Get Sun Certified with Banana Boat (review and giveaway)

With all the rain and clouds we've been experiencing in Northern California lately, it's difficult to believe that summer is actually here -- but make no mistake, that sun is hot and your whole family needs to protect their skin each and every day. We take sun safety very seriously in this household, especially in hot weather when we're outside so often, and so much skin is exposed. Not that the sun's rays aren't dangerous in the fall and winter, of course, so when we do go outdoors during those times of the year, we still make sure we have sunscreen on our faces and necks, and we wear long sleeves and pants (cotton material has an SPF of about 8, and we're not really outdoors as much).

Knowing stuff like that is important. I think everyone should educate themselves about sun safety as much as they can -- and this summer, Banana Boat is here to help with their Sun 101 education campaign. You can go to their website at www.bananaboat.com to see sun care tips, sun safety tips, SPF tutorials, FAQs and more. Their Facebook page also has a quiz on the basics of sun protection; if you take the quiz, they'll even donate $1 to the Skin Cancer Foundation (more info about that below).

Here are some of the ways that Banana Boat is working to let families enjoy a safe and happy summer in the sun:

New Banana Boat products for 2011
Here's an overview of Banana Boat's new sun care products for 2011:

Tear Free, Sting Free – the #1 line of Tear Free Sunscreens, Banana Boat® Kids & Baby, adds a clinically proven “Sting Free” claim to its products.

SPF 110 UltraMist® Sunscreen Continuous Clear Sprays – Continuous Spray sunscreens with SPF 110, the highest protection available in a continuous spray.

Family Size Sunscreen – 12 oz. Family Size Pump bottle. Available in Banana Boat® Sport Performance® SPF 50 Sunscreen Lotion and Banana Boat® Kids Tear Free Sting Free SPF 50 Sunscreen Lotion.

I received a bottle of the Kids Tear-Free Sting-Free UltraMist Sunscreen Continuous Lotion Spray (SPF 50) and a bottle of the Ultra Defense UltraMist Sunscreen Continuous Clear Spray (SPF 110) to try out. I love the new Ultra Defense UltraMist Sunscreen because it's a continuous clear spray, so it's so easy to cover my kids in sunscreen. I don't even have to get my hands all icky and sticky. Just make sure you're in an outdoor area when you spray this stuff on, because you don't want it getting in your eyes or lungs. The smell of alcohol is quite powerful, and you need a couple of minutes for it to dissipate.

The smell of the Kids Tear-Free Sting-Free Lotion UltraMist is much, much better. It's a mild, gentle scent -- the bottle says it is fragrance free, but whatever combination of ingredients it has does emit a scent that reminds me of a warm day at the beach. Maybe it's because we always have Banana Boat lotion on at the beach! The tear-free, sting-free formulation is great, too. The only thing is, I'm not a fan of lotion sprays -- what's the point of the spray if you have to rub it in anyway?

So what I really want is the ease and convenience of the no-rub Clear Ultramist, with the great scent of the Kids' Lotion Ultramist. Which probably means that the right product for me is the Kids' Ultramist Sunscreen Continuous Clear Spray (SPF 110)!

In any case, whatever Banana Boat product you decide is right for you, it's good to know that Banana Boat products have been recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation -- so you know it has been tested, evaluated and judged to be safe and effective. (you can view the full list of suncare products that have earned the Skin Cancer Foundation's Seal of Recommendation here).


Help Banana Boat raise $101,000 for The Skin Cancer Foundation
This sun season, Banana Boat® sun care is setting out to raise $101,000 for The Skin Cancer Foundation by “sun certifying” 101,000 Americans. As part of the brand’s Sun 101 education campaign, Banana Boat® is helping to teach Americans about the basics of sun protection. Readers can get sun certified on http://www.facebook.com/BananaBoatBrand, by taking a short “Sun Certification” quiz. They will receive a “Sun Certified” badge to display on their own Facebook wall and trigger a $1 donation to support The Skin Cancer Foundation’s sun education initiatives, for a total donation of up to $101,000.


Join Banana Boat's 101 Days of Summer Promo
From May 27 till September 4, Banana Boat is giving out summer goodies on their Facebook page. Daily prizes include Banana Boat® sun care products, Visa gift cards, gas gift cards, iTunes gift cards and other summer fun surprises. Enter at www.facebook.com/BananaBoatBrand.


Win a Banana Boat Summer Fun Pack
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will win a Banana Boat Summer Fun prize pack, which includes:

A canvas tote bag
A water bottle
A bottle of Banana Boat Kids Tear-Free Sting-Free UltraMist Sunscreen Continuous Lotion Spray SPF 50
A bottle of Banana Boat Ultra Defense UltraMist Sunscreen Continuous Clear Spray SPF 110

(ARV: $30.98)

Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and tell me how you and your family plan to stay safe in the sun this summer. This entry must be completed before extra entries qualify.


Extra Entries
For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following. Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry with a way to verify the entry (i.e. tweet link, blog post link, Facebook id, Twitter id, etc.).


1) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Networked Blogs (1 entry).

2) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Blogger(1 entry).

3) Write this on the Banana Boat Facebook page (1 entry):
I entered the Banana Boat giveaway on Bonggamom Finds! Enter by 6/30 for a chance to win a tote bag with Banana Boat products http://ow.ly/5hKoU

4) Write this on the Bonggamom Finds Facebook page (1 entry):
I entered the Banana Boat giveaway! http://ow.ly/5hKoU

5) Follow Bonggamom Finds on Twitter and tweet this, up to once per day (1 entry per day, leave a comment with the tweet link for each tweet):
You could win a @bananaboat_ Summer Fun prize pack! Enter at @bonggafinds http://ow.ly/5hKoU #giveaways

6) Follow Banana Boat on Twitter and tweet this, up to once per day (1 entry per day, leave a comment with the tweet link for each tweet):
RT @bonggafinds Help @bananaboat_ raise $101k for The Skin Cancer Foundation by taking their Sun Certification quiz http://on.fb.me/iplxOJ

7) Get Sun Certified on Banana Boat's Facebook page (1 entry).



The Rules
This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on June 30, 2011; I will draw a winner at random on July 1 and post the winner's name after the winner confirms acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!

Energizer Personal Care provided review samples and is providing the prize pack for this promotion at no cost to me. This promotion is not being administered or sponsored in any way by Energizer Personal Care or its affiliates, but solely by Bongga Mom. Any questions or comments regarding this promotion must be sent to me at Bongga Mom and not to Energizer Personal Care. Product and program information have been provided by Energizer Personal Care. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.