The sun is our friend, a sunburn is not.

One of the many reasons Shining Sea became a passion project is my love/loathe relationship with the sun. Painstakingly slathering and spraying myself head to toe to enjoy some time out from under the umbrella or in the water is not my favorite pastime. Messy, sticky, expensive and quick to expire. I have some wonderful chemical free sunblocks that seriously DO NOT come off—even after scrubbing HARD in the shower—great for skin protection but not the best if you’re going for a sun-kissed, I-am-among-the living look. Then to find that I missed that one spot, that hard to reach/how did I miss that/it rubbed off spot that left me feeling like a sunblock amateur and sporting a dreaded sunburn, like a mark of irresponsibility.  Don’t I know that in the US, more people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year than all other cancers combined?

Often times, I just want to get out there right away. Surf’s up, the wind is cranking, water is calling and I must go. So my solution is to throw on the sporty Heather Rash Guard, the Jamie Legging and cover my face, fingers, and feet in sunblock. Done. Easy!  Then I zip my 30spf stick into that easy to reach pocket and I can get out there and stay out there for hours. And when I come in from a swim or session, I can unzip, dry out or easily peel off the pieces and soak up some sun without sunblock covering my entire body. Vitamin D is essential for everything from bone health to mental well-being and studies show that we are too diligent with the sunblock, denying ourselves some UVBs. Playing while protected from the burn and then feeling the sun’s rays on my actual skin. Nothing better.  

~Heather