Spray On Sun Protection (Banana Boat Tanning Dry Oil SPF8 Ultramist Continuous Spray)

Member Name: dream860

Product:	Banana Boat Tanning Dry Oil SPF8 Ultramist Continuous Spray
Date:	24/02/09 (346 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: easy to use, non oily, smells great

Disadvantages: bottle can create some problems, low sun protection

So i was on a mission to find a sunscreen that my boyfriend could apply quickly and painlessly in order to not get burned on our trip to the cottage for the weekend. I proceeded to my local drugstore at the last minute looking specifically for a spray formulation suncreen that contained just enough sunscreen to avoid a burn but still achieve a nice tan. I was a huge fan of the banana boat line of sunscreens, as i religiously use their tanning oil every summer and owe my bronzed summer skin to their products. So i was pleased to notice that they had a spray formulation with spf 8 that was a dry oil formula with an ultrafine mist. That sounded man-proof enough, so i carried it over to the checkout. It cost about 11 GBP for a 100 ml bottle which was expected, and the bottle seemed large enough to last a good few weekends away.

Day one of our weekend at the cottage, we get to the beach early and begin our suncare routine. My boyfriend sprays me with oil and i proceed to try the new product out on him. All skincare products advise application should be done 30 minutes prior to sun exposure, and so it is best to stay in the shade for 30 minutes before exposing the skin to the suns rays. So we sat under an umbrella and I sprayed his back, chest, arms and legs, but despite the fact that it is a fine mist, the product still needs to be rubbed in for proper absorption into the skin. I suppose it would be okay if one was lazy to simply spray the product on and leave it on without rubbing, however, i personally like to rub it in to ensure all areas get properly coated.

Another downside is that you have to apply the product first to your hands before applying to your face, and once my boyfriends rubbed the product into his face, he said he could taste it in his throat. So be careful to apply it away from the nostrils and mouth to avoid an unpleasant aftertaste. I was pleased with the packaging of the bottle at first because it is metallic and shiny and quite appealing to look at, however i noticed later it was quite hard to grip and spray with wet, or oily hands. So i was constantly having to wash/dry my hands before re-applying it which was a slight hassle.

The scent of the product smelled like an island in a bottle, it was cocounut scented which made it feel like we were away somewhere tropical. It also left the skin looking slick and shiny but not overly shiny like the oil formulations. My boyfriends skin felt smooth and after 2 hours he showed signs of a tan and no sign of redness which was a great sign overall. After being in the water for about half an hour he had to reapply and continued to bathe in the glow of the sun. He continued to use the product for the weekend and managed to avoid burning, and came back with a gorgeous brown colour. We were both extremely pleased with how easy the product was to apply and the protection was great even though the spf was low. We would definately recommend it to anyone who wants less hassle than traditional sunscreens.

Summary: great for quick applications and fussy men