school me on sunscreen

[tzs]

i keep hearing on here that sunscreen is toxic etc etc....

i am super fair skinned and my babe even more, so while i'm all for soaking up some vitamin d and don't plan on using it on her for day to day use, i know there are going to be times that i'm going to have to slather it on.

what's the facts on how/why it's bad?

what do you recommend for striking a healthy balance between something that's not so bad vs. cost? i mean, i'm not sure i want to drop $20 on something we're going to use in moderation....or is it really THAT bad?

as of now i just picked up some whatever at whole foods.
i also hate hate hate the texture and smell of it. yuck.

[texaspeach]

my father has had skin cancer multiple times, including melanoma - most of it has been basal cell carcinoma (the less bad kind of cancer). my MIL has also had skin cancer.

with that in mind, ds wears a hat and sunscreen if we're going to be out for any length of time. I use physical sunscreen, the kind with zinc oxide. zinc oxide is in lots of diaper creams and is generally regarded as safe to put on the skin. I'm suspicious of putting chemical sunblocks on babies - they irritate my skin and burn my eyes - so we don't use those.

you can look different products up here. if you click on a product it will take you to a page with the ingredients, if you click on an ingredient it will take you to a page that outlines why it is dangerous

[sonicfrost]

might want to check out this thread here on MDC

http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1227595

[sugarpop]

just thought I would post this on Titanium Dioxide.

ETA: forgot the URL (lol)
http://www.organicmakeup.ca/ca/titaniumdioxide.asp

here is another helpful site as well. notice that zinc oxide is the only sunscreen recommended for under 6 months.

http://www.healthychild.com/first-ai...nscreens-safe/

I am purchasing Badger sunscreen, available at whole foods - or they will order it for you and it is only $12. California baby is the another we would buy but it is $22. And like you we will use it sparingly so I don't care to break the bank but I do want to avoid toxins!

Sophia is extreamly fair skin, as I am sure most babes are. I burn in 15 minutes so I can't imagine her doing better. We usually go with shade, coverings, hats and avoiding peak hours 11-1 or 2 we are indoors.

[belltree]

We use long-sleeves, and sunscreen on hands and face on our 7 month old. Avoiding sun is impossible for our lifestyle and jobs.

Originally Posted by sugarpop

Sophia is extreamly fair skin, as I am sure most babes are.

I kind of doubt that from a worldwide perspective most kids are probably darker skinned.

[sugarpop]

Originally Posted by belltree

We use long-sleeves, and sunscreen on hands and face on our 7 month old. Avoiding sun is impossible for our lifestyle and jobs.




I kind of doubt that from a worldwide perspective most kids are probably darker skinned.

ok you got me...I wasn't thinking worldwide...silly me

[tzs]

on the other hand, in all fairness, babies are usually fair-er than the general population.

[Kmama2]

Originally Posted by sugarpop

just thought I would post this on Titanium Dioxide.

ETA: forgot the URL (lol)
http://www.organicmakeup.ca/ca/titaniumdioxide.asp

here is another helpful site as well. notice that zinc oxide is the only sunscreen recommended for under 6 months.

http://www.healthychild.com/first-ai...nscreens-safe/

I am purchasing Badger sunscreen, available at whole foods - or they will order it for you and it is only $12. California baby is the another we would buy but it is $22. And like you we will use it sparingly so I don't care to break the bank but I do want to avoid toxins!

Sophia is extreamly fair skin, as I am sure most babes are. I burn in 15 minutes so I can't imagine her doing better. We usually go with shade, coverings, hats and avoiding peak hours 11-1 or 2 we are indoors.

Both my kids are med skin toned and tan easily and don't turn red very easily... We only use sunscreen if at the beach or in the sun all day. I currently have some junky stuff that I am throwing out and plan on either buying Badger or Californa Baby stuff at Target.

[tzs]

ok...it's official. the "whatever" i got at whole foods contains that really bad stuff you;re not supposed to spread all over ya' (thanks for the links)

so one more question: the badger stuff i saw listed wasn't specifically "baby," is that the stuff i want?

[november]

I use the regular Badger. I use it on my DD as well and so far, so good! :-)

I only recently learned about all the icky stuff in the more main stream sunscreens so I decided to switch. I never put two and two together, but all of the other 'big' brands (Banana Boat, No Ad, Bullfrog, etc etc) really, really irritated my skin. It just BURNED and I do NOT have sensitive skin at all. For the first time in my life (w/ Badger), I don't have that feeling when I apply it to my face. It's wonderful!

It's $16 for a small-ish tube but to me, it's worth it knowing it's got a better ingredient base and doesnt burn my face off, haha. It's cheaper than the California Baby brand and from everything I've seen, rated slightly over it, too.

[hansapanza]

We live in S. Florida where the sun is intense! Just remember, if you're going to use sun block, really slather it on so it creates a physical barrier. I use a natural product on myself when I'm going to be out for a length of time, but for my 8 month old we use a long sleeve and legs swim suit (50 spf), hat and shade. We got a 50 spf umbrella/shelter for the beach at Costco.

[CageFreeFamily]

St. Johns Wort oil has been really effective for us even with fair skin, red hair and living in the mountains of New Mexico.

It's easy to make by filling a jar to the top with fresh St. Johns Wort flowers, pouring olive oil over them and sealing the jar tightly with a lid. Then you put the jar up in a cabinet for 2-6 weeks (we do 3 weeks) before straining the flowers out and slathering the oil on your skin.

It can take a little while for your skin to "learn how to use it" but it has been a life saver for us.
Dh who never used to do anything but burn badly now has a deep mahogany tan.

Beware of nanoparticles in sunscreen as well. There are no labeling laws in the US that require companies to list them so you will have to really do your research and possibly call the company directly to make certain.

HTH

[NSmomtobe]

I just checked the other thread linked here and found reference to nanoparticles. I also found a local source of Badger sunscreen, which has Micronized Zinc Oxide listed as the active ingredient. Is this more or less likely to contain nanoparticles than other zinc oxide sunscreens that are not micronized?

[tracymom1]

This website rates sunscreens based on their chemical make-up and levels of toxins. I found it rather helpful when researching sunscreens.

http://www.ewg.org/2010sunscreen/fin...st-sunscreens/

[Norasmomma]

I've been using Jason Natural's Sunbrellas Mineral Sunscreen for years, we don't really burn, but I have found that it works so awesome for being at the beach. It more than proved itself when we took DD to Mexico as a young toddler, she didn't get a lick of a burn and it's safety rating on Skin Deep is a 2(and on the link above).

That's all we'll use, chemical sunscreen freaks me the heck out.

[linchi]

Originally Posted by CageFreeFamily

St. Johns Wort oil has been really effective for us even with fair skin, red hair and living in the mountains of New Mexico.

It's easy to make by filling a jar to the top with fresh St. Johns Wort flowers, pouring olive oil over them and sealing the jar tightly with a lid. Then you put the jar up in a cabinet for 2-6 weeks (we do 3 weeks) before straining the flowers out and slathering the oil on your skin.

It can take a little while for your skin to "learn how to use it" but it has been a life saver for us.
Dh who never used to do anything but burn badly now has a deep mahogany tan.

Beware of nanoparticles in sunscreen as well. There are no labeling laws in the US that require companies to list them so you will have to really do your research and possibly call the company directly to make certain.

HTH

Wow that's awesome!

[MsVyky]

We use zinc oxide Badger stuff, though when it runs out, I might just start using the 75948573 tins of Penaten that people have given us since according to the ingredients list, it's the same thing.

I have SUPER fair skin, I need sunscreen or else I burn. And not just a little pink sunburn, I blister and my skin turns crispy (I've had 2nd degree burns from the sun in the past). DD appears to have darker skin tone than me (her daddy is aboriginal), but I'm not taking any chances. I also put her in a hat and sunglasses, but her busy little hands and hot temper get those off pretty quick.