March 15, 2010 • 16 mins
In this episode, Molly and Cristen demystify the SPF numbers found on sunscreen bottles.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve Camray.
It's ready. Are you welcome to stuff mom never told you?
From House top works dot com. Hey, well to the podcast.
This is Molly and I'm Kristen, Kristen. It has been
(00:20):
a long, hard winter all over these United States, but
now we're almost to March and maybe marked by the
time folks out there here this and I hope that
spring has sprung. I hope so too. Last weekend we
had some gorgeous springy weather and it was fabulous. Yes,
(00:42):
we're all ready to go back outside and for there
to be no snow. Yes, but you know what, what,
whether it's snowing or not, we're gonna need some sunscreen.
We are going to need some sunscreen. And Kristin, if
I had known you're going to sing that way, I
would have written a whole SPF song for people to
sing in their head. Because here's the thing. You're going
(01:02):
to the grocery store or the superstore or the gasket
station to buy some sunscreen. It's overwhelming. Lots of varieties,
there's so many varieties, there's so many brands, there's so
many things to pick from and It would be really
helpful if there was a sunscreen song to remind you
what to look for. The first thing I usually look
at in the sunscreen. I think this is probably true
(01:23):
for everybody. The old SPF, which stands for sun Protection Factor,
which was introduced in nineteen sixty two to measure a
sunscreens effect against UV D raise. Now, UVB is what
causes sunburn and UV A is more damaging a long
term to the skin. Yeah. So basically, to determine a
(01:43):
sunscreens SPF, the testers round up twenty sun sensitive people
like a myself, I've burned like a crisp, and measure
the amount of UV rays it takes for them to
burn without sunscreen, and then they redo the test with sunscreen.
This sounds like a terrible test to volunteer for. I
would not when I'm scientist. UM. The with sunscreen number
is then divided by the without sunscreen number, and the
(02:05):
result is rounded down to the nearest five, and then
you have the SPF UM. But one thing about SPF
numbers we need to warn you guys against just because
you're getting a seventy doesn't mean you have some kind
of astronomical SPF protection. As compared to say, a thirty.
Isn't that right, Molly, that's right. In fact, the FDA
(02:27):
wanted to say that all sunscreens should just be capt
at thirty because the benefits you would get from something
like seventy were not exponentially better. I mean, it's not like,
you know, thirty five times two a seventy, So it's
not like seventy is twice as good as SPF. Yeah.
For instance, an SPF of fifteen is going to absorb
nine point three percent of the UVB rays. An SPF
(02:49):
of thirty nine six point seven SPF of fifty, it's
only eight percent. I mean, it's like a two two
point seven percent increase if Mom Maya's is correct, and
I cannot verify that it is at this point. But
let's go back to this formula, because I think that
people shouldn't just say, okay, it takes me fifteen minutes
(03:11):
to burn, so you know, this is what I'm gonna
put on that formula. Minutes to burn without sunscreen times.
SPF number is the maximum sun exposure time you can
get and I remember, and that's without getting in and
out of water. Don't even go there yet, Chris, I'm
getting I'm getting hit. This is just sitting in the
sun with nothing affecting you at all. You're in a
(03:33):
bubble sun bubble, which is strange. But what you need
to know is that when they do those awful tests
on those sun sensitive people, they use a lot more
sunscreen than any of us probably do in our real
life in the bubble. Yeah, So that's why you can't
just say, okay, X number minutes times this SPF I'm
putting on gives me two hours of uninterrupted sunscreen reapplying time,
(03:58):
because you're probably using less suns scream. Yeah, and you should.
You should be reapplying very often. Yes, you should reapply
very often. In addition, you should also protect yourself from
those u V A rays that can cause the long
term skin damage in addition to the UVB rays. And
for that you're going to look for something called broad
(04:19):
spectrum sunscreens and that. But broad spectrum basically just means
it protects from UV A and B race. Tell me more, Christen, Well, Molly,
this also comes down this broad spectrum type of sunscreen
also brings us to a little fork in the sunscreen road.
On the one path, we have something called physical sunscreens,
(04:41):
and then on the other fork, we have chemical sunscreens.
And to go back to our song, this would be
a whole other verse, is what you're telling me. This
is verse number two. Chemical sunscreens basically absorb sunlight's harmful
ultraviolet rays, while physical sunblock sunscreens a K sunblocks will
actually flecked them all right. Physical sunscreens usually contain ingredients
(05:04):
like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, and these are gonna
be a good choice if you have sensitive skin and
are prone to reactions when you put on sunscreens, because
chemical sunscreens, which will can absorb UVA or v U
v B rays, will contain ingredients such as avo, ben
zone and benzophenone, which tend to irritate the skin a
(05:28):
tad more if you have sensitive skin. So if your
skin can take it, you probably want a chemical one. Yeah,
because I think a lot of times those broad spectrum
sunscreens will be the chemical sunscreens, so that will provide
you with the best protection from all U B rays. Yeah, However,
there is no current rating system for uv A protection
like the SPF, but you know, just just go for
(05:49):
the broad spectrum yourself a nice thirty SPF broad spectrum.
You should be good. You should be singing that, Christen,
you're doing a song. Alright. Third verse, you go out
of the bubble, the protective bubble. You're gonna go swimming,
You're gonna play a game in volleyball, You're gonna sweat,
You're getting sweaty. Yeah. I see all these sunscreens that
(06:11):
say waterproof, sweatproof, and why I found out it's just
corrept They are lying to you. There's no such thing
as water or sweatproof sunscreen. I hate being lied to.
But water resistant indicates that the product can handle up
to forty minutes of exposure to water or sweat and
(06:31):
still be effective. Now, if you find one that's very
water resistance, which I don't think I've ever seen a
sunscreen saying very water resistant, but if you do find
one that means you can handle up to eighty minutes
of water exposure. But remember again, we all tend to
put on less sunscreen than people do in the tests. Yeah, alright,
next question, I have, Christom. Sometimes I see the sunscreens
(06:56):
ones for body and ones for face. Am I just
trying to be sucker punched? Into buying two different sunscreens, probably, Molly,
should I tell me, well, when if you want to
apply sunscreen to your face, and you definitely should apply
sunscreen to your face. Of course, a lot of moisturizers
will actually have like a light light sunscreen in them,
but not enough as well, but not enough to protect
(07:18):
that delicate facial skin. If you're worried about break up,
breakouts and breakups, if you're worried about breakouts from sunscreen
on your face, look for those that say non kometogenic
and that basically that's just fancy talk Molly for won't
make your it won't clog your pores. Okay, so you
(07:39):
think that if you do have if you are prone
to breakouts, two sunscreens might actually be a good idea. Yeah,
but there are there are plenty of full body sunscreens
which will be noncomatogenic or it might also say non acnegenic.
They both mean the same thing, not gonna clog your pores.
And if you're looking for a facial sunscreen, or if
you just have sensitive skin in general, check to see
(08:01):
if it's oil free, water based, and also free of
scent die or preservatives. Just basically keep your sunscreen as
simple as possible as what what this is all saying
for your face? For your face, because you know, we
just did tell people that chemical sunscreen had a broader spectrum. Yes,
so that's why it gets confusing. It does get confusing.
(08:21):
So basically, you would want to sunscreens. One for your face.
That's good for your face, but that long list of
things that Christen just said, and then one if your
skin can handle it, that's a little bit more amped
up to protect your skin. Yeah, but don't sacrifice SPF
for your face. Oh no, I wasn't suggesting that at all, Kristen. Now,
(08:42):
one place that you want some sunscreen as well that
you might not think about are your lips. It's right,
you can't kiss with the sunburnt lips. That's true. Um.
And which is the name of this song that we're
writing me okay, it's a country song. And some dermatologists
actually say that if you just wear a lip gloss
(09:03):
actually magnifies the effect of the sun. So unless you
want prematurely aged lips thanks to sun damage or a
condition called ectinic chulitis or lip inflammation, go ahead and
protect those lips from the sun. Some SPF bomb, a
little bit of SPF bomb, so Christ And about a
(09:24):
year ago I wrote an article of the five most
commonly missed spots on the human body where we don't
put sunscreen. I think I saw that on the how
Stuff Works dot com. Molly. Now, lips probably shouldn't amound
the list. They probably came in at number six and
they didn't make my list, all right, but I'm gonna
tell you what they are, because you know, even though
I think we've just confused ourselves more, we've we've probably
bought the sunscreen by this point. Yeah, we've got some
(09:44):
thirty SPF yes and we've got one for our face,
one for our body. Now it's time to put it on. Okay,
you can't overlook your scalp, which probably means that we
need to go back to the store to get specially
made athlete formulas of sunscreen, because they make these spur
race so you don't have to like put lotion in
your hands, or you could wear a hat. And speaking
(10:05):
from someone who has burned her scalp on more than
one occasion, it is unpleasant, if only because when that
sunburn starts to heal and your skin starts to flake off,
looks like you've got a nasty case of dandriff, right,
so put some sunscreen there, ears, tops of ears, tops
of ears, do not overlook ears. Hands, hands. You think
(10:26):
that you're probably good because you've got it in the
palm of your hands. To distribute it all over your body.
Make sure you put it on the tops of your hands.
And if you're gardening and you've got gloves on and
they take your gloves off, burns. Fun mom fact, My
mom puts on sunscreen every time she drives on a
sunny day. Hands. That's perfect, thanks mom. She would not
have made this list. Number two feet tops of feet.
(10:49):
I've done that to her kayak trip. Bad news. Ready
for number one? Yes, I think I put this is
number one because it has happened to me so many times.
Behind the knees. Oh yeah, because you might be sitting
down when you apply and you don't get in that
little crevice and then you flip over while your while
your sun and burns and it hurts to sit down.
(11:10):
All right, So basically we just need like any any
possible spot of dermis on our skin must be covered,
must be covered. SPF thirty now pop quiz Kristen you're
outside and you're putting on your sunscreen. What's wrong with
this picture? I'm already exposed to the sun, Molly. I
(11:32):
think you're referring to one of the most important tips,
which is applying your sunscreen fifteen to twenty minutes before
you're even out in the sun, because it won't work
unless it's absorbed into your skin. Yeah, now you went swimming.
We know there's no such thing as a waterproof, completely
waterproof sunscreen. How often do you reply? I know you
(11:52):
wrote it about this for a blog for our blog
how to Stuff on how Stuff works dot com. Molly,
of course I know the answer to that question. Two hours.
Every two hours you need to reapply, unless you've been
in water, then just go ahead do it, in which
case I once you towel off, reapply. Okay. Last last
(12:14):
pop quiz question for you. Okay, it's fun. It's like
a quizble. How often do you throw away your sunscreen? Well?
If these according to consumer reports, if the sunscreen has
an expiration date, pay attention to it because if it expires,
it might have lost its sun blocked potential. But if not,
(12:34):
the knee jerk throwaway time is Molly, I can't remember.
I gotta be honest with every two years, every two years,
two hours, two years because easy to remember. And every
time you get the bottle, make sure if it doesn't
have the expiration date that Christen was talking about, take
a marker right when you bought it on their great idea,
great idea. Man, We're going to be so protected from
(12:56):
the sun this year, Molly, I just can't wait till
you write our song and make of fortune. Yes, and
we would love your help with the lyrics. So if
you've got ideas for our sun block song, what's the
name that? What's the title? Again? You can't kiss with
sunburnt lips? That's good, that's that is solid gold to
Nashville Gould. Send us your ideas for our song and
maybe we'll sing a potential song on mom stuff and people,
(13:19):
protect your skin from the sun, you know, because in
a tan might look good this summer, but in about
ten summers, you're gonna start to see some wrinkles, if
not sooner. Advice from Krystal. Yeah, if you want to
work that into the song, that's fine too. Well, guys,
if you want to send us an email, like Molly said,
Mom Stuff at how stuff works dot com. And speaking
of which I'm holding in my hand. One of those
(13:41):
said emails from Jackie, and this is in response to
our podcast on burkas, said, I'm currently listening to your
podcast about burkas, and the thought occurred to me that
if as Nicholas Sarkozy thinks women should not be fully covered,
then technically we women in the north should be left
to freeze instead of wearing our long winter coats, hats,
(14:03):
scarves and gloves that cover and protect every area but
our eyes. It's not a perfect simile, I know, but essentially,
but essentially the idea remains the same. Sometimes the full
body covering is not just religious but also practical. Full coverings,
which include but are not limited to burkas, can protect
our bodies from the elements Eskimos. Both men and women
wear clothes that cover their whole bodies except their faces
(14:25):
to protect from the cold at night. In the desert countries,
it is practical to wear a garment like a burka
to protect from the cold desert night. And like Kristen said,
having a burka on a morning or you just don't
have time to shower would be useful. So thanks Jackie, Okay,
I have an email from Regina, who wrote about the
Gender Parenting podcast. She writes, the argument that same sex
(14:48):
or single parents will not raise a well adjusted child
gets to me for many reasons, which you covered, but
for another reason, the people who taught this argument assume
that it's just the parent and the child. I don't
know about you, but I was raised by my parents,
my grandparents and and uncles, and my parents, friends, my
values and resources were vast people I could turn to.
I hate the assumption that it's just the parents and
the child, because it almost never is. I'm now an
(15:09):
age where my friends are having children and I a
single woman. I am just as much a part of
my friend's children's lives as my parents friends were of mine.
I would not hesitate should any of these children come
to me for help or with questions. Also, I know
gay and lesbian parents who make a point to include
other gender roles into their children's lives. These kids are
doing just fine. Besides, what we all forget is that
kids don't see these differences. They just know who cares
(15:31):
for them, and that's what they rely on. Another argument
that gets me is the one that children will emulate
their gay parents. By this argument, I shouldn't know how
to have a good relationship because I will emulate the
fighting and unhealthy relationships my parents showed me. I've had
very healthy relationships, and I'm sure most of the kids
being raised by gay parents will grow up to be straight.
So there we go. All right, folks, thanks for writing
(15:54):
into all of you, and we love to hear from
you guys, so again, send as your thought small stuff
and how stuff works dot Com. Check out our blog
while you're at it, It's how to stuff and you
can find our blog and a ton, I mean a
ton of articles on sun skin care and how stuff
works dot com. For more on this and thousands of
(16:19):
other topics, is it how stuff works dot com. Want
more how stuff works, check out our blogs on the house.
Stuff works dot com home page brought to you by
the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. It's ready, are you
Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve Camray.
It's ready. Are you welcome to stuff mom never told you?
From House top works dot com. Hey, well to the podcast.
This is Molly and I'm Kristen, Kristen. It has been
(00:20):
a long, hard winter all over these United States, but
now we're almost to March and maybe marked by the
time folks out there here this and I hope that
spring has sprung. I hope so too. Last weekend we
had some gorgeous springy weather and it was fabulous. Yes,
(00:42):
we're all ready to go back outside and for there
to be no snow. Yes, but you know what, what,
whether it's snowing or not, we're gonna need some sunscreen.
We are going to need some sunscreen. And Kristin, if
I had known you're going to sing that way, I
would have written a whole SPF song for people to
sing in their head. Because here's the thing. You're going
(01:02):
to the grocery store or the superstore or the gasket
station to buy some sunscreen. It's overwhelming. Lots of varieties,
there's so many varieties, there's so many brands, there's so
many things to pick from and It would be really
helpful if there was a sunscreen song to remind you
what to look for. The first thing I usually look
at in the sunscreen. I think this is probably true
(01:23):
for everybody. The old SPF, which stands for sun Protection Factor,
which was introduced in nineteen sixty two to measure a
sunscreens effect against UV D raise. Now, UVB is what
causes sunburn and UV A is more damaging a long
term to the skin. Yeah. So basically, to determine a
(01:43):
sunscreens SPF, the testers round up twenty sun sensitive people
like a myself, I've burned like a crisp, and measure
the amount of UV rays it takes for them to
burn without sunscreen, and then they redo the test with sunscreen.
This sounds like a terrible test to volunteer for. I
would not when I'm scientist. UM. The with sunscreen number
is then divided by the without sunscreen number, and the
(02:05):
result is rounded down to the nearest five, and then
you have the SPF UM. But one thing about SPF
numbers we need to warn you guys against just because
you're getting a seventy doesn't mean you have some kind
of astronomical SPF protection. As compared to say, a thirty.
Isn't that right, Molly, that's right. In fact, the FDA
(02:27):
wanted to say that all sunscreens should just be capt
at thirty because the benefits you would get from something
like seventy were not exponentially better. I mean, it's not like,
you know, thirty five times two a seventy, So it's
not like seventy is twice as good as SPF. Yeah.
For instance, an SPF of fifteen is going to absorb
nine point three percent of the UVB rays. An SPF
(02:49):
of thirty nine six point seven SPF of fifty, it's
only eight percent. I mean, it's like a two two
point seven percent increase if Mom Maya's is correct, and
I cannot verify that it is at this point. But
let's go back to this formula, because I think that
people shouldn't just say, okay, it takes me fifteen minutes
(03:11):
to burn, so you know, this is what I'm gonna
put on that formula. Minutes to burn without sunscreen times.
SPF number is the maximum sun exposure time you can
get and I remember, and that's without getting in and
out of water. Don't even go there yet, Chris, I'm
getting I'm getting hit. This is just sitting in the
sun with nothing affecting you at all. You're in a
(03:33):
bubble sun bubble, which is strange. But what you need
to know is that when they do those awful tests
on those sun sensitive people, they use a lot more
sunscreen than any of us probably do in our real
life in the bubble. Yeah, So that's why you can't
just say, okay, X number minutes times this SPF I'm
putting on gives me two hours of uninterrupted sunscreen reapplying time,
(03:58):
because you're probably using less suns scream. Yeah, and you should.
You should be reapplying very often. Yes, you should reapply
very often. In addition, you should also protect yourself from
those u V A rays that can cause the long
term skin damage in addition to the UVB rays. And
for that you're going to look for something called broad
(04:19):
spectrum sunscreens and that. But broad spectrum basically just means
it protects from UV A and B race. Tell me more, Christen, Well, Molly,
this also comes down this broad spectrum type of sunscreen
also brings us to a little fork in the sunscreen road.
On the one path, we have something called physical sunscreens,
(04:41):
and then on the other fork, we have chemical sunscreens.
And to go back to our song, this would be
a whole other verse, is what you're telling me. This
is verse number two. Chemical sunscreens basically absorb sunlight's harmful
ultraviolet rays, while physical sunblock sunscreens a K sunblocks will
actually flecked them all right. Physical sunscreens usually contain ingredients
(05:04):
like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, and these are gonna
be a good choice if you have sensitive skin and
are prone to reactions when you put on sunscreens, because
chemical sunscreens, which will can absorb UVA or v U
v B rays, will contain ingredients such as avo, ben
zone and benzophenone, which tend to irritate the skin a
(05:28):
tad more if you have sensitive skin. So if your
skin can take it, you probably want a chemical one. Yeah,
because I think a lot of times those broad spectrum
sunscreens will be the chemical sunscreens, so that will provide
you with the best protection from all U B rays. Yeah, However,
there is no current rating system for uv A protection
like the SPF, but you know, just just go for
(05:49):
the broad spectrum yourself a nice thirty SPF broad spectrum.
You should be good. You should be singing that, Christen,
you're doing a song. Alright. Third verse, you go out
of the bubble, the protective bubble. You're gonna go swimming,
You're gonna play a game in volleyball, You're gonna sweat,
You're getting sweaty. Yeah. I see all these sunscreens that
(06:11):
say waterproof, sweatproof, and why I found out it's just
corrept They are lying to you. There's no such thing
as water or sweatproof sunscreen. I hate being lied to.
But water resistant indicates that the product can handle up
to forty minutes of exposure to water or sweat and
(06:31):
still be effective. Now, if you find one that's very
water resistance, which I don't think I've ever seen a
sunscreen saying very water resistant, but if you do find
one that means you can handle up to eighty minutes
of water exposure. But remember again, we all tend to
put on less sunscreen than people do in the tests. Yeah, alright,
next question, I have, Christom. Sometimes I see the sunscreens
(06:56):
ones for body and ones for face. Am I just
trying to be sucker punched? Into buying two different sunscreens, probably, Molly,
should I tell me, well, when if you want to
apply sunscreen to your face, and you definitely should apply
sunscreen to your face. Of course, a lot of moisturizers
will actually have like a light light sunscreen in them,
but not enough as well, but not enough to protect
(07:18):
that delicate facial skin. If you're worried about break up,
breakouts and breakups, if you're worried about breakouts from sunscreen
on your face, look for those that say non kometogenic
and that basically that's just fancy talk Molly for won't
make your it won't clog your pores. Okay, so you
(07:39):
think that if you do have if you are prone
to breakouts, two sunscreens might actually be a good idea. Yeah,
but there are there are plenty of full body sunscreens
which will be noncomatogenic or it might also say non acnegenic.
They both mean the same thing, not gonna clog your pores.
And if you're looking for a facial sunscreen, or if
you just have sensitive skin in general, check to see
(08:01):
if it's oil free, water based, and also free of
scent die or preservatives. Just basically keep your sunscreen as
simple as possible as what what this is all saying
for your face? For your face, because you know, we
just did tell people that chemical sunscreen had a broader spectrum. Yes,
so that's why it gets confusing. It does get confusing.
(08:21):
So basically, you would want to sunscreens. One for your face.
That's good for your face, but that long list of
things that Christen just said, and then one if your
skin can handle it, that's a little bit more amped
up to protect your skin. Yeah, but don't sacrifice SPF
for your face. Oh no, I wasn't suggesting that at all, Kristen. Now,
(08:42):
one place that you want some sunscreen as well that
you might not think about are your lips. It's right,
you can't kiss with the sunburnt lips. That's true. Um.
And which is the name of this song that we're
writing me okay, it's a country song. And some dermatologists
actually say that if you just wear a lip gloss
(09:03):
actually magnifies the effect of the sun. So unless you
want prematurely aged lips thanks to sun damage or a
condition called ectinic chulitis or lip inflammation, go ahead and
protect those lips from the sun. Some SPF bomb, a
little bit of SPF bomb, so Christ And about a
(09:24):
year ago I wrote an article of the five most
commonly missed spots on the human body where we don't
put sunscreen. I think I saw that on the how
Stuff Works dot com. Molly. Now, lips probably shouldn't amound
the list. They probably came in at number six and
they didn't make my list, all right, but I'm gonna
tell you what they are, because you know, even though
I think we've just confused ourselves more, we've we've probably
bought the sunscreen by this point. Yeah, we've got some
(09:44):
thirty SPF yes and we've got one for our face,
one for our body. Now it's time to put it on. Okay,
you can't overlook your scalp, which probably means that we
need to go back to the store to get specially
made athlete formulas of sunscreen, because they make these spur
race so you don't have to like put lotion in
your hands, or you could wear a hat. And speaking
(10:05):
from someone who has burned her scalp on more than
one occasion, it is unpleasant, if only because when that
sunburn starts to heal and your skin starts to flake off,
looks like you've got a nasty case of dandriff, right,
so put some sunscreen there, ears, tops of ears, tops
of ears, do not overlook ears. Hands, hands. You think
(10:26):
that you're probably good because you've got it in the
palm of your hands. To distribute it all over your body.
Make sure you put it on the tops of your hands.
And if you're gardening and you've got gloves on and
they take your gloves off, burns. Fun mom fact, My
mom puts on sunscreen every time she drives on a
sunny day. Hands. That's perfect, thanks mom. She would not
have made this list. Number two feet tops of feet.
(10:49):
I've done that to her kayak trip. Bad news. Ready
for number one? Yes, I think I put this is
number one because it has happened to me so many times.
Behind the knees. Oh yeah, because you might be sitting
down when you apply and you don't get in that
little crevice and then you flip over while your while
your sun and burns and it hurts to sit down.
(11:10):
All right, So basically we just need like any any
possible spot of dermis on our skin must be covered,
must be covered. SPF thirty now pop quiz Kristen you're
outside and you're putting on your sunscreen. What's wrong with
this picture? I'm already exposed to the sun, Molly. I
(11:32):
think you're referring to one of the most important tips,
which is applying your sunscreen fifteen to twenty minutes before
you're even out in the sun, because it won't work
unless it's absorbed into your skin. Yeah, now you went swimming.
We know there's no such thing as a waterproof, completely
waterproof sunscreen. How often do you reply? I know you
(11:52):
wrote it about this for a blog for our blog
how to Stuff on how Stuff works dot com. Molly,
of course I know the answer to that question. Two hours.
Every two hours you need to reapply, unless you've been
in water, then just go ahead do it, in which
case I once you towel off, reapply. Okay. Last last
(12:14):
pop quiz question for you. Okay, it's fun. It's like
a quizble. How often do you throw away your sunscreen? Well?
If these according to consumer reports, if the sunscreen has
an expiration date, pay attention to it because if it expires,
it might have lost its sun blocked potential. But if not,
(12:34):
the knee jerk throwaway time is Molly, I can't remember.
I gotta be honest with every two years, every two years,
two hours, two years because easy to remember. And every
time you get the bottle, make sure if it doesn't
have the expiration date that Christen was talking about, take
a marker right when you bought it on their great idea,
great idea. Man, We're going to be so protected from
(12:56):
the sun this year, Molly, I just can't wait till
you write our song and make of fortune. Yes, and
we would love your help with the lyrics. So if
you've got ideas for our sun block song, what's the
name that? What's the title? Again? You can't kiss with
sunburnt lips? That's good, that's that is solid gold to
Nashville Gould. Send us your ideas for our song and
maybe we'll sing a potential song on mom stuff and people,
(13:19):
protect your skin from the sun, you know, because in
a tan might look good this summer, but in about
ten summers, you're gonna start to see some wrinkles, if
not sooner. Advice from Krystal. Yeah, if you want to
work that into the song, that's fine too. Well, guys,
if you want to send us an email, like Molly said,
Mom Stuff at how stuff works dot com. And speaking
of which I'm holding in my hand. One of those
(13:41):
said emails from Jackie, and this is in response to
our podcast on burkas, said, I'm currently listening to your
podcast about burkas, and the thought occurred to me that
if as Nicholas Sarkozy thinks women should not be fully covered,
then technically we women in the north should be left
to freeze instead of wearing our long winter coats, hats,
(14:03):
scarves and gloves that cover and protect every area but
our eyes. It's not a perfect simile, I know, but essentially,
but essentially the idea remains the same. Sometimes the full
body covering is not just religious but also practical. Full coverings,
which include but are not limited to burkas, can protect
our bodies from the elements Eskimos. Both men and women
wear clothes that cover their whole bodies except their faces
(14:25):
to protect from the cold at night. In the desert countries,
it is practical to wear a garment like a burka
to protect from the cold desert night. And like Kristen said,
having a burka on a morning or you just don't
have time to shower would be useful. So thanks Jackie, Okay,
I have an email from Regina, who wrote about the
Gender Parenting podcast. She writes, the argument that same sex
(14:48):
or single parents will not raise a well adjusted child
gets to me for many reasons, which you covered, but
for another reason, the people who taught this argument assume
that it's just the parent and the child. I don't
know about you, but I was raised by my parents,
my grandparents and and uncles, and my parents, friends, my
values and resources were vast people I could turn to.
I hate the assumption that it's just the parents and
the child, because it almost never is. I'm now an
(15:09):
age where my friends are having children and I a
single woman. I am just as much a part of
my friend's children's lives as my parents friends were of mine.
I would not hesitate should any of these children come
to me for help or with questions. Also, I know
gay and lesbian parents who make a point to include
other gender roles into their children's lives. These kids are
doing just fine. Besides, what we all forget is that
kids don't see these differences. They just know who cares
(15:31):
for them, and that's what they rely on. Another argument
that gets me is the one that children will emulate
their gay parents. By this argument, I shouldn't know how
to have a good relationship because I will emulate the
fighting and unhealthy relationships my parents showed me. I've had
very healthy relationships, and I'm sure most of the kids
being raised by gay parents will grow up to be straight.
So there we go. All right, folks, thanks for writing
(15:54):
into all of you, and we love to hear from
you guys, so again, send as your thought small stuff
and how stuff works dot Com. Check out our blog
while you're at it, It's how to stuff and you
can find our blog and a ton, I mean a
ton of articles on sun skin care and how stuff
works dot com. For more on this and thousands of
(16:19):
other topics, is it how stuff works dot com. Want
more how stuff works, check out our blogs on the house.
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