Is there such a thing as a harmless sunblock? I keep hearing horror stories in both directions... My grandfather had skin cancer on his ears because of repeated burning, but then, I'm starting to hear that the artificial ingredients in sunscreen is bad for you as well. I've heard that, to prevent premature aging, you should apply a moisturizer with sunscreen to your face every day. I bought one with this in mind and used it twice... It's not that I don't like it, but I guess I'm just afraid of what's in it. It is not by any means organic, and the thought of using anything unnatural every single day on my skin gives me the willies. So what do we do? Slather it on or stay inside all summer? I love the sun and it would kill me if I couldn't go out in it.
I am not sure if it is 100% natural, but i know that aveeno has more natural products than others out there. i use whatever i can find for sunblock...if there are some good natural ones out there, than cool, but i am extreemly anal about sunblock. see, about 5 months ago i fell asleep on the beach. Well i thought it was just a crappy burn...no, i had 2nd degree burns on about 60% of my body, and could not get out of bed for 3 weeks. first time i got up for more than 2 minutes i passed out and scratched myself pretty bad...clear stuff (like from a burn blister) came from my scratch instead of blood. It was pretty damn bad...it would crack and bleed, and they wanted to put me on steroids... enough of my rant...the point is, i NEVER go out of the house without sunblock anymore....really dont care if it is natural or not.
Yeah I worry about sun exposure, too. I think if you wear some kind of sunscreen, whether it's in your make-up or lotion, I think you'll be fine. I think the skin cancer risks from the sun are more harmful than any kind of sunscreen or sun block.
coconut oil has a natural spf too, but i heard it is low also. some friends of mine just made their own sunscreen with shea butter, jojoba oil, & the main ingredient (for the actual sunblock) is titanium dioxide BUT i have not researched this & do not know whether it is harmful or not i also love the sun, but as i get older, i just have to accept that i can't stay out in it all day! we work on a farm on the weekends & have taken to long sleeves & large hats. this is kind of annoying (& seriously hot) in the AL summer, BUT i too have a family history of skin cancer (pale scotch/irish skin) & just don't want to risk it!
Yeah, I hear the Burt's Bees sunblock is mostly natural similar to the concoction your friends were making. As for titanium dioxide: "Titanium dioxide has recently been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as an IARC Group 2B carcinogen possibly carcinogenic to humans.[17]" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium_dioxide#Toxicology Awesome. :tongue: EVERYTHING IS FREAKING CARCINOGENIC! The sun, the sunblock, the water you use to wash it off with... *sigh* Ah well. Can't live forever, can we?
I heard on the radio that the FDA only has mandates on UVB rays, the kind that burns your skin. They dont have have regulations on UVA rays...the ones that cause cancer. So more than half of the stuff in stores doesnt even protect you. And some of the chemicals are manmade and little known about...who knows, it might be discovered to cause cancer in a couple of years. And you get vitamin d from the sun (that can be blocked by sunscreen)...alot of bad cancers and illnesses can be partially caused from vitamin d deficiencies. So you either risk getting skin cancer from the sun, cancer from the chemicals in sunscreen, or from not having enough vitamin d. Personally i save money by not even bothering with sunscreen. Sure, i could get cancer from sun exposure, but atleast my skin wouldnt be absorbing funky chemicals and at least i'd have some vitamin d. Ya know?
LOL, that seems to be about the only safe option! Unless it's a really hot day... then all that black fabric could give you heat stroke... Drat! Foiled again.:willy_nilly:
2 1/2 ounces coconut oil 1 1/2 ounces cocoa butter 1/2 ounce beeswax 4 ounces water 2 tablespoons zinc, oxide 25 drops grapefruit seed extract vitamin E (optional) Melt oil, cocoa butter & beeswax over medium heat. Add water slowly while mixing - mix until creamy, add other ingredients.
I think this should help you out. She seems kind of boring, but watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8wsHPPlPRk"]YouTube - How Your Diet Can Help Prevent Sun Damage, Ep236
I read somewhere that sunblocks that add vitamin A to the product are really dangerous because its really easy for humans to consume too much vitamin A, and when the sun hits the vitamin A that is seeping into your skin, it changes into a toxic substance. so finding a sunblock without a vitamin A additive would be a start... As someone else said, most sunblocks do not even prevent against cancer, so you could use sunblock all your life and never have a bad burn but still end up with cancer.. scary! your best bet is making your own sunblock or buying an organic one. organic sunblocks are really pricey but if you have a Trader Joes in your area, i saw the other day that they have a really cheap organic sunblock
oh something else I found ironic...i was reading the news the other day and an article popped up about how new studies have found that the majority of people in America now have a Vitamin D deficiency because they block out the sun's rays with sunscreen. you're pretty much damned if you do and damned if you dont.
that's a nice advice..thank you. i live in a place where it's too hot in the summer and the summer stays for about 8 months in a year. so, it's really important for us to use sunblock but i don't have time to apply it on my arms, hands and feet coz i have to do a lot of household work in the morning. pack my lunch, my spouse's lunch, serve breakfast to the family. and i end up putting sunscreen on my face only.
I've heard of this, too, and since I'm one of those creepy people that has a natural tendency to hide in my room all day with the AC in the summer (or with the heater in winter), I have had this deficiency myself. It's not fun. I guess the answer is to go out for a little while without sunblock and then go back inside and put it on before you go out again for the rest for the day, but I don't know who has that kinda time... It's exhausting trying to live forever.
I use sunblock on my arms and nose. I work outside everyday and dont have any sleeves on my work tees.
There have been questions about the effectiveness of sunscreens for years.Try and avoid sun exposure during times of the day when UVB exposure is the highest (11am-3pm). If you must be outside, wear a hat! I think you still need to wear sunscreen but look for one with UVA and UVB protection. Neutrogena do a really good one, but they got in trouble for selling dodgy, dangerous 'chemically' sunscreens, so yup dammed if you do, dammed if you don't.
