Sunscreen ??

[thedomesticdiva]

What do you guys use to keep from burning in the sun?

I vaguely remember that Jordan Rubin suggested coconut oil, but I do not know if that was to suntan, or to protect from burning...

Thanks.

Sara

[Attached Mama]

Badger Balm or Aubrey Organics brand sunscreen. But we don't use anything unless we are planning to be outside for most all of the day or all afternoon in the sun or something. If it's just an hour or two I don't worry about it. We live in the N tho. I know it the South the sun is def brighter. But anyway, I don't worry about a bit of a tan. FWIW I am very pale skinned. My dd is much darker than I am and tans more easily. I do try to put a a sun hat on her often tho.

[quietserena]

On the coconut diet site they mentiont hat if you eat enough saturated fat than you can use CO as a sunscreen and have no problems.

But it has to be both from inside and outside.

[thedomesticdiva]

Thanks ladies!!

Yeah I am pretty Deep South, so the Sun is VERY intense.

Serena, could you point me to some reading ? - This is absolutely fascinating. Surely I should be okay because I eat a lot of fat

Has anyone tried the coconut oil??

I am afraid to step out without more info because a day at the beach here without sunscreen can land you in the hospital...

Thanks again!!

Sara

[newcastlemama]

We build up a tan gradually. (I am on the fair side but can still get tan)...I lay out about 20 minutes a day miday and then increase the amount of time. Its good for getting vitamin D in too!

I am going to look into the more natural sunscreens mentioned though because sometimes (like on vacation) we are outside all day.

[TonyaW]

Originally Posted by thedomesticdiva

Thanks ladies!!

Yeah I am pretty Deep South, so the Sun is VERY intense.

Serena, could you point me to some reading ? - This is absolutely fascinating. Surely I should be okay because I eat a lot of fat

Has anyone tried the coconut oil??

I am afraid to step out without more info because a day at the beach here without sunscreen can land you in the hospital...

Thanks again!!

Sara

I live in Texas and use Tropical Traditions lotion always before I go out. I don't burn easily and tan very easily, so I can't say for sure how it works. My son is much more fair than I am, but he seems to tan well too and I will use the lotion on him before we go out. If we are going to the pool I use Aubrey's sunscreen. I read or heard somewhere, though I cannot remember the source, micronized minerals like that in Badger Balm are not safe because you can absorb them through your skin. I don't know much about it, but is someone else does I would be interested in knowing more.

[AJP]

I definitely burn less easily now that I eat plenty of saturated fat. I used to avoid sat fats, and burned rather easily, but find I almost never need sunscreen now except if I'm going to be in the midday sun for more than a couple of hours in the spring before I have any tan. Same for my kids. If I do need to use some, I go for Aubrey.

[birdiefu]

Red raspberry seed oil has been rated to have an SPF of from 28-50. Shea butter's natural SPF is about 4. I don't think coconut oil has an SPF, but is often added to sunscreens for that 'tropical' sense.

I grew up in Hawaii and have had quite a few burns as a child, so am very wary of even tanning now. I tan pretty easily, only burn with extended sun exposure, but still try to use something to block the rays. Physical coverings are the best (long, loose sleeves, hat, etc) and I also make my own sunscreen with RRSO and TiO2 among other things.

[blastomom]

I grew up in Hawaii too (Kailua) and we still go back once or twice a year. Hubby and our youngest have total Haole skin and burn at the slightest hint of sun but the boys love the beach and the pool and I swear by UV Naturals (thanks for the co-ops CutiePatootie!). We spent 3 months in the Hawaiian sun last summer and the boys didn't burn at all. In fact, they barely got any color! A little goes a very, very long way so it actually works out to being more economical that "regular" sunscreens. I usually dress the boys in rash guards (what they are now calling UV-protective swim shirts) and apply sunscreen to whatever skin is not covered.

[Feb2003]

not sure how I feel about Mercola since he's biased (he's selling suncreen...), but this article has some good information...

http://products.mercola.com/summer-survival-kit/

[Toolip]

There are very few studies done on natural oils (coconut, raspberry seed, etc...) and so far none have shown them to have any SPF qualities.

There is some evidence that they may offer a tiny bit of UVB protection (the UV rays that make your skin burn) but not UVA, which are the rays that are really a concern for cancer and skin damage.

Blocking UVB alone is really dangerous because it takes away the only warning that you have that you have been in the sun too long, a sun burn!

Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are the best natural sunscreens. They offer reflective protection to UVA and UVB rays.

[quietserena]

I forgot to come back to this thread but here's the page on the coconut diet site:

http://coconutdiet.com/skin_health.htm

Scroll down to 'Sun Protection'

I'm not buying the whole 'omg sun causes cancer' anymore. We only use sunscreen when we know we'll be out in crazy sun (like, out on a picnic or something) and would otherwise get a sunburn. I am however covered so only my hands and my face get the sun so you can take that as you want hehe.

[honeysesame]

i've been using a sunscreen i buy online from the super salve company; it's called sierra madre sun cream (spf 30) and here's what i love about it:
1) i understand what all the ingredients in it are, no weird chemicals (including none of the octi- ones that are supposed to be estrogenic/ possibly carcinogenic)
2) it smells great and feels good, rubbing in easily and not leaving me looking whiter (or purpler!) than i already am
3) it's reasonably priced, particularly if you buy 3 (optimum use/division of the shipping cost w/o going up another weight bracket)
i *rarely* buy things on line but discovered it from a friend of a friend and now i really love it and so does everyone who's tried it that i know....

that coconut idea is so fascinating! i'm never as careful as i should be but do try to protect myself a bit when i think to b/c i have so many moles and had so many sunburns as a kid, etc. etc. hmmm... something to think about though.

[motherbirth]

I am very fair so I just use a commercial sunscreen that I check the ingredients against Cosmetics Database.

[Ruthla]

I wear sun protective clothing- both for sun protection and for modesty. The only place I'll need any sunscreen is on my ears and the tops of my feet, and DS will need some on his ears and whatever part of his neck isn't protected by his rash guard.

For that, I have some inexpensive "diaper rash cream" that contains zinc oxide, petroleum jelly, and fragrance. I know the petroleum jelly isnt' natural, but it doesnt' wash off easily in the water, and its' relatively inert. I'd rather use that than an "all natural" sunscreen made from vegetable oils, but contains chemical sunscreen ingredients.

I also want to point out that Dr. Mercola has been writing about how he sunbathes nude and never uses any sunscreen for years, longer than he's been selling his "safe, natural" sunscreen. Before he found the particular product he's peddling, his advice was to avoid sunscreen completely.

[Feb2003]

Not to high-jack, BUT...

Originally Posted by Ruthla

I also want to point out that Dr. Mercola has been writing about how he sunbathes nude and never uses any sunscreen for years, longer than he's been selling his "safe, natural" sunscreen. Before he found the particular product he's peddling, his advice was to avoid sunscreen completely.

He comes off as a snake oil salesman a lot of the time, but he does say that he only recommends it if you are going to be out much longer than your body is used to. He still believes in your body building up the melanin (sp?) to handle sun exposure so I'd assume he's still running around in the nude like my boys!

[Ruthla]

Oh, definitely, I find his tone off-putting much of the time, and I'd never recomend his site to anybody unfamilair with the concepts already. IMO, it's a shame that he writes with such a sensationalist tone, as he's got a lot of good ideas that I agree with.

But on the specific matter of sunscreen, he was recomending "never use sunscreen at all" before he found the product he's currently selling.

[saratc]

DH and I don't use any at all if it's just a couple of hours. We like the sun for making vitamin D.

If it's much longer, we wear sun protective clothing. Here's a good site that carries sun gear:
http://www.solartex.com/servlet/Cate...Sun+Protection

The clothing is an effective SPF 50+, breathable, and chlorine resistant.

[memory maker]

I know a lot of people who love the california baby sunscreen

[kpb]

i agree with ruthla....mercola can be a crazy man's crazy, but there is some validity to his fun sun argument....needless to say, we try to avoid the harsh times during the day as well as applying soleo organics (no titanium!! or weirdo chemical anything) to our cheeks for longer than usual exposure times....
and this is coming from a chick who has hardly ever ever ever used sunscreen and was practically a different race by the beginning of june in my younger days...went to the dermatologist for a checkup while i was pregnant (obsessively obsessed about my health ) and all is in check....although i think a lot of it has to do with our diets....someone mentioned the internal/external with coconut, but it runs the gamut with everything one consumes....