Leave the Cast Behind: Get These Sunscreens for Dark Skinned Women Instead!
Sunscreens are a good example of a product that can be a good servant, but an annoying master. How? Mostly, especially if you are dark skinned, they leave behind an annoying trace of white cast on your skin.
I remember the first sunscreen I ever got myself while in college. It left my skin looking unflattering and ashier than a nomad’s in Harmattan, post application. At first I thought I was not applying it right, but, I also wondered where I went wrong. I had no option than to hold on to my opinion that sunscreens were not for me, as a person of color.
I stuck to my skincare routine but without sunscreen because, why not? After all, my skin was dark toned and didn’t need protection from the sun right?
Wrong.
A couple months and a ton of research later, I understood how important sunscreen was, despite the fact that it was hard to find dark or brown skin friendly sunscreen at the time.
Luckily for you the beauty space is growing, and we now have a considerable number of beauty shops in Ghana who stock amazing sunscreens that are very dark/ brown skin friendly.
Arrrrrrrgh! This excites me so much and I can’t wait to share some of these brands with you.
- The Krave Beauty Beet Shield
If you are a K-Beauty enthusiast I am pretty sure you may have encountered this sunscreen. It is quite popular on the kbeauty market and has had a good amount of positive reviews from skincare enthusiasts. It is a gentle and lightweight sunscreen, which will serve its purpose of protecting your skin from UVA /UVB rays, and not leave your skin with a white cast or ashy look.
The formula of this sunscreen is charged with beet root extract and antioxidants to fight against the free radicals. But not to worry this will ensure that you don’t turn beet-red. It glides on smoothly and not only will you have it shielding your skin from the rays from the sun but it also protects your skin from harsh environmental stressors since it is an antioxidant-rich fluid.
- Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA++++
This is the most recent sunscreen I used. It is great in the sense that it is very dark skin friendly. You will have zero expedient with a white cast after application. It glides smoothly on to the skin while you apply, so much so, that it feels almost therapeutic each time I wear this sunscreen.
As an oily girl I may not repurchase this product as it leaves my skin looking a bit oily after it absorbs into my skin. I however recommend this for dry, normal and combination skin.
It is overall a great sunscreen as it is a water based, and combines strong UV protection with its waterproof and sweat proof formula. It has strong resistance against water and perspiration, as well as a high staying power on skin with UV veil. It also contains Hyaluronic Acid, Royal Jelly Extract & Citrus extract to keep skin hydrated and can be used as a makeup base, and, a light, watery texture that is easily absorbed and does not leave any sticky after feel.
- Black Girl Sunscreen
Black Girl Sunscreen in recent times has become every black girl’s go to sunscreen especially because it was curated by a black woman for black women. Its so easy to fall in love with it.
It has a lightweight formula which absorbs quickly and is a perfect fit to be a base under your makeup. It is amazing because asides shielding your face from the rays from the sun, it also gives your skin a subtle dewy glow on its own.
You will also be happy to find that it has a water resistant formula which works for both your body and your face and has an SPF 30. One thing which makes the black girl sunscreen special is the fact that it does not contain white cast creating ingredients, especially zinc oxide.
It is also fragrance free which means that if your skin is sensitive you will not have to worry about putting it on your skin.
It comes in a gorgeous matte black tube with subtle gold and white lettering.
Thankfully there are a lot more brands which have produced dark skin friendly sunscreens however these are three out of the many you can easily find in beauty stores in Ghana.
