Summer is right around the corner. And while you might be planning vacations, staycations, summer camps and all kinds of activities to do over the next few months, I want to talk to you about sunscreen. Getting sun does have many health benefits especially Vitamin D, which is vital to our health, an overexposure to the sun can be very dangerous. The issue is that not all sunscreens are created the same. Sadly, you can’t just grab one off the shelf and put it on your skin and your children and believe it will protect them. The truth is it might be causing more harm than if you put nothing on them at all. Something a little more scary? A recent study was done finding that the chemicals contained in sunscreens enter the bloodstream and the results of the study ended in a very thorough government investigation on safety. Many of the sunscreens sold in America would NEVER be sold in Europe due to their inability to actually protect your skin against UV rays.
In this blog I am going to share the best sunscreens to use and which ones you should avoid. Remember, they are not created equal and spray on efficient sunscreen is not the safest. You don’t want to cut corners when it comes to what you eat and what you apply to your body. SPF must be 30 or higher to be safe and organic is always a good place to start, but it is still important to check the list of ingredients. All of these facts can be found on EWG’s website (The Environmental Working Group) Every year they study and test many products to find the level of toxins and safety issues within them. You can go on their website and search almost any product and find information about its toxicity and safety.
The Best Sunscreens To Use this Summer
- Badger Active Mineral Sunscreen
- Aveeno Baby Continuous Protection Lotion Sunscreen
- Goddess Garden Sport Mineral Sunscreen
- Coola Suncare
- Just Skin Food Baby Beach Bum
- Nurture My Body Organic Sun Screen
- ThinkSport Sunscreen
- Poofy Organics the Sunscreen Stick and Lotion
- Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Dry Touch
- Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen
- Goddess Garden Kids Mineral Sunscreen Lotion
- Neutrogena Pure and Free
- Tom’s of Maine Baby Sunscreen
- Nurture My Body Baby Organic
Toxic Sunscreens to Avoid
- Banana Boat Kids Continuous Spray Sunscreen
- Neutrogena Wet Skin Kids Stick Sunscreen/Spray
- Equate Baby Sunscreen Lotion
- Coppertone Water Babies Sunscreen Lotion Spray
- Coppertone Kids Sunscreen Spray
- Coppertone Kids Wet Protect Sunscreen Spray
- CVS Health Children’s Clear Spray
- NO-AD Sun Care Sport Continuous Spray Sunscreen
- Neutrogena Wet Skin Sunscreen Spray
- Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Sunscreen Spray
- Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen Spray
- Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen
- Panama Jack Sport Sunscreen Lotion
The EWG has found many facts when it comes to the best sunscreens and the worst. Here are some very surprising facts they have uncovered.
- Oxybenzone is used in many sunscreens in America. Lab testing shows skin penetration rates of almost 10%. This is dangerous because this chemical acts like an estrogen in the body and is linked to abnormal sperm function in animal studies and endometriosis in women. When anything acts like a hormone in your body, you know that is a toxin to ignore.
- A study in 2010 found that about 40 percent of sunscreens contained vitamin A ingredients. This would sound like a good thing right? After all it is a vitamin! However, it can react with UV rays and increase the risk of skin tumors.
- Be aware of SPF. Studies have been done finding that sunscreens that say SPF 70 is lacking in the ability. SPF is usually the best between 30-50.
- FDA recently banned claims such as “waterproof” and “sweatproof”. They are false claims and they are misleading many people.
- Spray sunscreens are not the best because the toxins within them go into your lungs when sprayed and they do not give full coverage and protection from the sun’s rays.