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How to calculate your sun protection period and Tan naturally by Hannah Dare
What an amazing start to our summer this year - a sizzling heat wave in May! I thought this month I would take a look at the difference between natural and chemical sunscreens, because I think it’s good to be informed about what you are putting on your skin and the skin of your precious children. Cheap sunscreen may mean you don’t burn in the short term, but it’s long term good health we are interested in and the cocktail of chemicals they contain are very concerning.
I also came across a handy way of calculating how long you can stay in the sun both with and without sunscreen depending on the factor you have chosen.
I have one child with sensitive white skin and one who tans, and I take care of them accordingly. I personally like to make sure they get some sunshine without sunscreen, to make sure their vitamin D level stays adequate, because we all know now that if we slip slap slop too much we end up with vitamin D deficiency which can lead to all manner of problems. In an ideal world, the best way to avoid sunburn is to cover up, wear hats/long sleeves, and be respectful of your skin and how much sunshine you can tolerate. However, if you are planning a family day at the beach you will need a good sunscreen to make sure no one burns.
Generally, high factor suncreams mean lots of chemicals so I tend to avoid them.
Lavera, a company who make a good range of natural skincare products, have some interesting information about the damage caused by chemical sunscreens on their blog: ‘scientific studies by Switzerland's of Pharmacology and Toxicology, conducted in 2001, proved a link between synthetic sunscreens and hormonal disturbances in the body. The chemical compounds in synthetic sunscreens have been found to accumulate in body fats and in breast milk, and, by mimicking the effects of estrogen, can induce undesirable hormonal changes’.
Because of information like this I always chose a natural sunscreen. This generally means a cream that uses safe, natural minerals such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide to reflect the sun’s rays from your skin. Natural sunscreens use mainly mineral blockers which means as the strength goes up the cream gets quite white, because they are using small particles to deflect the sun’s rays. One of the many benefits to using a cream like this is you don’t have to wait for it to start working - natural sunscreens using mineral blockers are effective immediately which is great for unpredictable Irish weather!
There are a few good natural sunscreen ranges available; in Organico we particularly like Green People, Lavera and Organyii.
[caption id="attachment_4727" align="aligncenter" width="600"] A range of the sun screen products we stock at Organico[/caption]
Green People are a UK based company and they use natural ingredients in their sunscreens, including Titanium dioxide and Zinc oxide, both naturally derived minerals, which reflect harmful UV rays away from the skin. They also use cinnamic acid esters (natural plant acids) which absorb UV rays to reduce their impact on the skin. Other key ingredients include Edelweiss, a plant with natural UV protective properties, as well as antioxidant-rich Green Tea and Rosemary to reduce free radical damage caused by sunlight.
Lavera are a German company who developed a natural, mineral-based sun protection product back in 1990; it was one of the first mineral sunblocks to ever hit the market. Since then, the brand – with its many years of expertise in mineral-based sun protection – has stood for products with effective, nourishing formulas. They have a guide to help you work out how long you can stay in the sun safely both with and without sunscreen.
According to Lavera, our skin has its own natural protective barrier against the sun that lasts for varying periods, depending on skin type. During this time, we can be out in the sun without any damage to our skin, such as a sunburn. In the latitude where we live, skin types can be broken down into 4 categories. Each skin type can be out in the sun for a certain period without damage. The following formula can help you figure out how to responsibly manage your exposure to the sun:
Just wanted to drop a line to say; a brilliantly infomed article put together there. My family and I have been instinctively doing the natural tan, sunscreen free method and it is working so far. I have a concern though. I have been told that, independent media have informed people of a 'story' that happened recently on people getting sick (especially children) at night from leaving their windows open because of the rapid change in temperatures at night. Why such sudden, rapid changes in temperature. My son is sick now. Why the sudden change in temperature? Could this be to do with the air pollution we can see above our heads?
Excellent article. I was moved...I had tears in my eyes twice.
All the best,
Christine