to wear them. Still, I take them along. Even though everyone says that darker colors make you hotter, some evidence suggests that they also block more UV rays. Guess my teen years of being a goth girl dressed in black paid off!

Stash it: Keep sun-safety essentials stashed in your car. This includes extra sunscreen (more on that below) and a few changes of clothes. Why all the extra clothing? Well, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, wet clothes block damaging rays about half as effectively as dry clothes. Obviously, you’re not going to change out of your bathing suit every time it gets wet, but if you work up a sweat or get caught in the rain, swap out those soaked threads for dry ones. If you make a habit of keeping extras in your car, you won’t forget to follow this sun-safety tip.

Check your meds: This is an easy sun-safety tip for those of you on certain medications. Every time you or your children get a new prescription, ask your pharmacist if there are any sun warnings. Many meds can increase your risk of sunburn. Most meds put it right on the label. Antibiotics and antidepressants are two of the biggest culprits for increasing sun-sensitivity.

Hide those eyes: While your eyeballs don’t really get sunburns, the sun can be damaging to your vision over time. Protect your eyes by sporting a stylish- yet functional- pair of sunglasses. I have light eyes, so I have to wear them year round and even on cloudy days. Even if you have dark eyes, sunglasses are a must.

Slather it on: We all know that the most important sun-safety tip is using sunscreen, right? Well, all sunscreens aren’t equal. One of my all-time favorites is Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen. Why? First, because their Sensitive Sunscreen is ranked as one of the top sunscreens by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). The Skin Deep Database (my go-to source to determine if a product is safe for sensitive skin) rating is a mere 1. That’s actually pretty hard to accomplish on EWG from what I’ve seen over the years. Lower is better, by the way.

Keep your family safe from skin damage this summer with these easy to follow sun savvy tips! Plus check out how Blue Lizard can help keep you covered!

The other thing I REALLY love about Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen? The bottle turns blue when it’s exposed to UV light, thanks to Blue Lizard’s patented PBA-free Smart Bottle™. This amused me greatly as I took it inside the house and back out, inside and back out. Aside from being super pretty and fun, it actually serves a purpose: it’s a great visual reminder to slather on the sunscreen.

Keep your family safe from skin damage this summer with these easy to follow sun savvy tips! Plus check out how Blue Lizard can help keep you covered!

We’ve had a lot of rain and miserable days here, but I did take Blue Lizard Sensitive and Blue Lizard Face formulas for a test spin at our family reunion last weekend. We were outside all day in the sun. They brought a kiddie pool for Jacob to splash around in too, so he was extra exposed running around in a bathing suit. With regular re-applying (every two hours, which is the recommendation for all sunscreens), Jacob was protected all day long. No sunburn for him!

Jacob Blue Lizard

Rest assured that Blue Lizard meets your standards. It was created in Australia, which has the strictest sunscreen standards in the world. The pharmaceutical-grade sunscreen is made with only the highest quality ingredients, and the Baby & Sensitive formulas are paraben-free, chemical-free and fragrance-free. The Face formula is oil-free. Need a water-resistant option? Go with the Sport or Regular formula. All formulas contain Zinc Oxide.

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Check out Blue Lizard’s website to learn more. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with news, and on Instagram & Pinterest for sunny day inspiration.

Do you have any other sun-savvy tips to share? Tell me in the comments!