2020 Edit: This was written in 2009 and is accurate as per 2009. Recent articles now suggest that for the face alone, 1/4 teaspoon of product is sufficient protection. 1 teaspoon would then cover approximately your face, neck and arms. My application method has also changed to approx 2-3 finger-lengths of sunscreen for application to the face.
When I last wrote about the proper way to apply moisturizer and how much moisturizer you really need, reader Sarah left a comment asking if I apply my sunscreen using the same method.
My answer is, “No, I do not use the same method to apply sunscreen.”
The reason is that the recommended amount of sunscreen or sunblock to use is about 1 teaspoon just for your face. How much is 1 teaspoon? Here’s a visual reference.
1 teaspoon is about 5ml by a measuring spoon. That is a lot of sunscreen – believe me! But you see, in the labs where sunscreen is tested, they use up to 2mg of sunscreen per sq inch of skin, so what we use in real life is really not quite enough. However, a teaspoon is a reasonable estimate to use. For the body, its 1 teaspoon each for each arm. Its really way thick so not even I can abide by this requirement.
Since I can’t possibly measure out a teaspoon of sunscreen every morning like baking a cake, what I do is squeeze out my sunscreen on my fingers and then apply to my skin, spreading as I go on my face.
I do this 5 times – 1 forehead, 2 cheeks, 1 nose, 1 chin. Its like the 5 dot method except I don’t dot my skin, I smoothen as I go and I use a lot more than just a dot. Let’s just say I use a pea sized amount on each part of my face.
And I do this 5 times, so that’s quite a lot of sunscreen! Its not quite 1 teaspoon I must admit but its a lot more than moisturizer. This is the reason why I go for cream based sunscreens – its easier to control and to estimate just how much sunscreen I’m applying on my skin. Its harder to estimate with liquid textures.
Some of you might wonder if by doing this and using so much sunscreen I get oily? I don’t. It might be that the sunscreen I use don’t make me oily, or that I have lovely oil control foundation and power or that I have been lucky enough to find sunscreen that work well for me. But this is how I apply all sunscreen, irrespective of brand.
Are you applying enough sunscreen? How do you apply your sunscreen and do you stint on it? Be careful if you are stinting because applying too little sunscreen is as good as not applying any!
Stay beautiful,
Paris B
p/s If you’re new here, you can read other sunscreen tips or my reviews on sunscreens or sunblocks I’ve tried by following the link.
Hi Paris,
Thanks for your reply. I do have oily eye lids, am worry if applying sunscreen on these sensitive area will give me milia seeds. 😮
1 tbsp is alot… and i also did the 5 spot thing… If i put on alot of sunscreen… My face starts to sweat. Alot….
I’m always looking for a new sunscreen that is matte finish… and almost every time, i failed or has negative effects… It is either sweating alot, itchiness, or turns my face red….
I’ve now seen two calculations for what sunscreen is tested at.
2mg/ inch^2 (here) and 2mg/cm^2 at makeupalley. That is a huge discrepancy. 1 inch does not equal 1 centimeter, it equals 2.54 cm. Could you cite where found this number, or if anyone else pass along
a citation.
Just thought Id chime in with these two informative videos. Apparently you do not need to apply even half as much non-chemical sunscreen (Zinc Oxide etc) to the face as you do the regular chemical sunscreens. This is great news for me becuase I have been trying to blend a rough teaspoon of my Zinc Oxide sunblock on the face every day which just balls up and looks a mess.
For those who use chemical sunscreens though here is the official word coming from Dermtv (the original poster is correct, it is a lot of sunscreen to use but it is required);
http://www.dermtv.com/how-much-sunscreen-put
^I was shocked how SPF50 turns into SPF 7 if you do not apply correctly.
And Chem/free;
http://www.dermtv.com/how-apply-chem-free-sunscreen
^Awesome!
wow thanks a lot for the info.i sure was using much less sunscreen due to the fact that it leaves a white sort of trail on my skin after applying too much of it
but i have one question please if you could reply.does the brand of moisturiser and sunscreen have to be the same? or can i apply one brand of a particular moisturiser and another band for sunscreen together?
Actually, the recommended amount is 1 teaspoon for face AND neck, so if u just apply on face u can use less than 1 teaspoon.
Personally I apply double the recommended amount–I apply 2 teaspoons of sunscreen for face and neck. 🙂 🙂 I’m super paranoid about the sun.
Sometimes if I have the time, I even apply 2 layers of sunscreen. One layer of anthelios sunscreen, wait half hour then apply another layer of zinc oxide sunscreen. This method is the gold standard for sunscreen application, but I don’t do it everyday, only on some days.
you are so right that people might not be just applying enough sunscreen…actually I read sometime back that two finger length is the exact amount of sunscreen which should go on each part of the body – face and neck, each of the arms, each of the legs, chest, stomach and upper and lower back….the figure was divided into 9 parts…don’t remmeber properly but in a nutshell….and, when I tried applying that much amount, believe me, it was just too much so now, I go for single finger length ad try not to stay out in the sun.
btw, I also wanted to ask that of one is applying a Zinc Oxide based sunscreen, then how much of it is needed?? is it enough to coat the skin or do we really need to apply this much as the regular sunscreens???
I’m not too familiar with the technicalities of sunscreen. I don’t usually reapply and I apply the same amount regardless of the composition of the sunscreen. I don’t use a lot of zinc oxide sunscreens because it clogs my pores.
In addition to that, aren’t you supposed to apply sunscreen every 2 hours or after swimming/towelling/sweating as well as on cloudy days? Altogether, that’s ALOT of sunscreen. 😀