Thoroughly applying sunscreen to a small, squirmy child has an Olympic level of difficulty, and I am no athlete. So when I saw a man at the playground sanely brushing on long, neat lines of white on his son, I had to know his secret. He showed me his Solar Buddies sunscreen applicator, a small, plastic gadget that looks like something between a joystick and pestle. It’s a simple, ergonomic contraption with three main components: a reservoir into which you pour the sunscreen of your choice, a rollerball with a filter through which the sunscreen flows, and a small foam sponge with which to rub it in. That last bit is the genius part, the little extra helper that separates the Solar Buddy from sunscreen sticks. Those often fracture, with small chunks flaking off that you have to rub in with great force. I once swore by them before realizing they weren’t much of an improvement.
Still, the Solar Buddies is not foolproof. After the sunscreen has been applied, you need to further massage it in with your hands. But compared to the disaster that is palming uneven globs of Coppertone onto a kicking toddler, it is a small miracle. It’s made prepping going outside with my daughter, a particularly squirmy worm, one level less stressful. She even likes getting sunscreen put on her with the Solar Buddies, a little bit of body painting. In fact, she has become so generally obsessed with the Solar Buddy that she likes to use it on me.
That started as a bit of creative play but turned into a new addition to the meager regime I dare to call a “skin-care routine.” I’m bald and live in fear of a burnt head. My usual approach to sun protection has been to wear a hat, to make sure I cover up the most sensitive area, and then, otherwise, pray. Previously, when I bothered to apply it, sunscreen would cling to my arm hair and, if I happened to have stubble, it caked up around my mouth. I looked like I fell asleep eating a bag of melted marshmallows. But, as it has with my daughter, the Solar Buddy has transformed my experience of sunscreen. That clever sponge helps work the sunscreen into and past the stubble.
The Solar Buddies is no more than a vehicle, but because it does the majority of the dispensing and rubbing in through the rollerball and sponge applicator, there is little occasion to even touch the sunscreen in the first place until most of it has been absorbed by your body. And because it’s not made by a sunscreen brand in the first place, you can put in your preferred brand. It’s a neutral device, sunscreen Switzerland.
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