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This Sunscreen Applicator Is a Summertime Game-Changer

published May 8, 2023
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Cubby hearts Solar Buddies.
Credit: Amazon

Sunscreen in the summer, as anyone with kids knows, is a whole thing. Most summertime activities involve the outdoors and sun protection. Slathering up even one child can be an ordeal; when it comes to making sure five of them are sunscreened (yes, it’s a verb), the job is more involved and chaotic than ever!

Toward the end of last summer, though, I came across a tool that made sunscreen application a far smoother process: the Solar Buddies Refillable Roll On Sponge Applicator. The tool contains a reservoir that you can squeeze any liquid sunscreen into. You screw on a top that has a sponge flange with a roller ball in the center. To apply, you just roll the sponge on the face or body and the sunscreen is evenly dispensed. When you’re done, top with the lid and toss in your bag. 

Let me get right to it: The Solar Buddies are completely worth it. There are so many reasons I love the Solar Buddies sunscreen applicator, most of which have to do with the problems it solves. Here’s what I mean.

It’s easy to quickly and thoroughly apply sunscreen.

The Solar Buddies applicator allows you to apply sunscreen lotion in a thin, even layer that doesn’t leave everyone looking like pasty ghosts. It’s quick and clean. 

But what about spray sunscreen, you say. Spray sunscreen is convenient, yes, because you don’t have to get your hands dirty and you can apply it so fast. However, in our experience, it hasn’t been the most effective, it’s expensive, and the containers don’t last very long so you always have to have a backup ready.

It keeps everything mess- and -sand-free! 

Applying lotion on wiggling faces can lead to frustrated parents and screaming children who have sunscreen stinging their eyes, while applying lotion all over bodies can also be time-consuming and the lotion itself is messy. (I hate trying to clean sunscreen from my rings.) And if you’re at the beach, sand and lotion sunscreen can lead to a sticky, gritty mess! The Solar Buddies product makes for sand-free sunscreen application!

But what about a sunscreen stick, you say. Sticks are great for applying sunscreen on faces and even sometimes on bodies, but, again, sand sticks on them and they feel like sandpaper when run over tender faces, the sunscreen often falls out of the tube, and they are quite expensive. With the Solar Buddies applicator, it’s easy to avoid sensitive areas like eyes and still cover tricky spots like ears and cheeks. And unless you drop it directly in the sand, you can also keep it free of sand! And while the tool itself is a bit pricey, overall using lotion on faces rather than sticks is significantly cheaper in the long run. 

The Solar Buddies applicator was such a summertime game-changer that, last year, I was really sorry I’d discovered it so late in the season. This year, I’m looking forward to an entire summer with far less frustration over sunscreen and far more sun-safe fun. 

Cubby: Eat. Live. Play. Families Together at Home.

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