We’ve not long returned from a trip to Thailand, one of our favourite destinations. We always go away in the early part of the year to escape the cold and miserable weather and you’re pretty much guaranteed wall-to-wall sunshine in Asia.
This year was no exception and we enjoyed 3 weeks of bright blue skies and sizzling temperatures that didn’t drop below 30 degrees Celsius for the entire trip. When everything’s been kept under wraps since the summer, it’s important to use a good quality sun protection that you can trust so, of course, we packed our Techniblock. We had planned a couple of boat trips as well as some kayaking in the Khao Sok National Park and the
SPF 50+ and
SPF 50 Wet & Dry is perfect for this type of activity.
However, we also took the opportunity to test a brand new product from the States. We are always on the look out for great sun protection and there’s no doubt that Techniblock is one of the absolute best, but we like to give our loyal customers plenty of choice and have discovered an excellent American brand called NO-AD. It came highly recommended by one of our American friends and so we put it through it’s paces in the searing heat of the Thai sun.
The verdict? It performed brilliantly. It’s very similar to Techniblock in that it’s a continuous spray that distributes sunscreen on to the body in a quick and efficient way. We found that it was best to spread it lightly with your hands to help it absorb quickly and once it settled on to the skin, it was clean and non-greasy. We didn't burn at all, despite the high temperatures. NO-AD is free from parabens, Retinyl Palmitate, oils and perfume, and the can holds 295ml so it’s a great size offering great value for money.
NO-AD stands for "No Advertising”, with the manufacturer’s declaring that rather than spending money on expensive adverts, they invest in creating a great sun protection range at an affordable price.
How is it different to Techniblock? Well, in our view, it is not quite as ultra-dry as Techniblock and so it’s best to lightly rub it in as you apply it, and it’s not quite as water resistant so the recommendation is to top up after about 80 minutes of swimming or sweating. Other than those two minor observations, we gave it a resounding thumbs up. NO-AD is available in a lotion and a spray and we intend to introduce the CFC-free spray option to the Techniblock website in the next few weeks.
Due to range changes in South Africa, we have very limited stock of Techniblock's SPF 30 in the 340ml size and will be unable to get further supplies for the foreseeable future. Although we are still able to offer our customers Techniblock SPF 30 in 150ml and 75ml sizes, we are aware that the 340ml size is very popular so the NO-AD SPF 30 Sport is a great substitute if you’re looking for a larger can. If customer feedback is positive, and we think it will be, we will eventually expand the range to include NO-AD SPF 45 Continuous Spray and the SPF 50 Kids Continuous Spray, as well as a natural, clear mineral formula in lotion format for babies.
It's coming soon so give it a try this summer, you won’t be disappointed.
