Product Review: NO-AD Baby Sunblock

Ban the burn! Most of us enjoy a sunny day at the beach, by the pool, or out on the water. Three or four hours later, though, we may pay a price for our playtime.

Imagine you have just spent a day this way. Suddenly, you realize that you skin feels hot and tight, your body feels stiff, and you appear to be glowing. Wow! What a sunburn!

Of course, the best treatment for sunburn (and skin cancer) is pre-treatment - to guard skin against the sun's harmful rays. Wearing loose-cotton protective clothing, spending time in the shade, and applying a sunblock can all help to shield your skin from sunburn.

My Family's Favorite

When my children were born, I dutifully purchased baby sunblock products and slathered them on my wriggling children. I tried nearly every baby sunscreen product out there.

Honestly, the best product was NO-AD baby sunblock. A big bottle is less than $10. It's waterproof, it keeps your skin soft, and it doesn't sting your eyes. (That's important for swimming - or sweating in the sun!).

This product comes in an 8.5-ounce tube (great for travel), a 16-ounce bottle, or a 6-ounce spray container.

The baby sunscreen products are available in several themed- packages (Little Einstein and Disney's Nemo, Tigger & Pooh, Arial, Pirates of the Caribbean, are favorites.)

The product is not nearly as greasy as many other branded offerings. The baby products smell like baby lotion, and the kids' offerings have a bubble-gum scent.

NO-AD stands for No Advertising. Since 1960, the manufacturer, Solar Cosmetic Labs, has positioned their product line almost as quality affordable generics. Because the company does not spend money on advertising, they pass the savings on to consumers. NO-AD costs considerably less than other brands.

The only drawbacks to this product are in the packaging. The tube is handy and useful. The big bottle may crack and leak when dropped, wasting a lot of product. Also, once you get a little beach sand in the sunscreen, it becomes basically unusable.

The spray bottles are worthless after a few uses, unless you don't mind pulling off the top and pouring the lotion on the old-fashioned way.