Sun protection – naturally
With the summer sun upon us, one question I am being asked is how to get sun protection in a natural way. I am not a fan of commercial sunscreens, they contain such a long list of chemicals, even the so-called organic ones. Beware especially of ingredients such as vitamin A (yes, synthetic vitamin A or retinol or retinyl palmitate has been linked to the development of skin tumors!) and oxybenzone and octinoxate, which are powerful hormone disruptors. Best sun protection is, of course, to not stay a prolonged time in the sun and wear proper clothing and a wide brimmed hat.
However if you have to stay out in the sun beyond what is good for you (ie enough to get your daily vitamin D intake, which is such a critical component to general health), there are some ways to avoid getting sunburned:
- eat beta carotene rich foods, such as apricots, carrots, spinach, beet and turnip greens, kale, mustard greens, lettuce, pumpkin, melon, sweet potatoes, red and yellow peppers, broccoli and peas
- drink plenty of green tea
- use a cream containing natural sun protection ingredients such as raspberry seed oil, carrot seed oil, shea butter, beeswax, green tea, coconut oil, jojoba oil, hemp seed oil, macadamia oil, sesame oil, almond oil. Our zinc-free Sun Balm and zinc-based Sun Balm contain most of these nourishing ingredients, no fillers, only goodness.
- astaxanthin has been shown to have effective sun protection qualities due to its high content of beta carotene.
Do you know other natural sun protection options? Please share here.
