Sunscreen!

We are less than a week away from the official start of summer!  Yay! :)  In the south, we have been experiencing high heat for the last month so sunscreen use started awhile ago.  Since you need to protect your skin at certain times when you are outside, we thought we would provide some information to help you make the best choice possible when it comes to sunscreens.

We always hear how beneficial wearing sunscreen is and how damaging the sun can be.  Doomsday predictions of skin cancer from sun exposure cause consumers to slather on the white stuff.  Is it really all true though?  I mean common sense tells us that if anyone stays out under the sun too long it's not good!  Red, sore, peeling skin is not fun! However,  no sun exposure at all can be extremely problematic too.  At naturalnews.com, a wonderful alternative news source, you can find studies on how vitamin-D deficient the American population is.  Vitamin-D is produced from a chemical reaction that happens when sunlight hits cholesterol packets on your skin.  Too many of us stay indoors and in front of the television.  Go outside, take a walk with your family to get some fresh air and sunlight!  But to get back on track (you can tell we are a.d.d. can't you?) , God didn't screw up by making the sun!  Why do we fault God's creation and think nothing of the man-made product we are using.  Could it be that it is not all sun exposure to blame but the myriad of chemicals in the skincare industry.

Oxybenzone is a common sunscreen additive, synthetic estrogen, and potential hormone disruptor.   High levels of xeno-estrogens (synthetic estrogens) have been linked to cancer.   Other ingredients include nano-particle sized titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.  Nano-particles are EXTREMELY  small particles of substances that are usually created in a lab.  These tiny particles have not been sufficiently studied or observed in the human body.  We don't know if they can affect people at the cellular level.  Nano-particles are known to be harmful to the environment and aquatic life.

Some of the worse sunscreens on store shelves according to EWG.org (a non-profit consumer-adovacy group that works to keep the public educated)  are:

• Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection SPF 55 - the label reads "keep out of reach of children" and "get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away"  Huh??? SO we can put it on our skin (the LARGEST organ of the body that is highly absorbent) BUT we can't ingest it....hmmm...let's think about that one for a moment.....

• Banana Boat Sport Performance Active Max Protect, SPF 110 - this one has a supremely high SPF.  However, having a high SPF only means that you can expose yourself longer without getting burnt.  This doesn't mean that the sun's radiation isn't harming your skin.  You see when your skin goes red out in the sun, it is your body's way of telling you "Enough! time to go in!"  

This is just two of the many!  You can research everything on the EWG.org website.  They are extremely helpful and the site is easy to navigate.  Two other good sources for information on toxic sunscreens, good sunscreens, and vitamin-D are mercola.com and naturalnews.com/naturalnews.tv.  It is well worth the time looking into these ingredients that will affect you and your family's health!  

Now to give you some good news. :)  There are good sunscreens out there and you can support these smaller companies who are making a safer product.  

• Aubrey Organics Sunscreen 
• Badger Brand Sunscreen

We have used Jason's and Burt's Bee too,  although the first 2 brands are higher quality.  Just a reminder to that we should drink lots of water!! Our bodies and our skin NEED water.  What do we see on the beach?  People laying in the sun drinking soda.  That's really not what your body needs especially when you're in the sun!! Soda will dehydrate you completely so drink the H2O.  

Our suggestion from personal experience is to go outside and enjoy the sun for 15-30 minutes at a time.  If you do this, you will build up a tan which is your body's natural sun protection!  Plus, you get your dose of vitamin-D for the day which helps your mood and all other body processes. :)  So, we hope this information helped.  Here's to summer and the beautiful sun!