(ENDED) UV Skinz Sun Protection Clothing – review & GIVEWAY

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED AND COMMENTS ARE CLOSED

The winner is:

#21 CandG~Jill W

This time of year, one of the first things I think about doing each day is getting my kids some much needed “fun in the sun.”  Whether it is just playing in the grass in front of our house or a full blown outing to the spray park, it is important for us to spend time outdoors each day, especially as the weather gets nicer.

But I am one of those moms who insists her kids wear sunglasses and is always lathering them up with sunscreen, and then doing it again 1/2 hour later afraid I have missed a spot.  We are pale people…and while I say that in a humorous way, there is nothing funny about the risks of too much sun exposure.

Skin cancer is serious business and sunburn as a child greatly increases a persons chance of developing skin cancer later in life.  I recall as a kid that we didn’t pay attention to sunburn much.  We certainly didn’t have sunscreen and I know I have had my share of bad sunburns, at least one of which resulted in blisters.  Skin Cancer is the most common type of cancer in men and women and sun exposure is the cause of over 90% of the cases.  It is so crucial that we protect our kids from sun exposure while still giving them the freedom to enjoy the outdoors and to just be kids.

We go through a lot of sunscreen and while it is better than nothing, it has its drawback as well.

• Messy, especially for the person applying it
• Cannot be sure it has covered adequately or that you haven’t missed a spot
• Can be rubbed into eyes and cause irritation
• Washes off or has to be reapplied
• May affect sensitive skin
• All of the above are multiplied when dealing with infants or toddlers

So when I learned about and alternative to sunscreen in the form of sun protective swimshirts by UV Skinz I jumped at the chance to review their products.

About UV Skinz products:

UV Skinz sun protective swimshirts are stylish and carry a UPF rating of 50+, which blocks out over 98% of the sun’s harmful rays, protecting delicate skin from damaging sunburns. Sunscreen isn’t always enough, is often not used correctly and some folks have skin allergies or sensitivities to chemicals that sunscreens can contain. UV Skinz are sun shirts that are not made with any chemicals or lotions. The UV protection is in the tight weave of the fabric. Wearing UV protective clothing, such as our fun, cool UV Skinz sun protective swim shirts, is an important step in preventing sunburns, premature aging of the skin and skin cancer.

UV Skins was started in 2005 by Rhonda Sparks.  In 2001, Rhonda lost her 32 year-old husband and the father of her 3 boys, to skin cancer.  Since then, Rhonda has dedicated herself to promoting skin cancer awareness and education through her UV Skinz products and through the foundation she started in honor of her husband, the Darren Lee Farwell Foundation.

I was sent the following two UV swim shirts from UV Skinz:

The Casey – Sky Blue / Navy in size 6 for Jake.

The Flutter – B – Butterfly / Light Pink in size 12 months for Abby.

UV Skinz are made of 88% nylon and 12% spandex.  They feel silky smooth and have a bunch of great features that make them a fantastic alternative to sunscreen.  See the image below for an explanation of what makes UV Skinz unique.

We just finally had a couple of nice days here but no opportunities to get to the pool or the splash park, but I wanted to at least get the kids in their UV Skinz and give them a try.  This past weekend we had almost 80 degree weather so I dressed Jake and Abby in their UV Skinz and we headed outside.

Here are a couple of photos of my kids in their Skinz:

I am impressed with the quality of the UV Skinz shirts.  My kids both enjoyed wearing them and they are bright and colorful.  I was a bit concerned that the long sleeves would make them warm and sweaty but both kids were running around and playing and yet they both still seemed to remain cool and comfortable.  I didn’t have any trouble getting them on over their heads – the neck was just the right size with just the right amount of stretch.  The stitching, which is designed to eliminate irritating seams just looks great too.  Both kids seemed comfortable in the shirts, they had a full range of motion and they seemed to like the way the material felt against their skin too.

As for me, my sunscreen application was limited to legs and face which cut the application time in half and allowed me to be much more confident that they were protected while they were playing in the sun.  We spent a couple of hours outside and although at times it was overcast (which you can still get sunburn during anyway) both my kids ended the day free from sunburn and I had one less worry where my kids are concerned.  These kids UV swim shirts will be a permanent part of our sun-protection routine this summer!  My kids WILL live in their Skinz!

Now I have to check out their hats, bottoms and their adult sizes so that we can all be protected from head-to-toe, and look great in the process.

ENTER TO WIN A UV SKINZ!

One winner will receive their choice of any item from UV Skinz!

How to enter:
Visit UV Skinz and check out their information on UV protection.  Then come back here and leave a comment telling us something you learned about sun safety, skin cancer or sunburn (use the links on the left to get to more FAQ’s).

Earn extra entries:

• Visit UV Skinz and check out their entire line of skin protection clothing.  Then come back here and leave a comment telling us which one item you would select if you won - 1 EXTRA
• Sign up for the UV Skinz monthly newsletter (upper left area of the site) - 10 EXTRA
• Subscribe to OUR updates by RSS or email (see top of our page) - 2 EXTRA
• Add our button (see bottom of our page) or our link to your sidebar or blogroll - 2 EXTRA
• Comment on any of our other non-giveaway posts (please leave the link or name of the post you left a comment on) - 1 EXTRA PER POST COMMENTED
• Twitter this giveaway (include the link to your tweet) - 1 EXTRA PER DAY

Please leave a separate comment for each additional entry.

Giveaway ends on Sunday May 31, 2009 at noon CST and is open to the USA.

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