Oh, Canada! you may think of it as a frozen wonderland filled with hockey players and polar bears… But actually, during the summer months, we get some extreme heat up here, North of the 49th parallel, and can be swarmed by mobs of terrible insects. today, we're going to talk about how to protect yourself from the hot summer sun and those pesky little insects.
Sunscreen Protections
UVA & UVB
Now, we’re all familiar with sunscreen, at its core, it’s a lotion that you put on your skin to block and absorb the harmful UV rays of the sun. There are two types of UV radiation that you have to worry about: UVA and UVB. UVA is what causes the long-term damages associated with skin aging and wrinkling, while UVB causes the more short-term problems like sunburns. More importantly, both these types of radiation are responsible for skin cancer, so you need to make sure that you choose a sunscreen with protection from both UVA and UVB rays.
SPF
Next to consider when shopping for a sunscreen is the SPF. You’ve probably seen these numbers on bottles, and might assume that the higher the number, the better it is. While this is a true, and a good rule of thumb to follow, what does that number actually refer to? Well, SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. It refers to how much longer it takes those UVB rays to burn the skin with sunscreen correctly applied, when compared to a person with no sunscreen on. So, if you have a sunscreen with an SPF of 30, that means you are going to avoid burning for 30 times longer than if you were to have skipped putting on sunscreen this morning.
Lotion or Spray
Finally, you should consider the dispensing method. There’s the traditional lotion, that you have to spread by hand across all of your skin, and there’s the aerosol spray variety. Both of these have their own pros and cons. The lotion is easier for applying to your face, but can be time consuming to cover your entire body. The aerosol spray is very efficient, but results in a fair amount of wasted product, and you may be more likely to miss a spot, or not get sufficient coverage when you are rushing to apply it. Keep this in mind when you are getting yourself ready for a day in the heat.
Our Selections
Here at ohcanadasupply we have a few options for you. There is an SPF 30 lotion from Croc Bloc, and an SPF 50 aerosol from Doktor Doom. Both of these sunscreens offer UVA and UVB protection, are water and sweat proof, and are non-greasy.
Croc Bloc
The Croc Bloc lotion comes in a few different sizes; a 1L pump bottle -with available wall mount rack, a 120 ml flip top bottle, and a 10 ml packet that’s great for handing out for individual use at the company picnic!
Doktor Doom
The Doktor Doom comes in a 177 ml aerosol can, with a locking lid.
Now that our sunscreen has protected us on this beautiful Canadian day, it’s time to talk about another problem that comes along with the warmer weather - insects. Mosquitos, black flies, gnats, and other pests are out there, and looking for a snack. There are many insects that get their sustenance from a “blood meal” by biting and sucking mammals. At ohcanadasupply we have a number of ways to repel and kill these insects. Let’s start by talking about repellent sprays.
Insect Repellents
Deet
The most common insect repelling ingredient is DEET, which works by covering up the smell of your tasty blood, so the insects will simply ignore you. It’s a proven formula to deter insects, but make sure you don’t over-apply DEET based products, and wash it off when you come back inside. Another common repellent ingredient is Picaridin (also known as Icaridin). It has been used in North America as an insect repellent since the mid-2000s, and is formulated to resemble the smell of a plant that produces black pepper. This works much the same as DEET, but leaves a better feeling on your skin, has a more pleasant smell, and is a safer product for you and for the environment.
Picaridin
Health Canada permits DEET in concentrations up to 10% to be used on children between 6 months and 12 years of age, but up to 20% Picaridin to be used, so for kids, its best to go with this option. If you’re over 12 years of age, the only safety concerns with DEET are to make sure you don’t breathe it, swallow it, or apply it to open wounds. For both DEET and Picaridin, the higher the concentration doesn’t mean the product will work better, it just means that it will last longer. So, a low concentration product will have to be reapplied throughout the day – just like sunscreen.
Natural
Lastly, there are entirely natural options – using Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE) to deter insects. OLE is an oil extracted from the gum eucalyptus tree which is native to Australia. It’s proven to be very effective, and safe for people over the age of 3. Further testing is still required before it is considered safe for younger kids.
Our Selections
At ohcanadasupply , we’ve got you covered no matter your insect repellent preference:
DEET Selections
We carry a variety of DEET based repellents including OFF – available strengths, Lloyds - containing 25% DEET, Doktor Doom - which has 10% and 30% DEET offerings, Croc Bloc - which contains 28.5% DEET, and Ben’s formula containing 30% DEET.
OFF's Coil and Lamp
Before you head out into the great Canadian wilderness, or even just your backyard, there’s a few more insect repellent products we should talk about. The mosquito coils and lamps from OFF both work by slowly releasing an insecticide into the air that will kill those pesky little blood suckers. For obvious reasons, these work best when there is limited air flow, so on a windy day, they might not be the best option.
DOKTOR DOOM's Jungle Juice
For Picaridin based repellents, there’s options from OFF, ranging from 5% concentration in the family care spray, up to 20% in the deep woods products. There’s also a 20% concentrate spray called Jungle Juice available from Doktor Doom. And hey, just so you know, Doktor Doom is a 100% Canadian owned and operated company, just like us!
After Bite
And finally, if somehow the insects get past all your defenses, we also have After Bite available to help ease the itching, and speed up the rate of healing.
Now you’re ready to take on all that summer has to throw at you! Better get out there quick, because around here, summer always goes by way too fast. But before you go, make sure you subscribe to our email list so you can stay up to date with things happening here! If you have any further questions feel free to contact us and don’t forget to give us a follow-on social media; we have many more products to help you get the most out of your summer! Have a great Canadian day!
© ohcanadasupply.ca
62 | 61 | 60
-
Product of the Week: General Duty Quilted Moving Pad
5/12/2025 12:00:00 AM
modules-on-material-handling
-
Must-Have Items for Your Roadside Emergency Kit
1/5/2022 12:00:00 AM
school-of-safety-supplies
-
Clamp it with BAND-IT
12/8/2021 12:00:00 AM
fastening-forums
-
What is a Chamois?
10/6/2021 12:00:00 AM
crash-courses-in-automotive
