Using sunscreen in combination with your regular moisturizer can make your skin look greasy. This article looks at if sunscreen can replace moisturizer

You can use sunscreen as a moisturizer if you use a sunscreen that contains a good amount of humectants and emollients. These sunscreens are lightweight, non-greasy, hydrate well, moisturize well and still protect against the harmful rays of the sun. Alternatively, you can layer a lightweight moisturizer and a lightweight sunscreen on your skin.

It might be very tempting to use a sunscreen as a moisturiser. Some days using both seems like a bit of a pain.

We know that we need to apply sunscreen every day. It’s told to us by dermatologists and our moms alike.

Unfortunately, it has a thick consistency and you might want to avoid the mess it can cause, the shine you’ll get and the oily skin you might end up with.

So can sunscreen replace moisturizer?

The main goal of all moisturisers is to penetrate and to hydrate your skin. This will give you the supple, dewy, fresh-faced look you deserve.

If you add another layer of product on your face this might start to get heavy and thick.

Since the sunscreen seems moisturising anyway can you use it as a moisturizer?

Can sunscreen be used as a moisturiser?

It depends on the sunscreen. Sunscreens are not made the same way.

There are some sunscreens that have formulations which contain a pretty high number of emollients in them and there are more lightweight sunscreens.

Moisturizing sunscreens:

These are sunscreens that contain a good amount of humectants and emollients in them.

If you have a sunscreen that has these properties then you might find that it works well as a moisturizer.

Still, you have to apply quite a thick amount of sunscreen for this to work. About 2mg for every square centimetre of skin.

If you apply this much sunscreen then you will really be applying a thick layer and it might get pretty shiny.

A large number of sunscreens from the US or Europe are formulated to be this way. So, in this case, you can opt to not use a moisturizer all.

Here is one that can moisturise and protect against the sun.

Lightweight sunscreens:

In an effort to avoid the shiny heavy feeling sunscreens give us, some brands offer much more lightweight sunscreens.

This type of formulation makes the sunscreen light to apply and invisible on the skin. The last thing you want when you’re out in the hot sun is a thick, heavy sunscreen on your face. 

This is a great lightweight suncreen

The lighter sunscreen won’t have many moisturising properties as it is so thin and lightweight. In this case, you will need to use a good moisturizer with the sunscreen.

In the end you just need to know what type of sunscreen you are working with. If you use a sunscreen that can moisturize and protect your skin then go ahead and use it.

It is much better than using too many products on the skin. If you’re not sure then use both a sunscreen and a good moisturizer.

Is sunscreen better than moisturiser?

I can’t say that one is better than the other because sunscreen and moisturisers are meant to do different things.

Experts recommend using a separate sunscreen and moisturiser because they penetrate the skin differently, also what you may find in a moisturiser you may not find in a sunscreen and vice versa.

If your skin can’t handle using both then just use sunscreen. If you can find a lightweight sunscreen then suggest you use it with a moisturiser.

Do I need sunscreen if my moisturizer has SPF?

It might be tempting to use a moisturizer with SPF it. Unfortunately, this usually comes with a low SPF of 15.

Firstly sunscreens with SPF 15 aren’t protecting you enough. The minimum SPF you should be using in sunscreen is an SPF of 30.

In the same breath, the sunscreens with a super high SPF of 80/90 isn’t necessarily triple as good as the SPF of 30, only marginally better.

Moisturizer with an SPF of 15 does protect your skin to some extent, but this is in no way a replacement for a good sunscreen with SPF 30, which is the minimum we need to use.

It simply won’t give you the protection you need. Yes it is a convenient and handy option and it makes things easier but you are doing yourself a disservice by using it alone.

Some sunscreen is better than no sunscreen, same goes for slightly expired sunscreen (read more here)

Is it good to have SPF in a moisturizer?

It’s still a good idea to have a sunscreen in a moisturizer but you cannot count on it alone.

Use other methods like covering with clothing if you don’t have sunscreen on hand.

If you don’t use sunscreen and you develop early signs of ageing or hyperpigmentation you can use an at-home LED face mask to treat your skin.

This article looks at the best at-home LED face mask for wrinkles, this one looks at the best mask for hyperpigmentation.

Can I mix sunscreen with moisturizers?

It might seem like a good idea to mix sunscreen with moisturizer. Heck, even I did it in the beginning stages of using sunscreen.

It’s especially helpful if you’re in a rush and don’t want to use both products separately.

Also, you might think that the sunscreen is too thick and that is why you opt for mixing the two, to get a thinner consistency.

But it actually can do more harm than good. It could end up not doing the job of protecting you. This is why you shouldn’t:

Dilution: You need to use a thick amount of sunscreen in the first place for it to work at its maximum potential.

If you mix it in with something else the total amount of product you put on your face probably isn’t even how much sunscreen you should be using on its own.

Mixing can dilute the product very much

Ingredient mismatch: Some products shouldn’t mix. They should be applied on the skin and left to penetrate and the next product should be added in order to create a second layer on the skin.

If you mix the two the UV protection of the sunscreen can become compromised in some way, thus rendering it less effective.

Do I need sunscreen if my BB cream has SPF?

Yes you still need sunscreen if your bb cream has SPF.

Generally, to get the amount of protection you need, the amount that the package is offering, you need to use quite a bit of sunscreen. This is around ¼ of a tablespoon of sunscreen for your face.

You probably wouldn’t even apply that much bb cream to begin with. Having sunscreen in products sounds like a good idea but it gives us a false sense of security really.

How do you apply sunscreen to your face?

1. Start off with a clean face just after washing, make sure your skin is clean and dry
2. Apply the sunscreen into your hands and massage it into your skin making sure it disappears into your skin. To get the adequate amount of ¼ of a tablespoon you may want to apply half right after you clean your face then wait a while to let it settle then apply the other half
3. If you desire you can use a moisturiser after the sunscreen

When should sunscreen be applied?

• Sunscreen needs to be applied right after you wash your face in the morning
• You need to reapply the sunscreen if you’ll be out in the sun later in the day. Note: the sunscreen needs about 20 minutes to fully absorb before you get out into the sun.
• Sunscreen needs to be applied every 90 minutes, this is because the longer your sunscreen gets exposed to light the more unstable it gets. Thus you need reapply to make sure you stay protected.

Can I use SPF 50 every day?

Yes, you can, you don’t need to use SPF 50 every day but you do need to you use sunscreen every day, at least an SPF 30.

No sunscreen protects you from the sun 100 percent and the sun protection factor of SPF 15, 30, 50 and 100 is 93 percent, 97 percent, 98 percent and 99percent respectively.

The recommended level of sun protection factor you need is SPF 30.

Unfortunately, we generally don’t apply a thick enough layer of sunscreen to be protected so using SPF of 50 can be a good idea.

This will protect you increase you don’t apply enough sunscreen

This sunscreen with SPF 50 is well-loved and widely used.

Can moisturizer and sunscreen be used together?

They can’t be mixed but they can be used one after the other, the sunscreen needs to settle into your skin then you can apply the moisturiser.

What is the best sunscreen for face?

It depends on what skin type you have, if you have oily skin you need to use a sunscreen that gives a matte finish, if you have dry skin you need to use a sunscreen that is hydrating.

There are a few things you need to keep in mind regardless of what skin type you have: 1. When purchasing sunscreen make sure you get a good quality broad-spectrum sunscreen. 2. The sunscreen needs to be SPF 30 or higher.

The best overall sunscreen is the EltaMD UV Clear Facial Sunscreen SPF 46, you won’t get that heavy sunscreen feeling when using this product because of its lightweight oil-free formula, it is also acne and rosacea skin-friendly.

If you have dry skin I recommend using the Aveeno Protect + Hydrate Face Sunscreen Lotion.

It nourishes the skin and it aborts into your skin quickly and easily, it’s a broad-spectrum sunscreen protecting you from both UVA and UVB rays of the sun.

If you have oily skin the Neutrogena Clear Face Liquid Lotion Sunscreen is a great option for you.

It is a broad-spectrum sunscreen that is lightweight, non-greasy and non-comedogenic.

Can I wear sunscreen under BB cream?

Yes, in fact, sunscreen should be the first product you use on your face.

You need to apply the sunscreen liberally onto your face to get the sun protection, let it settle then apply your bb cream or any other makeup you’ll be using.

In addition, using sunscreen before you apply your bb cream can make your cream glide onto your face easier giving you a better final look.

How do you remove sunscreen from your face?

Since your sunscreen is usually oil-based the best way to remove it would be to use an oil-based cleanser.

This is especially true if you are using a waterproof sunscreen.

Oil cleansing works because  “like dissolves like”, the oil-based cleanser works wonders to break down the screen or any other products that may be on your face.

When you add water to the oil emulsifies and turns milky and you can rinse this off with water.

This is a great oil-based cleanser that will remove your sunscreen in no time

How much sunscreen should you put on your face?

We need to be using at least ¼ of a tablespoon of sunscreen on our face every day.

Remember to reapply when you’ll be going out into the sun and make sure to reapply every few hours as the sunscreen loses its protecting ability though the day.

If you’re an adult person you need to be using a shot glass worth of sunscreen for your whole body for a good amount of sun protection.

Let the product settle into your skin for 20 minutes before you go out into the sun.

Is SPF 30 or 50 better?

Spf 50 is technically better but only by a slight percentage.

If we use a higher sunscreen we can develop a false sense of security and wind up using less than we would have in we used a sunscreen with SPF 30, we may not think to reapply it as much as needed.

Regardless of what SPF you use you need to make sure you apply the right amount often.

Does SPF 50 stop you from tanning?

Tanning happens when the suns UVA rays come into contact with the skin.

When the rays reach the deeper levels of the dermis you start to tan (produce melanin) your skin does this to prevent you from getting burnt by the sun.

The sun produces both UVA and UVB rays. The UVB rays are what causes burns. If you didn’t tan the UVB rays would burn your skin easier

When you apply sunscreen your skin is more protected, sunscreen protects the skin from burning but it does not completely stop you from getting a tan, it simply slows the process of getting a tan.

So if you are wearing sunscreen, even a high sunscreen such as SPF 50 you will still get a tan.

I hope you enjoyed this article looking at can sunscreen replace moisturizer.

Remember to use a sunscreen that both moisturizes and protects your skin or apply lightweight moisturiser and sunscreen to your face daily.

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