Summer's here, and with it come a host of challenges for anyone with light colored, reactive or sensitive skin. It can be difficult to find effective natural sunscreens, treatment for burns and sun damaged skin, and moisturizers that are safe even for people with chemical sensitivities. It may take some footwork but rest assured that there are natural options to ensure healthy summer skin care.
Natural Sunscreens
It's difficult to find genuinely safe, natural sunscreens. Most drugstore brands and even many health food store brands are loaded with chemicals like SLS, DEA, parabens, propylene glycol – and that's not even counting the active ingredients, including:
- PABA (para-aminobenzoic acid)
- benzophenones: oxybenzone and dioxybenzone
- cinnamates: cinoxate, ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate, octocrylene, octyl methoxycinnamate
- salicylates: ethylhexyl salicylate, homosalate, octyl salicylate
- digalloyl trioleate
- menthyl anthranilate
These active ingredients are supposed to protect skin from sun damaging UV rays – but they can cause problems themselves. Various of these chemicals have been linked with cancer, hormone disruption and sexual problems. These chemicals are not readily processed or eliminated by the liver, which means they are often stored in fat tissue and accumulate until toxic levels are reached.
SPF is important to protect from the dangers of the sun's rays, but it's not the whole story. If you're concerned about long term health in the sun, look for sunscreens that are PABA free and that don't use SLS, DEA, propylene glycol, or other known toxins that are common in personal care products. Avoid using the same sunscreen every day, since repeated use can create sensitivities.
The best natural sunscreen, of course, is to spend only short periods in the sun and to allow skin to tan slowly – protecting itself naturally from the sun's rays.
Moisturizing Dry Skin
It's important to keep skin healthy and moisturized against summer's heat. Most sunscreens contain some form of moisturizer, but that's not always the best solution. Watch out for the same ingredients in skin creams that you might see in commercial sunscreens.
Ideally, it's possible to keep skin hydrated by drinking plenty of water – remember to bring along more than you think you might need on any day's excursions – and using natural skin creams and skin care products.
For really sensitive skin, natural oils like almond, extra virgin olive, coconut or jojoba can give quick, easy relief after a shower that will last and give skin a healthy glow throughout the day.
Sunburn Treatment and Relief
Finally, just in case, be prepared to treat burns with moisturizers and natural skin care products that will provide sunburn relief and help to heal damage to the skin. Natural fatty oils like coconut, almond, and extra virgin olive oil can provide much needed moisture.
What skin needs most after a burn is moisture – natural oils – and the building blocks to heal and rebuild the skin. Liquid mineral supplements are the perfect format to give the skin the nourishment it needs to heal burns quickly without free radical damage that can cause cancer. It's a good idea to keep a liquid mineral supplement on hand during the summer just in case it's needed.
Reference
DeVita, Sabina, Saving Face: The Scents-able Way to Wrinkle-Free Skin. Brampton, Ontario, Canada, 2002.
Network News and Publications, "Rub A Dub, Dub… Is Cancer in Your Tub?" Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 1999.
Pickart, Loren, "The Chemical Sunscreen Health Disaster," SkinBiology.com, accessed 20 May 2009.
Sutton, Rebecca, "CDC: Americans Carry Body Burden of Toxic Sunscreen Chemical," Environmental Working Group, EWC.org, March 2008, accessed 20 May 2009.
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