Sunscreen is confusing
Posted by cashafrass on May 07, 2007 · Member since Apr 2007 · 92 posts
Anyone have a natural/ organic sunscreen recommendation? I am going to be farming all summer so i am going to need a lot and i'd prefer it to be somewhat wholesome.
anyway i don't know what is good or bad- some lead you to believe titanium dioxide is bad and some make it sound like it is good. same for all sorts of other ingredients. and they all seem to come in those triangle(ish) tubes. are those recyclable?
Oh crud, I thought titanium dioxide was good !?!
I'm gonna need something this summer for my kids faces... I'm terrified of getting it in their eyes. Last summer I got away with from the nose down and a hat but I won't be able to keep my eyes on the 24/7 this summer as they are at daycare.
I will be following this thread.
K^2
it might be good. but i just don't know, haha
Oh wonderful! Something else I need to worry about! I have to wear sunscreen on my face daily, as in all day, can't go outside without it. If I do, my lupus mixes with the sun and I look like I have some awful skin disease with red bumps, deep lumps and red blisters. I wear one that is a 50 right now, but because of my situation, I never even looked at what is in it. I saw the 50 (which means I can be out a whole 20 to 30 minutes) and pounced on it.
Thanks for the link Tofutti..
I'm going to check out our HFS to see what brands are available locally and then go back to the EWG site.
Thanks,
K^2
Burts Bees makes a sunscreen it works VERY well, not sure what's in it tho.
I am a sunscreen expert, after living in Florida for 10 years with light skin! Natures Gate makes some that I like, and I don't think Titanium Dioxide is bad. My son is actually very sensitive to certain sunscreens and has reactions to it, but with the Nature's gate he is fine. I have also heard that as long as its 15 and up it doesn't matter (higher than that doesn't make a huge difference). Nature's gate also comes in a recyclable bottle.
Burts Bees makes a sunscreen it works VERY well, not sure what's in it tho.
I was originally going to get the burt's bees but i thought i better shop around first. the ingredients list doesn't scare me and it is good to know that it works.
the UV Natural listed through the link tofuttibreak posted looks promising too.
I use Jason's "Sunbrellas" sunblock with SPF 30 every day. Its very lightweight but I never need to reapply it (obviously you should if you work outside for more than a few hours in the sun, or are swimming, exercising, etc). I have very fair skin and burn in like 10 minutes. :P It's great because it doesnt smell like coconut (I love coconut, but not reeking of it!), it's organic and most of the ingredients (there are a lot, I warn you) are oils or extracts of flowers/veggies/herbs/whatever, moreso than just chemicals. There is titanium dioxide in it though..
Burts Bees makes a sunscreen it works VERY well, not sure what's in it tho.
I was originally going to get the burt's bees but i thought i better shop around first. the ingredients list doesn't scare me and it is good to know that it works.
the UV Natural listed through the link tofuttibreak posted looks promising too.
just a warning w/ the burt's bees (and im sure other "natural screens" as well) use sparingly and rub in WELL!! I used a little too much once and looked like i was gettin ready to put on a clown face :D
I like this stuff, keeps the bugs away too! http://www.veganstore.com/body-care/summer-care/buzz-away-sunscreen/Page_2/543.html
Just remember that reapplying DOES NOT add extra time to how long you can stay outside! it only insures that you stay protected for the full amount of time provided by the combination of SPF/skin tone/UV index of that day. Most Caucasians can't be exposed to direct sun for more than 2/3 hours without burning, even with a high SPF. My dad has had severe melanoma, lost an ear to a tumour and has to get checked a couple times a year now, as do the rest of us in the family, and we're not even super fair.
If you are planning to be outside between the hours of 11am and 3pm, or if you will be outside for more than 3 hours consecutively (especially farming!!), wear a huge hat, sunglasses, and cover up your neck and shoulders. Your forearms and legs can usually handle a bit more sun, but PLEASE, be careful... I seriously doubt you are interested in being Big Chief One Ear (our pet name for our dad) for the rest of your life!
Anyway... sorry, I'm sure this is all stuff that people know already! I just feel obliged to give my mandatory "Beginning of Summer: Don't be a Tool" speech. Despite all the info out there, no one EVER uses sunscreen properly.
Cashafrass: Those chinese style farming hats (the bit straw cones) are awesome if you a) don't care about fashion, and b) aren't going to offend anyone by wearing one... i.e. i wouldn't wear one walking down the street in ChinaTown, but if you're slogging away in a field all day, it's probably fine.
They are the best for keeping the sun off and keeping cool.
Rachandra, It is always good to be reminded!
I plan on trying to cover up as much as possible. My grandma just found me a huge hat yesterday (but i was going to get a chinese style one!) ! now for some huge sunglasses, that will stay on, and i also want to find some very lightweight, very breathable long sleeve shirts.
Well, I just tried looking up recipes for how to make your own sunscreen (because there are a lot out there), but pretty much all of them contain beeswax.
But, I get my sunscreen from Walgreens (the generic stuff) and it's super cheap and does not contain titanium oxide or zinc oxide. And don't be scared by the long names on the ingredients. The whole thing about sunscreen is that organic molecules with conjugated double bonds (meaning C-C=C-C=C etc) absorb UV rays and will thus protect you from the sun. So will titanium oxide, I'm guessing. But most of the organic molecules are really big and complicated and are thus called by their trade names, rather than systematic ones (which would actually be even scarier, probably). Sorry for the long explanation, I'm a chemistry major. But the moral of the story is that whatever the active ingredient is in the sunscreen, it has to have the proper bond configuration to absorb UV rays.
Hope I was helpful.