Protect your family’s skin with Rash Guards: A Sunblock Alternative

Summertime is definitely a fun time to enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities, like swimming and going to the beach. The only downfall to all the fun in the sun is that it requires gobs of sunblock or sunscreen to stay protected and healthy. While sunblock continues to improve, it still requires you to apply and reapply it everywhere your skin is exposed to the sun. If you miss a spot, you’re in for a painful sunburn or worse, skin cancer. A way we found to use less sunblock, but to enjoy outdoor activities while staying protected is to use rash guards.


My husband and I first discovered rash guards by accident on our Hawaiian honeymoon. After an amazing all day snorkeling adventure, we returned to shore with lasting memories and an unexpected set of matching sunburns! Not wanting to completely ruin the rest of our honeymoon, we headed to the store to purchase ibuprofen and aloe gel to sooth the pain. While shopping, we stumbled across shirts that were made out of swimsuit fabric called rash guards. We purchased one for each of us.  They saved the rest of our honeymoon as we could enjoy all the sunny outdoor activities Hawaii has to offer knowing we were completely protected from further sun damage.

Now we never travel to a warm destination without packing our rash guards. I wore one while I was pregnant and we even purchased a tiny rash guard for our baby. It is so much easier to just focus on putting sunblock on the minimally exposed skin and not having to slather it everywhere. We’re still very careful with how much sun exposure our baby gets at a time, but I love not having to worry that I missed a spot with sunblock on his sensitive skin.

We live in Pennsylvania where rash guards are difficult to find all year round, but are available at some stores during the warmer summer months. I found this great long sleeve rash guard with matching swim trunks at Sam’s Club. If you’re having trouble finding the sizes or styles you need at the stores in your area, Amazon has a large selection available.

Rash guards are a must have summer item for little water babies, bigger kids, and adults too. Having tons of fun in the sun with less sunblock and more sun protection definitely works for me. So bring on the sunshine and have a safe, fun, and healthy summer!