I'm back! Thanks for your patience... had a little rough patch that I may address in the future when the time is right, but regardless, I know you're still here and supporting-so THANKS a bunch:)
What better time to get back into the game than at the start of a magnificent season?? Currently living in the south, the past week or so has been particularly glorious-my perfect weather hovering around 80 and sunny with minimal humidity (too bad it doesn't stay that way in the summer!). Regardless of where you live, though, this has been a very mild winter and it's only a matter of time before you'll need some sunscreen-I used it today for the first time this year (and still got some subtle tan lines;)!
You may remember my raving about
Vitamin D in my
Healing post-a vitamin so powerful that it's said to have cancer prevention and fighting properties, and is essential for our immune systems to ward off many ailments, illnesses, and diseases. One of my favorite alternative physicians,
Dr. Mercola, states,
"Studies show that people with the lowest average Vitamin D levels had a 124 percent greater risk of dying from all causes." This is where some controversy comes in, since most of us have been made to fear the sun and its damaging properties such as aging, skin cancer, etc... Don't get me wrong, I would never say that the sun is harmless. I have family members that have had skin cancer, I know it ages our skin, and sunburn is just horrible-BUT when you are getting the right dose for your body, the benefits far outweigh the risks. In fact, it's speculated that the
INGREDIENTS in most sunscreens (84% of products out there according to this article!!) are more toxic and cancer-causing than the sun itself-try to wrap your head around that one! And it's this fact that brings me to this post.
The average person should be getting about 20 minutes per day of unprotected sunshine on as much of their bodies as they can expose (this varies between those fairer than others, of course), but if you're anything like me, you're not spending a mere 20 minutes at the beach or pool!! I love to soak up the sun, but too much makes me feel sick, especially those first couple of exposures-I'd say a good couple of hours, as long as I'm hydrated and going in whatever body of water is available, is perfection and not too much on my skin as long as I'm smart about it. "Smart" for me involves a waterproof sunblock and a hat-I'll give myself a short amount of unprotected sunshine time, but with the strong sun and my semi-fair skin, I really do need to watch myself in the summer-especially until I build up that base tan. I'm also very cautious with my most vulnerable areas that burn and wrinkle the most easily-my face and chest-this is where the sun or Yankees hats come in handy!! (Nice protection for your hair as well:) If I want to extend my time, I hang under the umbrella... but something tells me my now 17-month-old won't be sitting there as nicely this summer, so sunscreen is a must for everyone.
Ok, so which sunscreens do we buy and why? Good old deliciously smelling Coppertone from our childhood, Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropics we adored during those teen years, or opt for something more "natural" that we believe is natural because it says, well, "natural"? Sadly, we need to look at the specifics on labels rather than trust how they're advertised. As mentioned in my
Skin post, I do believe it's important to avoid parabens, chemicals, preservatives, colors, fragrances, etc etc in products, as they do absorb through the skin into our bloodstream; but even more important than these additives in sunscreens are the
MAIN ACTIVE INGREDIENTS listed. Bottom line: if the active ingredients on your sunscreen or sunblock label are anything other than Titanium Dioxide or Zinc Oxide, they are highly toxic manmade chemicals that will in fact seep through your skin and possibly do more harm than good, as they are known carcinogens and hormone disrupters. The beauty of TD and Zinc is that they are true sunBLOCKS which block the sun from harming your skin-they act as a barrier. They will most likely not cross the skin into your bloodstream, making them your only safe options. Zinc has a downside of leaving a slightly white tint, yes, but it's easily blendable and I do tend to look to Zinc as the safest option, as some new research questions TD as well-in fact, the whiter the residue, the safer it is. In the link posted above, it states that due to consumer complaints of the white color, Zinc is now being broken down into nanoparticles that may in fact absorb through the skin-so again, the whiter the better, I promise it'll blend! Zinc also blocks both UVA and UVB rays. The second thing to look for, of course, is the inactive ingredient list to avoid the items I listed above as well... Be weary of those labeled natural, such as Alba Organics and Botanicals brand, among others. They may be free of certain things, but I've noticed that their active ingredients are still in the danger zone.
As with many natural products, the sunscreens may take some getting used to. The true natural ones will have primarily organic ingredients, be filled with natural oils, be a little thicker than others, and may have a product/oil separation to them-don't fear-you WILL get used to this and learn that a little bit goes a very long way! The oils actually smell delightful, they blend well, and you'll feel great that these truly natural ingredients are nourishing your skin without harming it-a rarity these days.
Below is what we use and some other recs:
Nature's Badger: We use the SPF30+ version of this, and I recently bought the Baby version on sale as well. I love using natural products because I truly feel that they're safe for the whole family to share... none of this baby or adult-specific nonsense to worry about; safe is safe, and if you don't feel it's good enough for your baby, it shouldn't be good enough for you either! We love this line because they have minimal yet amazing ingredients, the main being Zinc, and oils that are very hydrating and nourishing. There is some separation that goes away when blending, and the white hue is minimal, especially if you use only the small amount you need to. And remember, the whiter the better-the company addresses the
nanoparticle issue here!! Their newest formula ensures that it is in fact the Zinc that will not absorb into your body. You may think it seems pricey for such a small tube, but again, you don't lather on a huge amount as you would with conventional sunscreens or lotions-a little truly goes a long way!! I was happy (yet not surprised) that this passed the safety test in Skin Deep's Cosmetic Database and
was rated a safe green 1 on a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the most harmful. They do claim to be water resistant (rather than waterproof), but I've found that they do hang on for quite awhile of swimming and sweating; of course even with the most waterproof sunscreens, reapplying is necessary after prolonged swimming or sweating.
Don't forget to use this
database in addition to reading ingredients-check out
this list of sunscreen ratings with an SPF of 30 and up! (I find 30 to be sufficient for most people if you're using a true sunblock).
Others worth checking out with equally safe ratings, and brands I happen to love:
Thanks for the love and tuning back in-I hope I've done some legwork for you, so you don't feel as if you're going into the warm seasons blindly! We are most vulnerable during this time, since the heat opens those pores and we get everything in there... warm seasons can truly be the healthiest times of year for us-let's make sure that they are! And please sound off if you feel you've found a healthy version that you love as well!! Stay safely bronzed... and Stay Chic, Stay Healthy;)
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