Skin is the largest organ of the human body. It’s important to take care of it properly especially if you’re sitting in the sun for long periods of time. I just got back from a glorious week in Tulum, Mexico where it feels like the sun warms you from the inside. It was a perfect opportunity to test out some new suncare products, specifically mineral sunscreen and after-sun lotion.

Nature’s Gate offers the Mineral Sportblock with SPF20. What this means is that instead of using manmade chemicals, Nature’s Gate has replaced these synthetic ingredients with Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide, which according to their website, scatters – not absorbs – sun rays. A retailer warned me that this product doesn’t go on as smoothly as some of the other sunscreens on the market. It also leaves a slight white residue (zinc) so you need to take a little more time applying this particular product.

Nature's Gate Mineral Sunblock SPF20. Courtesy of Nature's Gate.

The first day I used it, the weather was swelteringly hot and I felt like heat was being trapped by this sunscreen. However, it didn’t wash off as easily as other products and I didn’t burn. In fact, I found that I was getting tan but at a nice and slow rate. The following day, however, I tried a Neutrogena sunscreen that washed right off in the ocean. I ended up with terrible sunburn.

Final thoughts: It works and it allows a nice tan to start forming. However, if you’re going to use this product, use it consistently. It doesn’t apply easily onto sunburned skin, as the lotion is very thick.

To soothe my burned skin, I turned to Alba Botanica’s Kona Coffee After-Sun Lotion. Words cannot describe how heavenly this product is. The coffee oils are hydrating while the caffeine helps to release the heat in the skin and soothe the burn. It is deliciously aromatic – for coffee lovers, imagine smelling like a café latte – but the fragrance isn’t overwhelming. The texture of the lotion is creamy and luxurious rather than watery, which is my main complaint about Burt’s Bee’s after-sun product. It also felt like it lasted a long time, whereas with some other products you have to reapply often.

Alba Botanica Kona Coffee After-Sun Lotion. Courtesy of Alba Botanica.

Final thoughts: I’m a huge fan of this product. I was addicted to it during the entire week I was in Tulum, and even now as I’m nursing my burned skin back to health. I only wish that it came in a larger bottle!