The sun is a powerful thing. It gives us our daily source of light, bathes us in a significant dose of vitamin D and can help lift our spirits. As summer begins, we’re all looking forward to spending more time outdoors, and we know you’ve heard advice about extended sun exposure and skin health time and time again. But it would be remiss not to share our two cents on healthy fun in the sun.
It’s a balancing act when it comes to the relationship between our skin and the sun. While we need our skin to absorb the rays (and all that lovely vitamin D), overexposure can lead to burning, free radical production and moisture loss. The sun’s strong UV rays can cause cancer, as well as wrinkles, dark spots and other signs of aging. However, with a little care and the right products, we can balance the positive effects with a healthy dose of protection.
For days spent outside, we’ve all been trained to pick up sunscreen and reapply every few hours. This is a great defense against the sun, but applying the wrong sunscreen could also have some harmful effects. Before you pack your bags for a trip to the beach or an afternoon at the park, take the time to research the sunscreen you’re using (see the Environmental Working Group’s report and sunscreen database here).
While the ingredients in your favorite brand might do the trick to block the sun, they could also increase your risk of cancer. Research has shown that common sunscreen ingredients have free radical-forming properties (hey, wait—sunscreen isn’t supposed to prevent formation of free radicals?) and estrogenic properties that can affect sexual functions. Free radicals and estrogenic chemicals have been shown to cause cancer.
But there’s good news: you can protect your skin naturally with zinc and titanium dioxide, two non-toxic ingredients with natural sunscreen properties. These two ingredients are not known to harm the body and are also slow to absorb into the skin, so we can trust them to stay and protect longer. There are several brands of effective, non-toxic sunscreens that use these ingredients. check it EWG’s Sunscreen Guide for a list of brands that produce safe sunscreens..
It should also be noted that even when you don’t spend a long time in the sun, your skin is still exposed every day. The time you spend getting to and from your car while running errands or commuting to work can add up. While you don’t necessarily need to shield yourself with layers of sunscreen, you want to make sure your makeup routine offers some kind of protection. Although we have not tested our SPF products, we do use zinc and titanium dioxide Tinted moisturizer and Mining Foundation. If you find a makeup that promotes SPF protection, just be sure to read the label and make sure you agree with the ingredients used.
Here are other tips to protect your skin from the sun while maintaining your non-toxic health:
- Avoid products that use the ingredients Oxybenzone, Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A) and PABA. Others to avoid are benzophenone-3, parabens (butyl-, ethyl-, methyl- and propyl-), phthalates (often found in “fragrance”), artificial fragranceand sunscreens that have insect repellent properties.
- Always use products that list their full ingredients. Just like skin care companies, sunscreen manufacturers aren’t required to disclose all of their ingredients, and some ingredients don’t play well with each other. For example, triethanolamine is a widely used sunscreen ingredient. When combined with a nitrate preservative, (usually not listed on the package) it can become carcinogenic.
- Choose cream-based sunscreens over sprays, as sprays create tiny particles that are easily inhaled and swallowed.
- When you are in the sun, put on sunscreen often. Avoid sunscreens with SPF 50+, as they can trick you into staying in the sun longer than you should.
- Wear a hat, sunglasses, and cover other than sunscreen when in the sun for extended periods of time.
We want you to enjoy the sun and the outdoors as often as possible to take advantage of the great things it has to offer. Balance your time in the sun wisely and remember to only protect yourself from the sun as well as the wrong sunscreen products.
