I will never forget the first time I experienced sunburn. It was 2013, the summer before my freshman year at UCLA. My family and I were traveling through the Bahamas on a Disney Cruise. One of the stops on the trip was Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. My mom instructed me and my siblings to apply sunscreen before we left the ship. The bottle made its way from my sister’s hands to my younger brother’s. When it arrived in my own, it was empty. I didn’t think much of it. I’m brown skin, I didn’t really need sunscreen. Or so I thought.
Hours passed as I swam in the salty ocean water and lounged in chairs lining the beach. That evening my sister and I joked about the tans we both were sporting (yes Black girls get tans too.) Those laughs ended the next morning when I woke up to a burning, skin pulling sensation along my shoulders, nose and chest. In a few days, my skin was peeling and shedding like a snake. That’s when I learned a harsh truth: Black girls need sunscreen too!
How many of you have had similar experiences? We grow up hearing that Black people don’t really need sunscreen. This is far from the truth! While our melanin does afford us a bit of an easier time as it relates to the sun, we can still suffer sunburn and age spots just like our fair skinned counterparts. Oh and there’s also this thing called skin cancer. Yeah she doesn’t really discriminate when deciding who her next victim will be.
After my first sunburn experience, I made it a habit to protect my skin with sunscreen whether I’m just out running errands or on a trip. But the selections always left me disappointed. I know many Black women who shy away from sunscreen because they don’t seem to be made with us in mind. It would seem that the skincare industry doesn’t believe black girls need sunscreen. Until recently, it was hard to find a sunscreen for Black women that catered to our specific needs. Grab just any ole’ bottle off the beauty aisle and you’re liable to walk away an ashy, greasy hot mess. Insert Black Girl Sunscreen.
Black Girl Sunscreen
Black Girl Sunscreen is a relatively new addition to the sunscreen aisle. Founded in 2016 in Miami, FL, it was created specifically for melanin rich women as a natural alternative to the other sunscreens on drugstore shelves. You know the ones that make you look like you lathered yourself in Vaseline when applied then leave a white ashy cast once you’ve hopped out the pool? Yeah, those.
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I picked up a bottle of Black Girl Sunscreen from Target recently and I am hooked! It’s so moisturizing and absorbs into the skin beautifully. You won’t look greasy after using it but your skin will show a nice little glow. You know us Black women glisten in the sun right? Oh and speaking of Black women I almost forgot to mention that this product was created by a Black woman. We love to see it!
If you are looking for a natural sunscreen that’s free from parabens, is eco friendly (the product doesn’t contain oxybenzone or octinoxate so it is reef safe) and makes you glow like the goddess you are, try Black Girl Sunscreen. You won’t regret it!
*This post is not sponsored. All thoughts are my own. Items listed may contain affiliate links.
