How Lands’ End is keeping my Family Safe from the Sun

Lands’ End is keeping my family safer from the harms of the sun. To find out more, read my latest post below.

Summer is nearly here and hopefully we can say good-bye to the fickle weather of spring and welcome the warm, lazy days of summer. As a green and natural mama, I’ve committed myself to getting my children outside every day for a minimum of 15 minutes, rain, snow or shine. For us those 15 minutes inevitably turn into countless hours of playtime outdoors. As summer approaches I look forward to enjoying all that our seaside town has to offer and most of all that means daily trips to the beach. We live minutes away from a little slice of paradise and we take full advantage of it. But living a life filled with outdoor activities has one major drawback for me and that’s the amount of UVA (aging and skin damage), and UVB (sunburn) rays to which we are exposed.

The EWG puts out a list every year of the best and safest sunscreens. I used to go strictly by this list feeling a bit of relief that someone else had done all the homework for me and all I had to do was find one of the recommended sunscreens and we’d be set. I’ve recently taken a closer look at the EWG’s past lists as well as this year’s list (which comes with a full fledge summary) and see many sunscreen products on the list that I know are full of harmful chemicals, neurotoxins, parabens, sulfates and petrochemicals. What is a green mama to do? Do I slather my kids in sunscreen I know is harmful for them or do I forgo the sunscreen and let the harms of the rays damage their sensitive skin? Seem like a lose lose situation to me.

After I recovered from yet another episode of “green fatigue”, I decided I would take action and be proactive. I have done a lot of research on organic, and all natural sunscreens and I have purchased a few (more on that later) but I’ve decided the best way to spend countess days in the sun will be for the whole family to sport our Lands’ End rash guards. What exactly is a rash guard, you ask? Designed for surfers, rash guards protect the upper body from rashes or abrasions one might get while surfing and provide great sun protection. Long gone are my days attempts of surfing, but my fair freckley skin is here to stay. The Lands’ End rash guards offer SPF 50+, dry quickly and are easy to launder. I loved the huge selection, affordable pricing and great, snug but- not too snug I- can’t- move- my- shoulders- fit too!

I choose a Lands’ End white long sleeve rash guard, and love the fit. It not only provides full arm and trunk protection but also covers my neck. I did learn that darker colors provide better coverage when wet than lighter colors so I’ll be ordering another darker color rash guard when I know I’ll be spending much of my time in the water. I choose a turquoise ruffle skirt to go with my white rash guard and love how I can get the coverage I want with added style and a pop of color. I love the coordinating separates so that you can really tailor the swimsuit to fit your body.

Bathing suits are adorable for kids, especially little girls. I love the little two pieces with little bee’s toddler belly peeking out, but can’t bear the fact that her delicate skin is suffering irreparable damage. Rash guards for children are becoming a bit more popular but I rarely see a long sleeve one. Lands’ End had a rainbow of choices for my whole family.

I chose a dark purple rash guard (plum wine) for Bee and since Lands’ End offered a full line of mix and match bottoms I could make any suit combo I wanted. Bee loves her skirt with built-in bottoms, and the purple stripes are bold, yet feminine.

For Big B I stuck with a neutral long sleeve rash guard and found an adorable shark board short that Big B has worn almost every day since it arrived! No wonder it is a best -seller!

For my husband I choose I long sleeve, zip up rash guard that’s perfect for daytime runs, “chicken fights” and hours spent building sand castles and I paired it with a classic, belted swim trunk.

Although wearing a rash guard does not give you 100% sun protection, it sure beats smearing my family with lotions and potions that may or may not be toxic. Plus, have you ever tried to RE-apply sunscreen at the recommended every two hours? Sunscreen is hard to reapply to wet, sticky sandy skin (remember that sprays and mists pose a respiratory threat and do not provide even coverage). For my family, I’m choosing to cover up and thanks to Lands’ End we’ll be well protected without losing a bit of style.

To shop the latest in swimwear at a Lands’ End store, click here for a location near you. Don’t fret if you can’t get to the store, follow their size chart and order away. No need to worry if your item doesn’t fit the way you want it to, Lands’ End has an easy breezy return policy and their customer service department is second to none! (You can return online purchases to any Sears location!)

Right now Lands’ End is having a ridiculous sale, 30% off of everything! and FREE shipping on order over $50! (limited time only) Join the latest Lands’ End #confidence chat that promotes real women loving the body they have! Follow this chat as well as all things Lands’ End on twitter @LandsEnd and find them on facebook for hot trends, classic outfits and style tips.

I was not compensated for this post, but thanks to Lands’ End we generously received swimwear, complete with rash guards! for the whole family. All opinions expressed are solely my own, and as always, as honest as can beeee…