Did you know that your skin is the largest organ in your body!
It acts as a physical barrier between you and the environment, and it is permeable.
So whatever you put ON your skin, goes IN to your body.
Nourishing things that should "often" touch your skin:
sunshine
clear air
fresh water
loving hands (yours or your partners)
organic food grade oils
chemical and fragrance free soaps
chemical free fabrics
essential oils (in a base oil)
Harmful things that should "never" touch your skin:
commercial sunscreen, lotion or spray
moisturizing lotions and/or skin creams with preservatives
soaps with chemical fragrances and/or preservatives
toxic chemicals of any kind - be they in household cleaners, paints, etc.
In Summer the sun is hot, really hot. You want to play outside, but don't want to get sunburned.
So what do most people do?
Reach for the SPF 30…or above.
Did you know that ALL SUNCREENS that are sold in a store contain preservatives?
Yes, even the "natural" sunscreens, that are supposed to be healthy for you have them.
"Chemical sunscreens don’t sit on the surface of the skin – they soak into it and quickly find their way into the bloodstream. They scatter all over the body without being detoxified by the liver and can be detected in blood, urine, and breast milk for up to two days after a single application. That would be just fine if they were uniformly safe – but they’re not."
Arthur Perry, MD, FACS
AVOID: 6 SCARY SUNSCREEN INGREDIENTS
Oxybenzone This penetration enhancer (i.e., chemical that helps other chemicals penetrate the skin) undergoes a chemical reaction when exposed to UV rays. When oxybenzone is absorbed by your skin, it can cause an eczema-like allergic reaction that can spread beyond the exposed area and last long after you're out of the sun. Experts also suspect that oxybenzone disrupts hormones (i.e., mimics, blocks, and alters hormone levels) which can throw off your endocrine system. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 97 percent of Americans have this chemical circulating in our bodies, as it can accumulate more quickly than our bodies can get rid of it.
Octinoxate One of the most common ingredients found in sunscreens with SPF, octinoxate is readily absorbed by our skin and helps other ingredients to be absorbed more readily. While allergic reactions from octinoxate aren't common, hormone disruption is: the chemical's effects on estrogen can be harmful for humans and wildlife, too, should they come into contact with the chemical once it gets into water. Though SPF products are designed to protect skin from sun-induced aging, octinoxate may actually be a culprit for premature aging, as it produces menacing free radicals that can damage skin and cells.
Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A Palmitate) Just like the vitamin A we eat, retinyl palmitate is an antioxidant. As an ingredient in sunscreen, it's function is to improve the product's performance against the aging effects of UV exposure, However, certain forms of vitamin A found in sun protection products—namely retinyl palmitate, a combination of retinol (vitamin A) and palmitic acid, an ingredient found in tropical plants such as palm and coconut—can be cause for concern. When exposed to the sun's UV rays, retinol compounds break down and produce destructive free radicals that are toxic to cells, damage DNA, and may lead to cancer. In fact, FDA studies have shown that retinyl palimitate may speed the development of malignant cells and skin tumors when applied to skin before sun exposure, so steer clear of skin sun products that harbor the stuff.
Homosalate This UV-absorbing sunscreen ingredient helps sunscreen to penetrate your skin. Once the ingredient has been absorbed, homosalate accumulates in our bodies faster than we can get rid of it, becomes toxic and disrupts our hormones.
Octocrylene When this chemical is exposed to UV light, it absorbs the rays and produces oxygen radicals that can damage cells and cause mutations. It is readily absorbed by your skin and may accumulate within your body in measurable amounts. Plus, it can be toxic to the environment.
Paraben Preservatives Associated with both acute and chronic side effects, parabens (butyl-, ethyl-, methyl-, and propyl-) can induce allergic reactions, hormone disruption, developmental and reproductive toxicity. While butylparaben was reported to be non-carcinogenic in rats and mice, but it has been previously suspected that parabens and other chemicals in underarm cosmetics may contribute to the rising incidence of breast cancer.
HELP!!
So what's a sun-worshipping, sun-lover to do?
1.) Follow the yogis method of sunbathing:
Oil your skin every morning with pure-unrefined-organic coconut oil.
Then go out early in the day (8am-10am) to take the sun directly on your skin. Start with 10 minutes and over the course of the summer season build up to a few hours. Do NOT let your skin get burned.
When you feel the sun heating up your skin, go inside. As you build up your tolerance and your skin slowly tans, you can take more sunlight later in the day - afternoon/early evening - when the suns rays do not feel as strong. This way you will receive the NOURISHING BENEFITS OF THE SUN, WITHOUT THE HARMFUL EFFECTS THAT CAN DAMAGE YOUR SKIN.
Since everyone has a different tolerance to the sun, this method may be combined with the natural homemade sunscreen recipe that follows.
Please stop being afraid of the sun. The sun supports life. We need more than 10 minutes a day to feel strong and vital, especially those of us living in four season or temperate climates.
2.) Make your own sunscreen!!
Here is a great recipe for all you DIY.
Sunscreen Recipe:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fractionated coconut oil
1/4 cup beeswax
2 Tbl shea butter
1 tsp. Vitamin E
2 Tbl. non-nano Zinc Oxide*
12 drops Helichrysum essential oil**
Skin-healthy sunscreens contain real ingredients that should "go bad" after a few months!!
Okay, so some of these ingredients are easily gotten at your local health food store and others not.
Non-nano means larger than 100 nanometers in size, some recommend at least 200 nanometers.
Particulates smaller than this are small enough to enter your skin. I'd go with the 200 minimum.
Easy to buy online. http://www.amazon.com/beauty
Fractionated Coconut oil stays liquid at all temperatures. It is easy to use and buy online:
http://www.amazon.com/Health OR http://www.sunrosearomatics.com
Helichrysum is a fantastic healing essential oil. I recently got turned on to this EO. It smells wonderful.
You can order some from Florecopeia Essential Oils. http://www.floracopeia.com
Check out the picture below:
This sunscreen looks like mayonnaise. How cool is that?!
A natural non-toxic sunscreen that actually looks like something you could EAT!!
And this is the whole point of my blog post today:
Never, never, absolutely never put anything ON your skin that you could not or would not put IN your mouth and eat!!
PS. I'm gonna go rub some 'mayo" on my body and go have some fun in the sun paddling on my SUP!
See you on the beach.
XX, Lynne
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