Today I am *finally* reviewing Attitude Mineral Sunscreen, a product I tried last summer on my annual river tubing holiday. Because it is coming up time to buy sunscreen again 🙂
Here is some context for the tubing vacay: we usually hit the canal at around 11 am. Depending on the wind, and whether we are doing a full or half trip, it may take up to 2+ hours to do a full run. Then we wait for the bus to get a ride back to the start and do it again. On a good day, we get three full trips in. We do this all week, so we get a lot of sun (+7 hours per day).
It is my time to ‘recharge my mental battery’ so-to-speak, and it just feels really good.
Hello and welcome to Fearlessly Holistic.
My name is Irma and I want to share my journey to improved health by eating whole foods, moving my body and eliminating stress as much as possible.
It is my hope to inspire you to make daily changes. Why? Because eating fresh, seasonal food, getting some sunshine, and reducing stress is the best way to increase longevity. But you do not want just a long life.
You want a quality long life, and you want to look and feel your best while you live it.
My blog posts are my opinion and the results of things that I have tried that either worked for me or didn’t. My opinions are for informational purposes only and are not intended as medical advice. Medical advice should always be obtained from a qualified medical professional for any health conditions or symptoms associated with them. As well, there may be affiliate links in this post. Read more here.
Prep for Summer Sun
Every year in August, we head 3 hours south and spend a week tubing on a canal. Days are spent on the water and the evenings are spent at the park listening to free music. It is suuuper chill.
About 7 years ago, I started prepping for this trip by going outside around lunch time for 10 or 15 minutes at a time, in shorts and a tank top, hoping to build a base tan to lessen the amount of sunscreen I would need.
Pre-holiday base tanning
I increase the amount of time spent doing this by observing if my skin gets pink-ish (beginner burning) every time I increase my time outside. If I get pink, I back off by a few minutes until my body acclimates.
By the time it is officially summer, I have a nice healthy glow about my skin and can spend progressively more time outside without sunscreen. Also, my tan comes back faster.
I try to start as early as possible (April) because we get wildfires around here in July and August, and I cannot be outside when it is smokey.
Other sun prepping
I have read numerous articles from people eating clean keto, ketovore and carnivore diets who have found that they eventually do not need sunscreen even when spending a whole day in the sun.
While I am outside as much as possible during the spring, summer and fall, tubing the canal is when I get big doses of sun, so this was interesting to me.
Asthaxanthin
When I read that people on a higher fat diet were able to spend more time in the sun without chemicals, I decided to test this myself. A few people mentioned krill oil specifically as a supplement they took and the by-product was free sunscreen.
About 5 years ago, I tried Krill oil (asthaxanthin), 4 times a day for six weeks prior to my tubing holiday; I did not get sunburn in at all that summer and I did not use sunscreen on my tubing holiday.
Asthaxanthin is high in krill oil, and is not typically in most fish oils. Take note that krill oil is not cheap, but it was totally worth it. YMMV, so use due diligence if testing this for yourself.
Asthaxanthin is the compound in plants and animals that gives them the orange/orange-red color.
You see this color in shellfish like shrimp, prawns and lobster, and I saw this color in my skin as I got more tanned. I am a pink-toned skin type, so this effect looked really good on me and many people told me how I good I looked. win-win.
On a side note, people who take krill oil regularly have reduced depressive symptoms. See more here. There really are no downsides to supplementing with fish oils.
Previous ‘Healthy’ Sunscreen Attempts
The strong chemicals in chemical sunscreens irritate my face and eyes, and the list of ingredients personally offends me; I mean how can any of that stuff not be absorbed? And what does it do in my body? I shudder to think about it.
In an effort to be more holistic, I have been searching for a good ‘clean’ sunscreen that does the job that I need.
I previously tried a Badger brands product, but it was almost too thick to squeeze out of the tube and I ended up with sunburn anyway.
Another one I tried, and really liked, is by a company called Saje, but I was not on their website last year (2023). It was a liquid product and had pretty decent ingredients from what I remember.
So I spent days on Amazon, researching products that would fit my requirements, which are:
- Non-nano zinc oxide
- Water repellent for a period of time – we get wet getting in and out of the canal
- Broad spectrum aka UVA and UVB protection – we are out when UVB rays are strongest
- As eco as possible while still being a decent product
- Does not irritate my eyes or skin when being applied, meaning it works on my face and body
- Travels easily – this is not a liquid so another win-win.
I settled on a Canadian brand called Attitude, and I went with the version in the push-up tube (like stick deodorant). I purchased through Amazon, because it links to the storefront where I could read more about the product.
What is Attitude Mineral Sunscreen all about?
*Product description via Amazon; I put in bold what I think are the important parts.
“ATTITUDE’s Plastic Free Mineral Sunscreen Stick SPF 30 comes in an innovative biodegradable cardboard tube.
This mineral broad-spectrum sunscreen forms a physical barrier that protects against both UVA and UVB rays, thanks to its formula which contains non-nano zinc oxide.
This hypoallergenic sunscreen uses only all-natural plant- and mineral-based ingredients like castor oil and shea butter and goes on smoothly.
ATTITUDE loves animals, nature and marine-life, so this product is PETA Certified, vegan, cruelty-free and reef-friendly.”
I had read that some people got the ‘white haze’ from using it, but I just saw that as a plus for my situation. I knew when the haze was gone, so was the product on my skin. So I bought it.
My Experience with Attitude Mineral Sunscreen
I love it. I feel that this product fulfilled my expectations. The only burning I got was when I forgot to reapply to my forehead during out last run and during the hottest part of the day.
PRO’s
Attitude Mineral stick sunscreen super easy to use and goes on smoothly.
This product is like a slightly different formulation of, but similar to, a solid white stick deodorant. But it seemed like it had more of something in it that gave it a softer texture…my guess is the castor oil and shea butter. It has a non-greasy finish.
It is a push-up tube, which is super easy to use. Just push up from the bottom while you apply it to your skin. Not sloppy and goopy like liquid-types (worse so when they sit in a hot car!).
FYI, it went on smoother the longer it sat in our hot car during day 1, and seemed to stay that way for the week.
The tube is biodegradeable, so win-win for the environment.
All around the parking lot are garbage cans full of plastic sunscreen containers. So a biodegradeable container is a win. Also because it is not liquid, you can travel with this product.
I used it liberally…everywhere that I could
I used it on the tops of my feet, my ears, my face (especially my forehead), arms, legs, nose etc etc. Did I mention that it is waterproof? It is, because of the zinc oxide.
That white haze/white cast is obvious when you put it on
But I found that most of that went away as I rubbed it on to get maximum coverage. So it was easy to see any spots I missed. Then I rubbed it in to ensure good coverage.
The white cast comes from the zinc oxide, which is the same product in many diaper rash creams. It creates a waterproof barrier, and many people know it to be a challenge to wash off. But I did not have that problem.
The sunscreen (any that is left) comes off easily in the shower with some body wash. I wash my whole body with body wash after a day on the canal, because of the amount of ducks and the zillions of people drinking aka aquadumping (ew). I am happy that there is shea butter in it because my skin does not dry out.
Unscented means unscented
No smell. And I have allergies and sensitive skin, so this product did the job.
I was not sure if it would melt in our car, sitting in a hot parking lot
Nope, it was a champ, and stayed fully solid. If anything, it went on easier for successive trips, and it stayed like that.
Broad spectrum
Protects against UVA and UVB. UVB are the rays that are most prevalent between 10 am and 2 pm. UVB are also the rays that make Vitamin D in your body if you do not use sun protection, and will also burn you fastest if you do not have a base layer of tan.
CONS
There were a few spots where I put it on and the white cast did not rub in.
Like I said, I call it win because I could see it. But I am also sitting in my own inflatible tube in a canal all day, so no one sees it but me and the ducks.
A smaller container would be a nice option, but I get it
I did not need as much as I had and I hate throwing out products like this because they are expired. I have noticed that they changed the packaging, so I will have to do more research this year to find a small-ish size, if there is one.
It will become painfully obvious if you missed a spot
On my tubing holiday, I had to be quite diligent making sure that I reapplied every area, every single time. I missed my forehead for our third run on day one, and I got a bit burnt. To be fair, that can be said about all sunscreens.
But since I had applied it twice previously that day, I was mostly just extra pink.
Rating: 9/10
Attitude Mineral stick sunscreen is a great product and a good alternative for those of us who cannot tolerate regular chemical sunscreens (or who don’t want to) and need something that is easy to use and works.
I paid a bit over $22 CAD for this and it was a better deal than most of the other comparable items in this category. #worthit
I recommend it because it fits in to what I am trying to do for my health: it is a decently holistic product.
Conclusion
Since cleaning up my diet and eating more healthy fats, my skin is better overall. I can stay in the sun longer, thanks to my prep work, so that I do not burn for the most part.
But I know myself well enough to know that I am still in the category of people who should be prepared for anything and everything. This sunscreen fits into my holistic lifestyle nicely.
FYI, we eat before we jump in and take snacks like jerky (portable protein) and water bottles. We don’t eat much on the canal, because the aggressive ducks will seriously try to take food right out of your hand!
Holism targets overall wellness, and when we are well, we only get better with age.
Eat the best food that you can afford to give your body the building blocks it needs for optimal health, longevity, and looking good for as long as possible.
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Until next time, here’s to our health!
– Irma xo
