SPF 30 + SPF 25 = SPF 55?

It's going to hit the mid 80's this week and I couldn't be more excited! I wasn't made for the clouds. I was made for sunshine and those little umbrellas that come in all the poolside drinks. Growing up at my house 80 degrees meant one thing.  SWIMMING! I just got excited just thinking about it. My mom always said, " As soon as it's 80 degrees outside, you can go swimming." So naturally we got to know our local meteorologist real well. Now don't go running for your arm floaties yet. Make sure you've got your sunscreen on first. Oh, what's that you say? You're wearing a mixture of SPF 45 and SPF 15, so really you're wearing SPF 60?  WRONG! All through our lives we have been taught that if we add things together we get a greater number. Which is true, but oh so wrong when it comes to sunscreen. Whenever you use SPF, which stands for sun protection factor, the highest number you use will always be the SPF at work. So if you slather on SPF 30, SPF 50, and then an SPF 15 you wont have on SPF 95 but SPF 50. SPF is never going to be an equation. Ya with me so far? Lets go back to what SPF means. Sun protection factor means the amount of time you can stay in the sun without getting a sun burn. Of course this depends on your skin type. Here's an example. If I am in Hawaii (I wish) and I use SPF 25, I can hang out at the beach and drink pinacoladas 25 times longer than I could had I not used any sunscreen. So make sure not to skip the SPF. You're less likely to get skin damage, and you're extending your play time in the sun! Lets be honest, those are two things we can both celebrate.