My question is, do you know of or have an organic/natural sunscreen for babies? With the weather warming up here in Tennessee, I would really like to find a sunscreen for my almost 1 year old that doesn't have all those chemicals in it. Thought maybe you would have some ideas! Liz
This is an excellent question- thanks Liz! You're not the only one who's been asking me my thoughts on this very subject lately!
Before I delve into more natural options in choosing a sunscreen off the shelves, allow me a few minutes to do something that you may consider completely off-the-wall-- let's consider the question of whether we even need to wear sunscreen at all!
If you're already starting to sputter, "But... but... UV rays... skin cancer... must. wear. sunscreen... must. obey. propaganda..." (ahem, did I actually write that?), please stick with me for a few moments and allow me to challenge some typically un-challenged ideas.
All right, here goes. I've talked before about the fact that our skin is the biggest organ in our body. Not only can it be affected by what we put on it (ie. creams, soaps, etc.) it is also an agent of absorption, simply meaning that what we put on the outside of our body quickly finds it's way inside, and into our bloodstream. This is why natural and organic beauty and personal care products, which (hopefully) avoid toxic chemicals, colors, preservatives, etc. are so important.
Naturally, this applies to sunscreen as well.
Here is a quote from a study done by Skin Deep, the cosmetic safety database:
Some sunscreens absorb into the blood and raise safety concerns. Our review of the technical literature shows that some sunscreen ingredients absorb into the blood, and some are linked to toxic effects. Some release skin-damaging free radicals in sunlight, some act like estrogen and could disrupt hormone systems, several are strongly linked to allergic reactions, and still others may build up in the body or the environment. FDA has not established rigorous safety standards for sunscreen ingredients.
Aside from this, there are other issues with sunscreens:
- According to this study, 86% of sunscreens tested offered inadequate protection from the sun
- Many products guard against only UBV, not UVA rays (the ones that can actually cause more harm)
- Many products (according to this study, up to 50% of them) break down in the sun and do not offer the protection for nearly the amount of time they are supposed to
- Claims on sunscreen bottles are exaggerated and meaningless- there is no regulation for what they can and can't say, and most statements made are false or unproven.
Ok, even so, what if you could find a naturally made sunscreen, non-toxic, and that actually provided the protection that you are looking for? Wouldn't that be worth using?
Maybe.
The thing is, despite the widespread use of high SPF sunscreen, skin cancer rates continue to jump every year. If sunscreen is the answer, why is this trend continuing?
Possibly for a few reasons.
- Many sunscreens only adequately block UVB rays, but not UVA (or not well enough). We now know that UVA rays are the ones that the real concern when it comes to skin cancer.
- As a matter of fact, the UVB rays that our sunscreens are adequately blocking are the ones that help our bodies to make Vitamin D through sun exposure. Vitamin D research is revealing more and more that this nutrient helps to defend our bodies against all forms of cancer, and that it is absolutely crucial to our health!
- As mentioned above, many sunscreens are not providing the protection they claim, and yet we believe the claims anyways. So, we spend all day in the sun at the beach, applying sunscreen once, maybe twice if we remember. Yet many sunscreens are only providing protection for a couple of hours (if they are not breaking down in the sun). Ultimately, we spend more time out in the heat of the sun, without protective clothing or breaks in the shade, than we would have otherwise, because of our unfounded trust in the marketing claims of the product's manufacturer (oh right, those people who make money when we buy more of their products!).
More on this in a couple days, where I will offer my suggestions for summer sun safety (and links to several good information sources, where I found much of my research material).
I know that there will be differing opinions on this topic, let's just keep it friendly, ok? :) Much appreciated (as are your thoughts)! And really, truly, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject-- do you use sunscreen? Why or why not?
Normally, we time our trips to the pool and lake so we don't have to apply sunscreen. But, last week we went to the beach for Spring Break so finding something to prevent burning was a must. We were leaving behind the cold and snow and wanted to enjoy the sand and sun as much as possible. I'm happy to say that after much searching, I tried Blue Lizard baby sunscreen. What an amazing product for the entire family!!! Applies white, dries clear, no eye sting, no skin burning, no grease look or feel, unscented, no nasty cancer-causing chemicals, doesn't stain fabrics, super water resistant, and doesn't worsen acne or eczema. I still prefer to go without, but this was a happy product to fall-back on.
Such a great discussion! I agree with so many of the comments! Sun does not cause cancer....our diet causes cancer! In fact, for our bodies to function properly sun is REQUiRED and most of us are deficient in D3 which we acquire from the sun as well as other important functions directly dependent on sun exposure (not overexposure). And yes ,some sunscreens actually cause the opposite of what they are used to prevent
One word- organic sesame seed oil. It has many hidden health benefits - including ultra violet ray protection! (and eczema cure).
I agree. Sunscreen is more harmful for our bodies than the sun. I met a Herbologist during a long plane ride home many years ago. Within 1 hour she had me convinced how harmful sunscreen is. She also gave these 2 tips on protecting your skin al' natural. Eat 2 organic carrots a day. The beta carotene is acts as a natural sunscreen. The pitfall... your skin will turn a lighter shade of orange ;) Her second suggestion: Go out into the sun for 30 minutes every day for 2 weeks between the hours of 8AM - 10 AM. This will help your body's melatonin to increase, helping to create a thicker insulator for your skin.
Thanks for your great articles and posts. I appreciate them all.
I could not agree with you more! I really do believe that sunscreen is not necessary to protect from cancer, it actually does the opposite. (Search "Study: Many Sunscreens May Be Accelerating Cancer").
I am an immigrant from Russia and there is an interesting thing that I observed. My mom spent her childhood and youth outside. They used to work long hour on the fields harvesting different crops and hay for the cattle. And I mean all day, from morning to sundown. And this is how most of the people from the former Soviet Union have spent their childhood and youth. None of them have ever used SPF and have never even heard of it until I moved to the US in 1997. Out of hundreds and hundreds of Russian people I know I don't know a single person who has skin cancer. Also my mom looks at least 10 years younger than her real age.
I agree that it is not healthy to burn in the sun. And I admit if I know I'll be in a the sun a lot I will you sunscreen mostly to avoid the pain of the sunburn. But I am completely against daily moisturizers that have SPF in them. Also, I heard some people even where it to sleep (AHH!!! WHY????).
Anyways, I'm just happy I found your blog. I love it and already subscribed!
I and my family don't use any sunscreen or sunblock on a regular basis. I did find an all natural brand that seems to work some (no, not Burt's Bees...it is not all natural and not an option for us), but I often forget to bring it with us when we go out.
We need to watch what we put on our bodies due to sensitivities that we have. I also have had skin cancer. It was not caused by the sun...it had no known cause. I don't want cancer again, so I am taking steps to try to do things more naturally and trying to eliminate manufactured (food, cleaning and cosmetic) products from our home, and am trying to at the very least minimize our exposure to what I can. I am extremely fair skinned by the way, but am fortunate that my husband and children aren't. I am so thankful for that!
I find it interesting (and unfortunate) that it often takes something serious to change people's ways of thinking to try more natural ways of doing things. That is what it took with us...dealing with our daughter's sensitivities, an unknown cause of infertility (we figured what was causing this on our own...no thanks to the "specialized" medical system...they would disagree with our findings, I am sure), and my bout with cancer. We have often talked about how chemical-containing products were developed to use up extra toxic chemicals after WWII. They weren't commercially developed before that time. This is true for the herbicides and pesticides as well (we live in a spray-crazy farming community BTW). These companies did not want to lose money, but instead were creative so that they could continue to make their money.
I believe that God made the sun for our benefit and overall health...we need it. Also, I think that we need to be wise in how we react to marketing...it is not God's way but instead, motivated by greed. Nothing good ever results from greed. In this case it is our health that will suffer.
There are many things that a person can do to minimize burning, and it is important that we explore and try to put into practice the healthy options available to us.
I'm very fair skinned, and I started using Shear Miracles Sunny Daze sunscreen. It even worked the beginning of July when I vacationed in Florida!! Nothing short of a miracle for me, who always burns and peels. It even smells heavenly!!
A very useful information provided for the Sunscreen.
Reminds me of the line by the Grateful Dead, "I remember the day when I wasn't afraid of the sunshine."
My favorite sunscreen for this fair skinned, blue-eyed native Texan? a gauze-like, long sleeved shirt and a big floppy hat!
Very interesting thoughts that intrigue and slightly concern me, primarly because of my personal experience with skin cancer.
I absolutely love the thought of using more care when spending time in the sun, sunscreen isn't a complete answer. Though, being of biracial heritage (half African American) I have more melanin than the average Caucasian person yet I still burn when I'm in the sun without sunscreen. Bet you didn't know that even full blooded African Americans can get sun burns :)
Off to read the other half...
THANK you so much for writing these. I am *breathing* and encouraged that indeed I am not an absolute freak for being the only person I know who doesn't buy into sunscreen. My husband is Italian, I have a generous sprinkling of italian heritage as well and we all (5 kiddo's) have a real hardy olive skin tone that just takes the sun in stride without drying out or burning, ever. We spend the majority of our days outside as we live on a farm and we tan like the redskins of Neverland, but we do live in a relatively cooler climate than some places.
I burn very easily. I love hiking and the outdoors. We live at a high elevation (over 6,000 ft) where you can burn quickly even when it is not hot outdoors. What to use then? What is the harmful ingredient to use? What chemicals do they use in the regular stuff that they have taken out of the "organic" that make it better? How to keep from getting burned with fair skin at a high altitude without using sunscreen? Aren't the cancer rates still going up because the generation of tanners (we even used to tan when I was in high school--not me, I just blistered--and I'm not even 30 yet) is still around?
Phebe
I would have to agree, that the rates of skin cancer are climbing, because there are PLENTY of people out there who still very much enjoy tanning (or purposely letting themselves get burned, because it will turn into a "beautiful" tan). Tanning beds are still quite popular as well. People don't care to take care of themselves, and therefore, the cancer rates continue to rise. I'm not saying that I want to load myself or my family with chemicals, but with Irish and Scottish, VERY fair skinned children, how do I NOT protect them with sun screen??
Great thoughts Stephanie.
It was only recently that I really started to think we didn't always need sunscreen. We only use it if we are out in the extreme heat for a long period of time. If we are outside before lunch or in the late afternoon we don't use it.
For the times when I am worried about the kids burning, we are trying out Aubrey Organics Natural Sun. I feel much better about using this than I do the cheap sunscreen we used to buy at Wal-mart. Even so, I still like to limit it's use. I purchased it from Vitacost and it was not horribly expensive. Definitely more than I have spent in the past, but OK. I'd still like to research it a bit more.
I'm looking forward to your next post on this. It seems to be much more widley known now that what you put on your skin goes into your body. I remember my mom being upset with me for writing on my hand with ink - I couldn't understand why - now I get it.
I'd also be interested to know if you or your readers have any suggestions for facial moisturizers or make up.
Thanks for all your hard work here on this blog. We appreciate it!
~Stacy
My daughters don't burn, really, but my 1o yo son and I both burn badly w/in a half hou. For myself, I just stay out of the sun (I don't do well in the heat at all with my severe asthma). But my son loves the outdoors. I use 50 spf and he still can burn.... I'm getting him a sharksuit this year... and hoping I can onvince him to wear an all around brimmed hat.
We're very fair skinned, so we burn quickly and easily. :( We do need something!
I haven't found any sunscreen that I felt did the UVA job and was safe and natural, so I hope you have!
A few years ago I started looking for a natural sunscreen to use when we have to. We try to stay out of the sun in the peak hours, be in the shade, cover up a bit, etc. but also try to get some sun to get the Vitamin D. The problem is that we are all VERY fair and burn within 10 minutes on bad days. And I mean painful, blistering burns. We don't tan. So I try to keep it a balance since we can't live with painful blisters either. I balance between getting some sun, covering up, being in the shade, and using sunscreen. I avoid places where I am out all day in the sun with no shade. When we do have to use sunscreen, we use Aubrey Organics. Its a bit wierd (I find it leaves a white glow to our skin) but its better than blisters and its better than what else I can find.
I would say we use sunscreen less than most families do. I limit the amount of time my kids spend in the sun without taking a break. (Ex. 15-20 minutes in the sunny part of our yard, then they have to go into the shade for a while). Most of the time I do not let them play outside with their shirts off (even if they are playing in the kiddie pool) and they must ALWAYS wear a wide brimmed hat. My 2 year old even knows to go get his hat when he's getting ready to go out!! My 4 yr. old also has very bad skin reactions to traditional sunscreen (even PABA free) - probably because of all the other unnatural chemicals it has in it. When we are going to be out for extended periods of time with no opportunity of shade (local AAA baseball games, visiting my family in Florida and going to the beach, etc.) we use Jason brand organic sunscreen for kids (it's called Sunbrellas).
We only use sunscreen when we are going to be out all afternoon where there is no shade. In general the kids and I all have nice big sun hats which we wear when we will be out a lot and use a sunblock from the health food store (I don't remember which --Burt's Bees maybe? Kiss my Face or JASON?) That is mostly for my middle child's and my face since we both burn easily. I do not, as a general rule, put sunscreen on if I will be out for under an hour. I find that I NEED sun and get sick if I am not getting enough--in fact when I need to think I catch myself taking a brisk walk outside or sitting by the open window.
I have been trying to find out info on this as well. I got Benjamin a shirt to go with his swimming shorts so I wouldn't have to worry about his tummy getting burned. I am going to try mixing eucalyptus oil with water and using that as a bug spray. I can't wait for you next post on this subject.
I think we need to be wise in how much time we spend in the sun and what time of day.I don't believe in using suntan lotion. However, I protect my child and myself by spending no more than an hour or so in the sun on very hot days, and with hats and protective clothing. We need the sun and the benefits of the sun for our bodies. I never burn anymore because I start off going outside little by little when summer starts to avoid that first summer sun burn episode. I enjoy the sun and being outside. We don't want to pour loads of suntan lotion on our bodies and fear the sun, yet stay outside all day long! God made the sun for many reasons, enjoy it!
My hubby is the only one who uses sunscreen. The rest of us have rarely used it. My two oldest boys don't really burn that much, though my daughter and youngest son are fair-skinned like their father. I have never like the thouhjt of applying sunscreen on my children and would rather them be exposed slowly and get used to the sun's rays.
I would be interested in ideas for bugspray, also.
Loving your site! Have it in my googlereader :-)
Oh, such great comments! I just got on the computer this morning and was thrilled to see so many thoughtful comments on the topic- glad to know it's such a relevant one!
Stephanie, thanks for sharing about your son. I am not surprised about the sunshine in the least!
To those who asked- I've added bug spray issues to my list of future topics. Thanks to Sharon and Rebekah for starting us out with some ideas!
Sorry to leave you hanging, Linds! :) My husband wisely taught me that my blog writing time would get more mileage out of breaking down my loooooong posts (my posts are always too long!), into several, to save myself more writing time. Smart man!
Yup, I agree Alisa, that these concerns should push us to be more concerned about what we are doing overall as stewards of the earth!
I use a sunscreen from the health food store (it is at our trailer and can't remember its name and off hand same as ingredients). It is expensive and so I try to buy a lot of it when it is on sale. My son and I burn like crazy and I am always applying it every few hours. My daughter tans but I apply it to her, not as often (bad I know). I do at times buy Ombrelle and use it intermittently with my health food store sunscreen. Bug spray, I have the harder time with also. The ones from the health food store I find are so oily and sticky and do alot of damage to clothes, camping ones or not, oil stains are not kewl! So if those biter bugs are really bad I will get the lowest deet and non perfume spray I can get, which at times is just the one for kids (off?). We do the best we can most of the time for both, but at other times not as much. Even though in today's world most things are easier and more convienant, I find it actually harder to find and do the more natural thing. Cost also plays a cost. So if we do good 75-80% of the time, we are ahead of the game I believe.
My children and I have very fair skin. We burn easily and I never tan, just burn and peel. I have used Aubrey Organics and California Baby. I suspect they don't protect against UVA and B as well as a commercial brands, but we have not been burned with either of them. They both smell very nice. Aubrey organics is really runny out of the tube and the California Baby one was like a thick paste. I did re-apply it more often than a regular one. I also remember that the generic kids sunblock that I had originally purchased was not too bad on the Skin Deep website, so I used it up first.
I am buying the sunscreen that Dr. Mercola has on his website. My husband and daughter are very fairskinned also. I have not received it in the mail yet. We have been making our own bug spray with distilled water, peppermint essential oil, and purification essential oil. The oils are from Young Living. It has worked well for us. My youngest had some health problems and when I started reading the side effects of bug spray and the ingredients in sunscreen which we used occasionally, I could not believe I used it on my children. The bug spray can be used on your dog for fleas too. It seems like bugs especially do not like peppermnint
Another great topic, Stephanie!
Last year I threw away all of our traditional sunscreens, and switched to Burt's Bees. But then I found myself asking the same question you have posed here. Do we even need it at all?? We're all taking Vitamin D supplements to make up for our lack of sun exposure in the winter months, so in the summer, I feel as though we should be soaking up as much natural Vitamin D as possible! I haven't done nearly enough research in this area to offer an informed opinion, so if you don't mind, I think I'll sit back and see what you and everyone else has to say on the topic. :)
Something I would like to offer is that WE are the reason that the sun has become dangerous. WE are, one by one, destroying our planet, and ozone layer, and causing something that should be good for us (the sun!) to become dangerous. So in addition to protecting ourselves from the sun, we also need to clean up our act - and quickly - before any more damage is done.
Leave us hanging?! :) I look forward to your next post. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I've been realizing the sunlight can be really good for us but also feel like we need to protect our skin from getting burned. Not really sure what to do. I look forward to reading your thoughts.
My husband and I have very fair skin that burns super fast. And I think our daughter will be the same way, too. I do try to get outside in the mornings as much as possible so I can enjoy some sun exposure without burning. But when I'm out past 11 am, I have to use sunscreen or I'll burn. After reading through the cosmetics database, I picked Jason brand Sunbrellas to use. It is supposed to be safer because it uses minerals rather than chemicals to block the sun, and it's not supposed to break down as quickly. That makes me feel better about using it on my one year old. I bought it a couple of weeks ago, and so far I've had no skin reaction--which is rare! So, I'm going to keep trying that.
I've been wondering about this recently. I know that sun is important for our skin and especially is good for my psoriasis. However, I too am a VERY fair skinned person and can burn within 20 minutes. I try to keep out of afternoon sun and use the early and late sun. But this doesn't work for my VERy fairskinned 6yo son! My other two tan nicely but he burns so fast! I hate the chemicals in the sunscreens but hadn't heard about the Aubry Organics until now. Shouldn't he and I be using SOMETHING if we are going to be exposed for an hour or two?
Hi Stephanie!
What a great topic - and controversial! I wonder how many millions would be lost if people stopped buying sunscrean? I have never been a big user of the stuff mainly because omy kids don't drink milk and need the vitamin D boost. I find that with them playing daily in the sun starting in April by the time the sun comes out in full force in July they have a good tan and burning has never been an issue. However, I know not all are so lucky so I am curious to see what your solutions are for the more sensitive set.
Last summer I had a terrible terrible sunburn (10 days of agony and severe swelling while 7 months pregnant!!) so I know that hitting the beach without some sort of protection is unwise.
amen...
Great topic and I SO look forward to hearing more. I have to use some kind of sun block because I, like many commenters, am very fair-skinned and burn (and freckle!!!) easily. My oldest daughter has my husband's more olive skin and hasn't burned yet. The baby, sadly, has my complexion and i know I'll need to be more careful with her.
We've used JASON's Sunbrellas with great success. It's kind of tricky because you MUST put it on a good fifteen minutes before you hit the water or it will just wash right off, but I feel good about it's Skin Deep rating.