I took my kids to the sweltering hot desert this weekend at the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. Somehow I managed to pack every crayon, walkie-talkie and Pokemon card for my kids but totally forgot sunblock and any kind of hair “primping” product for myself. Fortunately for me, the simple yet totally awesome “Feel Good Spa” at the Ace Hotel carries the Sun Bum line. So, as soon as we arrived, I got myself waxed by a lovely tatted up Jewish girl from San Diego with a San Fernando Valley Girl accent and stocked up on some Sun Bum Beach Formula Shine On ($19.99) lightweight oil for the hair and SPF 50 Original Spray Sunscreen ($15.99) .
I have naturally thick curly hair with a soft texture that thrives in humidity and gets brittle in dry weather. I decided to just condition my hair this weekend and to continually reapply the Sun Bum Shine On. By the time I left the desert, my curls, which would normally be reminiscent of Alphaba’s broom, were their normal soft silky selves. It wasn’t necessarily a “scientific” experiment, but I’m definitely going to have to credit that to Shine On. Or maybe it was the many margaritas poolside and the endless supply of incredibly average beige colored kid food I inhaled.
The SPF 50 Original Spray Sunscreen was the first sunscreen that my 11 year old was willing to apply without a fight. Unprompted, he blurted, “this smells good and it doesn’t feel oily.” And apparently it is not too stingy either, because two margaritas in, I accidentally sprayed it near his eyes and was met with very little complaining.
Ultimately, the crayons melted all over the car seat, channel 1 on the walkie talkies was intercepted by some freaky pervert trucker dude, and the Pokemon cards just caused endless grief and hostile negotiations. But, I’m pleased to say, I left the desert with my kids free of sun burns, my legs as white as paste and my curls as soft as a baby’s ass. That’s a pretty good showing for Sun Bum and a darn good weekend overall.
Meredith is a mom of three perfectly behaved and always impeccably dressed boys who never cuss or fight. She prefers exercise to the side effects of lithium. You can follow her on Instagram @meredithmorton but don’t expect too much.