The Sun has returned with Spring!
My family and I moved down to Southern Texas in 2014. Prior to that we had been living in Chicago, so we couldn’t get enough of the sun and the year round pool access. Being in the sun much more than we were previously accustomed to had us using way more sunscreen than before. Having to apply sunblock on my two young daughters’ bodies almost every day (sometimes multiple times per day) really caused me to start paying attention to the ingredients in this stuff.
A friend of mine who frequents the pool suggested I take a close look at the bottles of sunscreen I had in our pool bag and google some of the ingredients. Since she happens to be a doctor, and because of my curious nature, I did a little homework. Much to my chagrin, my wife and I had been POISONING OUR GIRLS and ourselves for years.
The two brands I had in my bag at the time, along with about every major name brand, and even the cheap-o store brands contain toxic chemicals that actually accelerate damage to the body and skin they are supposed to protect. Be on the lookout for these 5 dangerous chemicals on your sunscreen and put it back on the shelf if you haven’t bought it yet!!!
Don’t take my word for it. Do your own homework on these.
Top 5 Sunscreen Ingredients to Run From
#1 – Oxybenzone
Linked to lowering the birthrate in babies whose mother’s had high exposure during pregnancy. Some also say it my be linked to higher rates of melanoma, the very cancer we are trying to protect ourselves from. Also linked to hormone disruption, the development of allergies in the body, and cell damage. Releases free radicals.
#2 – Avobenzone
Quickly breaks down under UV exposure and is one of the biggest free radical generators. Free radicals are high energy particles that damage cells and DNA, cause cancer, and speed up the aging process.
#3 – Vitamin A/Retinyl Polymatate
Although vitamin A is a necessary nutrient for health, it degrades under UV exposure and releases the same free radicals causing genetic mutations and increasing cancer risk. When used by pregnant women, it has been linked to fetal brain swelling, organ toxicity, and developmental toxicity.
#4 – Parabens
A common preservative in many beauty products shown to cause estrogen disruption and immunotoxicity. Also associated with infertility, neurotoxicity, abnormal testicular development, allergies, benign tumors of the uterus and digestive tract, asthma, breast cancer, and even contribute to obesity.
#5 – Fragrance
Sunblocks use a plethora of chemical fragrances to make their smell more tolerable to the user including phthalates. Usually called “artificial fragrance” which is the umbrella term for this group of chemicals. Known to cause neurotoxicity and immune system toxicity. Linked to cancer, allergies, birth defects, and even nervous system disorders.
These five are just a few that are very common, but they are just the tip of the ice burg. Here are a few more chemicals to add to your “homework” list: octocrylene, homosalate, MBC, BHT, dimethicone, alumina. This sh*t is actually loaded into many of your and your kids’ lotions, makeup, shampoo, and anything else applied to your body.
Healthier, Safer, Organic Alternatives
It turns out that there are plenty of organic mineral sunscreens on the market for you to buy instead of the usual chemical spread, only you’re most likely not going to find it on sale at the local grocery store. If it’s “ON SALE” on the end-cap, chances are you
want to steer clear. I don’t know about you but I buy just about everything but food online. What you want to be looking for instead is one with the main ingredient ZINC OXIDE or even Titanium Dioxide. These sit on the skin differently and don’t come with the host of alleged side effects. Even your buddy Dr. Oz recommends making the switch so please don’t take my word as an expert authority. Do your own homework.
My wife any my favorite sunscreen that we have been exclusively using for the past year and a half is made by a company called Arbonne. It spreads the best so the bottle goes much farther and lasts longer than bigger bottles of other brands. It also doesn’t leave the white tint all over your body like a lot of the others do. Here are links to the adult and kid versions below:
Here are a few more from Amazon that we have tried. They might be a little cheaper than the Arbonne one’s but they leave you with that notorious white film that mineral sunscreens are notorious for and we found ourselves going through more bottles faster costing more money in the long run. Here are a couple links to those as well. Make your own choice on what to buy.
Thanks for taking the time to read my latest update. I’m going to do my best to keep suggesting little tweaks you can make to your lifestyle and shopping habits that will nudge you in that direction of health and happiness that we all want. My goal is to provide you with some value and some ways to educate yourself that will only add to your quality of life.