SUNSCREEN
It's about to get warmer down with Summer being right around the corner so it's that time of year where everyone is stocking up on sunscreen. Before you go to the store and just grab anything off the shelf check these out.
I use Young Living and Think Baby/Sport Sunscreens and love them both. I also have a DIY to make your mineral sunscreen thinner/easier to apply because they can be quite a bit thicker! It should also be noted that we've been told all along to fear the sun and that we ALWAYS need to slather on sunscreen and avoid any sun exposure and that's simply not true! There are plenty of times where you should NOT wear sunscreen because we need that sun exposure on our skin. Our modern diets also affect how we react to the sun as well.
The following photos & caption are from @awholehealthlife.
SUNSHINE! 🌞 We all love some sunshine, can I get an amen?!
There are many benefits of getting natural sunlight (not blocked by sunscreen). Here is a list of some of the many benefits that simply getting in sunshine does for us. This is not all inclusive!
🌞 increases dopamine
🌞 increases serotonin
🌞 main driver of our circadian rhythm
🌞 induces the catabolic process of autophagy
🌞 increases endorphins (—> pleasure feelings)
🌞 supports production of vitamin D3
🌞 supports melatonin production
🌞 promotes apoptosis
Our family uses sunscreen, sometimes. We try to make it so we can avoid using too much of it, and we only use brands we trust.
Recently, a pharmaceutical testing company petitioned to the FDA to recall many benzene containing sunscreens. See slides for just a smidge (tip of the ice berg) on benzene and sunscreen and toxins.
Our family is outdoors a lot. We don’t always wear sunscreen! In hawaii we managed to wear it some and (mostly) not get burned! The last day we were distracted and got a little toasty (and were at the beach 10 am to 7 pm).
Generally speaking, we prevent burning by being smart with timing, sun shirts sometimes, nourishing well, and sunscreen when needed. I’ve tried just about every single zinc / mineral based sunscreen out there.
Beautycounter’s CounterSun line is 💯. It rubs in, works well and doesn’t rub off easily (IMO based on a month of use in Hawaii). We also used it last summer, along with All Good brand. I especially like that BC’s RUBS IN well. And is safe. It’s not too thick! Link in bio or DM me with questions.
Please see my other post on how to EAT WELL to prevent sun damage! ✌🏻
The following photos & caption are from @3littleplums.
This is the time of year when sunscreen is on all of our minds. Sunscreen safety is important because they are designed to be applied all over our body every day, for a lifetime... so ingredients MATTER!
This year I wanted to review sunscreens that you all asked me about in addition to those that I love - for the entire family. If they are not above check out why in the full blog post ( I inc all the ones you sent in!)
Also- please save today’s post!
🧐Why?
😉 Because Its important for you to know how to choose a ‘better’ sunscreen... at some point you will be in a store, or with a well meaning friend telling you about her fav ‘non-toxic’ sunscreen and the reality is that everyone’s standards are different and these top picks might not be available!
How do you know which one to pick?
🤩Empower yourself by reading the ingredients and learning how to id chemicals you want to avoid!
That’s it. ITs that easy. Keep this post as a cheat sheet of ingredients you want to avoid!
☀️𝗔𝗶𝗱𝗮’𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝘁𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆☀️
I decided to go with a tier system again: All of these pictured are in my ‘TIER 1’
⭐️these are sunscreens I would use without thinking twice about.
⭐️These contain absolutely no ingredients of concern nor allergens.
⭐️Would be totally ok to use on your kids all year round
Head over to the full blog post to see my Tier 2: (When Tier 1 sunscreens are not available, then I Would feel comfortable using one of the sunscreens from Tier 2. Some do contain some ingredients of slight concern and so I would not use these all year round every single day. But, again, in a crunch if I need a sunscreen and these are the ones that are available I would feel fine about buying it and using it until I was done… and then I would try to go back to Tier 1 products)
and Tier 3: These sunscreens have multiple ingredients of concern. I would avoid buying these.
Finally I’m giving a ⭐️green star⭐️to companies that are SUPER COOL and use non-toxic ingredients and plastic free/ eco friendly packaging like @rawelementsusa and @suntegrity
The following photos & caption are from @3littleplums.
Sunscreens are in the news again. This time researchers have discovered that a somewhat common ingredient found in sunscreens, octocrylene, used to protect against both UVA & UVB rays can degrade & create benzophenone which is a carcinogen that can also interfere with the hormone estrogen & reproductive organs.
If you have been following me for a while you might remember that octocrylene has been in my 'avoid' list of sunscreen ingredients for some time since it has been shown to form compounds that accumulate & r toxic to coral, However, the potential for it to contain benzophenone is a new discovery to the public (apparently the industry has known about it) & of special concern as:
❗️benzophenone’s presence in food products or food packaging is banned in the US
❗️Under CA Prop 65, there is no safe harbor for benzophenone in any personal care products, including sunscreens
❗️We know that sunscreen ingredients are absorbed into our bloodstream. French researchers estimated that up to 70% of the benzophenone in sunscreen products may be absorbed through the skin
❗️Some 2,400 sun-protection products are made with octocrylene: including baby & kid sunscreens
While we cannot confirm that all sunscreens that contain octocrylene also contain benzophenone without testing them all we do know that :
1️⃣researchers in France tested 16 octocrylene-based French & US sunscreens. All of them tested positive for benzophenone.
2️⃣In Belgium researchers tested 28 octocrylene containing sunscreens & all tested positive for benzophenone too
🤨What should you do?
🌿Don’t panic. Unlike benzene which was recently found in many sunscreens & who’s source is still unknown, this time it is quite easy to avoid & id the sunscreens to avoid.
🌿Its prudent to avoid sunscreens with octocrylene. Again, without further testing, it is impossible to confirm if they too contain benzophenone... (they also have other worrisome ingredients!)
👉🏻😎Let me know if you have any questions!☀️
What’s your fam fav?
The following photos & caption are from @organic.gannett.
Benzene has made an appearance in the news recently due to it being found in some sunscreen products.
Benzene is a chemical that typically comes from coal tar. It’s also found in the air in forrest fires and volcanos. It is used to make things like plastics, rubbers, synthetic dyes, detergents, some drugs, and pesticides. It is a known carcinogen by working to inhibit normal cellular DNA production and then causing cell mutations. It is mainly linked to different kinds of leukemias, including in children, which makes sense since we know it causes mutations mainly in bone marrow where blood cells are made.
According to the CDC, “it can cause bone marrow not to produce enough red blood cells, which can lead to anemia. Also, it can damage the immune system by changing blood levels of antibodies and causing the loss of white blood cells.”
Cancers. Blood disorders. Immune dysregulation. Irregular periods. Ovary damage. Low birth weight. Delayed bone formation (all reported by the CDC). Despite these known health risks, it is among one of the 20 most commonly used chemicals in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.
The independent lab that found the contaminated sunscreen tested 294 samples from 69 brands, and 78 of those had benzene it.
J&J was among one of the big offenders. Several of their products have been recalled, but not surprisingly, many of the sunscreens found with it, were not. These include other common brands like Banana Boat. After sun lotions were also contaminated and are not recalled.
“There is probably no safe level of exposure to benzene” - study out of UC Berkeley
What did J&J have to say? “The levels detected in internal testing would not be expected to cause adverse health consequences." 🙄🙄
J&J has also payed out billions (emphasize the B and the S) in lawsuits over dangerous products, including baby powder, hip replacements, xarelto, and hair products.
Bottom line is this- don’t trust habitual offender companies (they don’t care about you or your health and never will) and shop from brands you trust and who are transparent. And for the love of all things, stop using anything that J&J has touched.
I get a lot of questions on sunscreen: if I wear it, what brands I like, etc.
None of this is a personal recommendation, only what I do, and I encourage you to do your own research and figure out what works for you.
Sun and sun exposure is a hot topic. There are so many differing opinions, recommendations and advice and I can only share what works for me.
I love the power of the sun and try to harness it by consciously getting 5-15 minutes of exposure to morning light (sunrise), mid-morning light, noon light, mid-afternoon light and evening light in both my bare eyes and on my bare skin.
At different times of the day, different types of light will be more prevalent in the sun's rays, whether it be infrared, UVA, UVB, UVC, etc.
It's not just about the Vitamin D- different types of sunlight itself has a powerful affect on our brain, nervous system and hormones.
Living in southern California, I get a LOT of sun, especially in the summer.
I don't fear the sun, i'm not afraid of it giving me wrinkles or aging, however, prolonged sun exposure, especially when it causes a burn, can do damage.
I do want to protect my skin, especially my face. I am human after all 🤣
On days where a sun hat and having an umbrella to retreat under won't cut it, I do opt for one of my favorite sunscreens.
I recently went on a Lake trip and we were out on the Seadoo all day and Fancy Farm Sun Balm kept my face protected and Waxhead kept the rest of me protected. I absolutely love their minimal ingredients!
One thing people forget is that our diet, especially the fats we consume, will make a huge impact on how the cells interact with the sun.
I'm still shocked at how many messages we get from Fully Nourished students and followers on how they rarely ever burn anymore!
Vitamin E is one of my favorite nutrients that completely changed the way my skin and the sun interacted.
Stay tuned for my next post where I will talk about what nutrients are involved in the body's interaction with the sun.
What's your sunscreen philosophy? 🌞
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