How to Keep Your Skin Safe While Paddleboarding

While it doesn’t take much to damage your skin, we want you to have a safe and enjoyable experience
paddleboarding, kayaking or enjoying the great outdoors. Here are five ways to keep your skin safe and a few of
our favorite products we use to help us with that.

Sunscreen
Sunscreen is at the top of our list for skin protection. Choose a sunscreen that is SPF 30 or higher and broad
spectrum. Make sure to apply the sunscreen at least 30 minutes before heading out and reapply every 2 hours
or after being in the water. For options, we carry multiple Sun Bum products – 50 SPF and 30 SPF sunscreen
lotion and spray, 50 SPF face lotion, 50 SPF baby lotion, Cool Down spray, tanning oil, and premium 30 SPF zinc
lip balm. In fact, the baby sunscreen lotion is 100% mineral based without all the added chemicals you find in
most sunscreens. And if you happen to get too much sun, try the Cool Down spray – it helps revitalize and
hydrate your skin with soothing Aloe and Vitamin E. All Sun Bum products provide broad spectrum coverage
and are hypoallergenic, non-greasy, paraben free, sulfate free, dermatologist tested, reef friendly, skin cancer
foundation approved… plus so much more. Be sure to stock up before your next paddleboard tour!

Hydration
Hydration is important to your health and drinking enough fluids keeps your heart rate normal and your skin
moist. It is especially important to replace the fluids that are lost while adventuring in the heat or just hanging
out in the sun. As a general rule for hydration, it is recommended to drink half of your body weight in ounces
(i.e. 180 lbs = 90 oz). To stay hydrated, take your water with you. Look for insulated water bottles that will keep
your beverage nice and cold on your next SUP adventure. And if you haven’t yet, check out our new, insulated
bottles – perfect for on the go and on the river!

Sunglasses
Sunglasses are essential in protecting your eyes from harmful rays. They also protect the wrinkle-prone skin
around your eyes. Choose sunglasses that are fully UV protected. We carry Goodr sunglasses – they are
polarized and glare-reducing that block 100% of UVA and UVB rays. Not only do they offer great protection
from the sun, they are no slip, no bounce, and are affordable performance-based options for paddleboarding.
We also have floating straps to keep your glasses safe in the water.

Footwear
Wearing proper footwear helps protect yourself from injury. There may be hazards or hidden dangers you
cannot see under the surface, such as sharp rocks or glass. While footwear may not be needed during the
paddle on the board, it is essential before and after or in the event of an emergency. We’ve got you covered for
footwear with Simari water shoes. They are like a yoga mat for your feet that dry quickly and provide complete
protection. They are also comfortable, flexible, and lightweight. You won’t even notice you are wearing them!

Sleeves
Various types of clothing are available to protect your skin – long sleeves in light colors with high UPF ratings are
recommended. UPF (ultraviolet protection factor) is the rating system for apparel assessing its effectiveness
against both UVA and UVB rays. Rashguards and the lighter silkweight shirts are great options for the water and
stand up paddleboarding. Check out what NRS has to offer in these options – both are UPF rated providing full
protection from the sun. We are an NRS retailer and can place your orders today. * Safety tidbit – not only can
rashguards protect your skin, they can also be used in an emergency in administering first aid to open wounds.