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Product: RSS Azzle's Top Summer TipsBy Azzle - 17th July 2009
Azzle's Top Summer Tips
Week 1
This is quite ironic as on the way home today I was faced with torrential rain on my moped, it was quite upsetting and I arrived home soaked to the bone, however, it is still there summer and the sun will soon come out and bite us on the bum.
Let me explain what these articles are all about. During the time that The Club Tropica Society will be running the community, each week I will be writing an article with tips on how to survive the summer and top places to go!
SPF, what is it and what do I use?
I didn't know what SPF was on sun tan until yesterday actually until I researched it and when I'm working, I always wonder "Am I the only one who doesn't know what SPF is?", but surely not, so for those who don't know, here is what I found out;
When in the sun, you are exposed to UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays cause cancer and UVB is what burns you. SPF protects you from UVB rays. Depending on your skin type depends on which sun tan lotion to use. If your skin burns easily and is quite sensitive, I advise you to get a high SPF factor, if you are unsure, try using higher SPF factors and if you feel comfortable, then try a lower SPF factor. For a better insight on which SPF to use, here's a list of percentages:
SPF 15 - 93%
SPF 30 - 97%
SPF 50 - 98%
SPF 100 - 99%
Please note: These figures were found on a website on the internet and may not be 100% reliable. Also, the percentages relate to the amount of UVB rays filtered.
These figures do not mean the higher you have the longer you can stay in the sun; it's just how much protection you get in one boost. Remember, the protection does decrease as time goes on and if you're active you could be sweating which is removing the lotion or swimming. Also, it's recommended that you put on some lotion every 2 hours and not to wait till you go red, because sometimes you won't go red until the next day, so keep your eye on it.
So choose a sunscreen with at least an SPF 15. If you have fair skin that burns easily, choose a higher SPF. Since UVA rays lead to wrinkling and sun spots, you want to make sure the bottle also says it's a broad-spectrum sunscreen, meaning it protects against both UVA and UVB rays.
Sun Lotion Prices
After a quick bit of research from Superdrug, the most expensive sun tan lotion is £24.99 and the cheapest sun lotion is £5.98.
Choose wisely.
Best Summer Products
Since the launch, I have asked users to post in forums a few tips for themselves, if you have any tips, please refer to the final paragraph of this article.
Thank you to everyone so far for commenting, it's been great hearing your tips.
Dancer says "Pretty sparkly flip flops. My summer 'must have'". I must say, I personally do not like sandals or flip flops, I don't like my feet, however they are great for keeping your feet cool, so thanks for that Dancer! But remember; use sun tan lotion on your feet too.
Management says "Bright yellow aviator sunglasses. £15, River Island. Cannot beat them :)". Sun glasses are great, especially if they're fashionable, so thanks for that Management, I'll be sure to buy some!
Keeping you and your fury friends cool
It's horrible when you're sweating away from the heat and your just straightened hair goes curly, so we need some great tips for keeping cool. I personally put water into a spray bottle and when I am feeling hot, I will spray myself with water, it's very refreshing!
Frax says he uses air conditioning mainly, whereas Boss says to take cold showers during day and Dancer says to stop all work and jump in a swimming pool in your garden! Also, she says to serve up ice cold cocktails when required.
We all know how hot it has been, so don't forget about your pets. Make sure they have plenty of water to drink and try to give them cool showers/baths when possible and Dancer helpfully says to NOT leave your pet in the car, if you have to, keep the window up just a crack, but please do avoid it when you can.
Best summer places to go
Sometimes, during the summer, you want to get out and about in the sun, but you have no idea where to go. Recently, I went to the Zoo (Bristol Zoo to be precise), unfortunately, there were loads and loads of kids running about and being annoying, however, excluding the kids, it was a really good idea, and with friends, it's a real funny experience. I have a few pictures.
Dancer talks about her experience:
"I went with friends from U.S.A. yesterday to the town of Guildford in Surrey. We visited the old castle up on the hill. In its pretty gardens there was a lovely secret little garden with a statue of Alice through the Looking Glass. Lewis Carroll used to stay with his sister in Guildford and we found their house, in fact it was where he died and he is buried nearby. Also there was a cute little museum and the shops and cobbled side roads were old. Plenty of history there. Didn't get to the big Cathedral but will do that another time. Part of the film The Omen was filmed there."
Get Involved!
In this edition, we have a competition. We are in need of an Azzle's Top Summer Tips logo/banner, so get your creative skills ready and your graphic programs fired up and start designing. We will reward a user 100 points for the best design which we will use for each edition of Summer Top Tips. This competition ends 23rd July 2009 at 23:59 BST. To enter, create your image, upload it to a website of your choice and private message me with the URL. You can send a message to me by clicking HERE.
You may have noticed all the other people mentioned in this article, if you have a few experiences or tips to share, please post them in our forum by clicking HERE. Check the posts and reply or create your own topic! I'll love to hear from you!
Also, if your tip is used in the article, you will receive 10 points. So why not?
