This post is sponsored by Woolworths
I remember as a child spending many a summer’s day at the beach with my family.
Mum would not give in to our pleas to race down to the water until we had slathered on the cream and plastered a strip of zinc across our noses.
We were sun smart then.
But, according to sun protection traditions since the hole in the ozone above us opened up, not smart enough.
Now when I take the girls to the beach, they cannot leave the shade of the umbrella until I have
slathered them in sunscreen, slipped on a rashie shirt, and slapped on a hat.
Kalryra protests, but she knows the rules from pre-school, No Hat No Play! At least now, the slather of zinc is not necessary as the sunscreen offers pretty good protection.
A beach empty of sun smart families
On our recent trip to Thailand, I scoured the beach for signs of other sun smart families.
Children ran around naked or near naked. There were very few rash shirts, no hats tied to heads, no umbrellas to build sandcastles under, and definitely no zinc striped on noses.
Don’t they know about the hole in the ozone? Don’t they know about the damages of the sun burning our skin and long term effects?
(Ahh, I think most people on the beach came from Russia actually—do they need to worry about sun skin care in Siberia?)
My girls complained about the cover ups and tried their best to sneak their hats off, especially when seeing the other kids without theirs. I don’t blame them.
I never wanted to be skin care smart because it always seemed like a daggy drag. The possible effects though are WORSE.
So now I care, especially when it comes to my girls.
Covering up in Thailand
The burning Aussie sun
I was chatting with a girlfriend the other day about the sun in Thailand and the sun in Australia.
The sun in Thailand doesn’t really burn, well it does, but not like Australia. Actually, I don’t think I have ever been in a country that burns like Australia.
It’s a different burning. It’s a scorching burning – like 10 minutes of exposure and your skin is fried.
Trust me. And I have olive skin that doesn’t burn easily!
You can often tell the British and Irish on the beach in Bondi—red like a lobster. Another arrival blissfully unaware of how harsh our sun is. You sting just looking at them.
To the rest of the world it might seem like Aussies are a little sun paranoid. It’s rare to find a person who doesn’t know someone in Australia who has not been affected by skin cancer.
My father has had several cut out of his skin; he is olive too, actually more like dark brown. Before he had the first cut out he never wore sunscreen and he would spend every weekend baking in the hot sun while playing cricket. He now slathers himself, including ear lobes in sunscreen, before stepping out into the burning rays.
I have been using SPF 30 and still I worried that it was not good enough for my girls. I don’t want to hide them from the sun, I believe we all need the good effects of Vitamin D straight from the source, but I also don’t want them to burn.
We’ve now moved on up to SPF 50.
I’d rather be paranoid and protected than the alternative. We highly recommend you cover up and be sun smart when you visit Australia – you WILL burn if you don’t.
Oh, and to all the people that love to stop and comment on the colour of my children’s skin with those accusing eyes,
we do not sunbake our children.
They have olive skin like their Mummy and Daddy. Even with their skin lathered in cream it will brown in about 15 minutes—it doesn’t burn though, as long as sun cream is on!
Aussies Protecting Aussies: The New Woolworths Select Sun Care SPF50+ range
Woolworths have released their the new Woolworths Select SPF sunscreen range and asked us to try it out, as well as let you know about their range and their giveaways for you.
Woolworths are re-launching the Select Sun Care range as it has upgraded from SPF30+ to SPF50+.
The sun care range can be found in all Woolworth’s stores.
The sun cream we tried:
- WOOLWORTHS SELECT SPORTS TRIGGER SUNSCREEN SPF 50+ 250ML
- WOOLWORTHS SELECT KIDS TRIGGER SUNSCREEN SPF 50+ 250ML
- WOOLWORTHS SELECT SUNSCREEN BABY ROLL ON SPF50+ 75ML
What I loved: 
After arriving home from Thailand to a suitcase full of splattered sunscreen, I was really happy with the trigger design of the Woolworths Select sun cream.
- You can lock the trigger so it won’t squeeze or burst in your luggage!
- The cream is light and spreads easily. My skin didn’t feel too oily and sweaty after applying it. Greasiness was one of the major reasons I hated wearing sunscreen. No problem with this one.
- The kids trigger sunscreen sprays on purple, which keeps Kalyra interested. Purple is her favourite colour so it turns the whinging into fascination.
- The adults and kids cream also has aloe vera and Vitamin E in it. I love getting the extra nourishing boost.
- I like having the separate roll on for baby, which is fragrance and colour free. Savannah loves it, snatches her cream off me, and does her best to apply it and rub it in.
The sun cream range offers good value for a great price.
It’s less expensive than other brands, but still does the same job.
The Verdict
We had an overcast day when we tested the cream. You can’t help the weather and we arrived home from Thailand to a wicked week of storms and rain.
But, one thing that always traps visitors to Australia are the overcast days. Well it’s not sunny, I don’t need to cover up.
Wrong!
Be warned. Australia, during the summer time will burn you even when the sun is hiding.
Don’t get complacent. Cover up. (This is experience talking).
So we covered up, played in the park, and didn’t burn.
And I don’t really have any complaints about the sunscreen range for you. I found the creams worked well and checked off all the boxes.
Also in the Woolworths Select sun care range you will find:
- WOOLWORTHS SELECT SUNSCREEN PUMP SPF50+ 1L
- WOOLWORTHS SELECT SUNSCREEN KIDS ROLL ON SPF50+ 75ML
There is also an aloe vera after sun lotion in the Select Sun Care range.
WIN a Select Sun Care Pack!
We have two Select Sun Care packs for 2 readers to win. (1 pack each!) The pack includes and is valued at $47.96 each
- Woolworths Select Sunscreen Pump SPF 50+ 1L $19.99
- Woolworths Select Sports Trigger Sunscreen SPF 50+ 250ml $10.99
- Woolworths Select Kids Trigger Sunscreen SPF 50+ 250ml $10.99
- Woolworths Select Baby Roll On Sunscreen SPF 50+ 75ml $5.99
How to Enter
To enter the giveaway, simply tell me in the comments below a time in your life when you wished you had been sun smart and slathered yourself in sunscreen! (We’ve all had those burning moments!)
Terms and Conditions
- Only open to those with an Australian postal address.
- The giveaway is a game of skill. Entries will be judged based on originality and creativity.
- The giveaway opens on 13th Feb at 8am AEST and closes 20th Feb at 11pm AEST.
- Entries are judged by independent third parties.
Special Offer
The summer sun has not yet gone to bed. Woolworths have given our readers an exclusive
30% off discount on any product in the Select Sun Care range.
Simply click the image to download and print and stay protected.
Coordinated by The Remarkables Group
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway in the comments below:
Tell me a time in your life when you wished you had been sun smart and slathered yourself in sunscreen?
