2 Must-Haves for Summer – Sunscreen and Insect Repellent

There are so many things about summer that I absolutely adore—spending time at the beach, poolside afternoons with friends, family vacations, and camping adventures to name a few. What I don’t particularly love about summer? Sunburn and insect bites and they both seem to go hand in hand with the glorious months of summer. Luckily, I am armed and ready with a supply of sunscreen and insect repellent from Selestial.

Selestial was founded in 2008 with a simple vision: to create sustainable non-toxic products that work great and save money. It’s founder, Ruth Smith, was living “green” before most people even really understood what that meant and found many of these options to be expensive and ineffective. She decided to make her own natural and effective products. Today, Selestial/MyGreenFills.com has a full line of products, which include the You Are My Sunscreen products and I’ll Fly Away insect repellents that I’m happy to tell you about today.

You Are My Sunshine sunscreen is a 100% naturally non-toxic mineral sunscreen that is safe for children and people with sensitive skin and contains broad spectrum 30+ SPF. The product smells great (almost a little lemony) and goes on smooth and not goopy or chalky. I love the lightweight feel of it.

I’ve been hearing a lot of reports lately about the chemicals in sunscreen (particularly hormone and endocrine disrupting chemicals). You won’t find any of those chemicals such as parabens, PABA, oxybenzone or retinyl palmitate in the You Are My Sunshine products. The ingredients include:

• Water
• Olive Oil
• Carrot Oil
• Zinc Oxide (Non-Nano)
• Flax Oil
• Red Raspberry Seed Oil
• Vitamin E
• Essential Oils

I have an 11 year old that has always hated wearing sunscreen, but with my skin cancer history (melanoma is nothing to fool around with) and his fair skin, he isn’t leaving the house without it. You Are My Sunscreen comes in two sizes—a 4-ounce container and a 1.5 ounce Sport Tube (which comes as part of a bundle) and is the perfect size to clip on to a beach bag or a purse when you are on the go.

I’ll Fly Away is another one of the product lines that I’ve been trying out. This product is 100% naturally non-toxic (DEET free and Picardin free) and is also safe and effective for kids as well as adults. It has a very pleasant smell and has been proven to be non-irritating, which is a plus for those of us with sensitive skin. This insect repellent is effective against mosquitos, black flies, no-see-ums and most biting insects (my skin is crawling just thinking about them all).

In addition, the I’ll Fly Away products have been scientifically proven to be more effective than DEET and each application lasts up to 6 hours. This is a perfect product for my family as we go camping quite a bit and having an insect repellent that is not only safe, but also works is so important. The ingredients in this insect repellent are:

• Catnip
• Aloe Vera
• Essential Oils such as eucalyptus, citronella, tea tree, lemongrass)

The I’ll Fly Away insect repellent comes in a 4 ounce container and a small refillable sprayer that is ideal for dropping in a backpack when you are hiking or adventuring outdoors. The sprayer is available for free when purchasing a bundle on the website. In addition, the company has created a combination of both the sunscreen and the insect repellent with its You Are My Sunshine sunscreen and insect repellent, which packs the power of both products into one so you can keep the rays from damaging your skin AND keep the bugs at bay.

Whether you are gardening, hitting the beach, camping in the mountains or just chilling in your backyard, the You Are My Sunshine and I’ll Fly Away products are definite necessities for a safe and enjoyable summer!

Disclaimer: Kristine has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review, but did receive a free product to try out so she could evaluate and use it for her review. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.