Is Your Sunscreen Actually Protecting Your Skin?
Why you should be using this instead..
Greetings from Hawaii! I know back at home it may be a little early for sunscreen talk but before I headed out of Boston, I really wanted to make my own sunscreen, but didn’t get a chance to. At the time I didn’t know why this topic was so important. But after using some homemade sunscreen that some friends of mine made, it validated why I should be making my own.
Not only was this sunscreen all natural, but it actually worked better than the Banana Boat spray I applied prior to heading out. In the picture below, I used the homemade stuff on my shoulders, and sprayed banana boat on my back. My shoulders are the only place I didn’t get totally fried.
There is a lot to read about the dangers of sunscreen. Like a lot. I’ll try to sum it all up, but I strongly encourage everyone to look into it for themselves.
Chemical sunscreens quickly get absorbed into your skin, and find their way into your blood stream without being detoxified by your liver. Traces of sunscreen can be found in breast milk, urine, and blood, in just two days. Most sunscreens that are sold contain ingredients that are endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that can interfere with endocrine (or hormone) systems. These disruptions can cause cancerous tumors, birth defects, premature breast development in girls, and low sperm count and infertility. Endocrine disruptors mimic estrogen and can contribute to breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Also some sunscreens have been linked to producing “free radicals” which are DNA damaging chemicals and can cause cancer as well.
To most people this will be really surprising and scary! It was news to me. Especially when people and parents are emotionally attached to using sunscreen because of the fear that has been instilled in them about cancer, melanoma, etc. However there is a good news, there is a healthy alternative for these dangerous sunscreens!!
Mineral sunscreens that use ingredients such as Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are just tiny rocks that are ground up. They block UVA and UVB light, and sit on top of your skin instead of being absorbed like the chemical sunscreens . 20 minutes a day is a sufficient amount of time to get enough Vitamin D in your body, after that you need to use sunscreen or cover up your skin. One ounce all over your body is enough, and mineral sunscreens should be applied every two hours, and after you go into the water.
This is the recipe that I will be making when I get home. It’a crazy to me that this isn’t common knowledge, but whenever I find these things out for myself, I feel so grateful to know the risks involved with certain products. So pass it on to your family and friends, especially those with little kids and pregnant woman! If this stuff is FDA approved then obviously we can’t leave it up to the government to look out for our health.
Homemade sunscreen
- ½ cup almond or olive oil
- ¼ cup coconut oil (natural SPF 4)
- ¼ cup beeswax
- 2 Tablespoons Zinc Oxide (non nano, be careful not to inhale)
- Optional: up to 1 teaspoon Red Raspberry Seed Oil (SPF 25–50)
- Optional: up to 1 teaspoon Carrot Seed Oil (SPF 35–40)
- Optional: 2 tablespoons Shea Butter (natural SPF 4–5)
I will post about this finished product but for now you can check out the one I used out here in Hawaii and some other pictures from my trip.:)
