Why a mineral sunscreen is way better than a chemical sunscreen!!!
I may or may not be totally GREEN WASHED!!
That’s the term I’m using for being brainwashed into going “green” with my personal care.
More and more reliable studies have been done on chemicals in makeup, skin care, personal care and cleaning schtuff that has been shown to jack up hormones, contribute to gut issues and autoimmune disorders…. And of course the dreaded C word, CANCER!
Ya no thanks sweetie! I’m going to have to take a hard pass on your oxybenzone and octinoxate.
Not only are these two chemicals now illegal in Hawaii because they’ve been ruining the beautiful reefs but studies have linked them to being serious hormone disruptors.
Oxybenzone can act like estrogen in the body (Rodriguez 2006, Krause 2012) It’s even been linked to endometriosis in women & that hits close to home. Check out my blog post on battling endometriosis here.
I choose delicious, real food that is fully functional and by functional I mean it’s packed with free radical fighting antioxidants, prebiotics & probiotics to keep my microbiome working at top speed and foods that keep my hormones balanced and my brain happy.
That’s what my GUT REFRESH is all about. It’s full of food that will keep you functioning like a pro.
Why should our personal care be any different?
The first swap I made was toothpaste because fluoride was a huge contributor to my clients thyroid disorders. I switch between this one and this one. The second one tastes delicious and is so safe that you can swallow in without any fear!
Then I swapped out my deodorant because I was part of a focus group for a manufacturer on a new titanium free, all natural deodorant and I ended up loving it and just continued using it by default.
I gotta be real with you guys, I’m not the perfect example of a "going green gal" but I’m making simple swaps that we can all make.
I'm questioning each product I use daily. The ones that have the most impact on my health and then making educated, practical swap outs.
Now the reason I started researching the different types of sunscreen is because of my brother, Dr. Breton Yates. He’s a dermatologist and Mohs surgeon. This means he’s a skin wizard who removes skin cancer all day, e’re day.
He’s the nerdy dude who shows up to the beach wearing a hat, long sleeve shirt and copious amounts of sunscreen... but to his defense, he’s a white boy. He’s freckled and fair and looks NOTHING like me. He’s also very tall which isn’t a trait anyone else in my family has.
Since he has less melanin than I do, his chance of getting skin cancer is increased. Not to say that olive skin, dark skin or anything in between can’t get skin cancer because we totally can!
Utah is primed for skin cancer. It’s a bunch of white transplants in a high elevated desert and my handsome husband is no exception. He's the reason why I because passionate about suncare in the first place! We went into Dr. Yates's office to check out his moles & Dr. Yates scared Mark straight. A lovely little lecture on why suncare is so important.
I can count on one hand the amount of times my skin even went a little pink from the sun, where he goes red from 5 minutes of exposure. I can be outside for hours and not even get a tan line. Which may I say is highly annoying when the best souvenir of a tropical vacation is coming back looking like a bronzed beauty, instead I come home lighter because by that time my spray tan has completely washed away.
Mark's fair skin is what had sunscreen sliding in to save the day.. or is it doing more harm than good?
Let’s get into the science behind the two different sunscreens..
Chemical Sunscreen vs Physical Sunscreen
Chemical sunscreen
absorbs into the skin and then absorbs UV rays, converts the rays into heat, and releases them from the body. The active ingredients in chemical sunscreens include avobenzone, octinoxate and oxybenzone.
Physical sunblock
sits on top of the skin and reflects the sun’s rays. The minerals titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are the main active ingredients in physical blocks.
In my research, which BTW is rabbit hole of fascinating study after another, chemical sunscreens heat is about 5% higher than physical. It dawned on me that, that could impact dark spots.
After more research I found that it is totally true. People who use chemical sunscreens are more prone to freckles, melasma and all that annoying discoloration that we’re getting acid peels, lightening creams and lasers to fix.
This is where I insert my own tears.
A couple months back I bought Supergoop! Glow Stick Sunscreen. It goes on like a dream and looks like a highlighter.
I use this on my check bones and my nose EVERY SINGLE DAY. Since then the hyperpigmentation on those exact spots have increased in a seriously horrible way. I went to my esthetician who thought I could be pregnant because of how drastic the change had been since my visit the month before. Not pregnant BTW.
As I was doing research I realized that my beloved Glow Stick has Avobenzone, Homosalate, Octinoxate and Octisalate which are all these chemical sunscreens that can lead to skin discoloration and jacked hormones
Welp that sucks.
Sooo that leads me into the top 3 reasons of why I’m tossing out all my chemical sunscreens
I value my health, hormones and happiness plus I'm on #OperationKnockedUp
I value Mother Earth and don’t want to poison her beauty
I’m vain and don’t want all these gosh dang dark spots
Here's my non toxic, upgraded suncare routine!
Tinted Moisturizer: I love this tinted moisturizer with sunscreen!! It is glowy, dewy and protects my skin from the sun by using PHYSICAL SUNSCREENS! It also doesn’t have hormone disrupting ingredients!
It includes black currant, peony flower root extract, and vitamin C to enhance skin brightness and sodium hyaluronate, the common folk know it has hyaluronic acid which binds to 10x's its own weight in moisture, it promotes firmer, smoother-looking skin. A WIN WIN for days I don't want to wear makeup which seems like every day lately. I love that it's an all-in-one product!
Sunscreen lotion: I love this sunscreen lotion by Beautycounter. It protects against UVA, UVB and Blue Light which I didn’t know until recently had such a negative effect on our skin! Blue light mainly comes from the screen you're reading this on! The suncreen lotion is non-nano zinc and includes antioxidants from the California Poppy which is the prettiest flower. I apply a little at a time so that I don’t look white.
That white nose was so 1950's.
Sunscreen Spray: I personally don’t love sprays but my very light fitzpatrick husband loves it so I wanted to mention Beautycounters sunscreen sprays. All the same benefits of the lotion I love but it also isn’t aerosol which is so harmful on the environment. I also have used this sunscreen spray!
An honorable mention for this tinted mineral sunscreen that they sell at Dermatology clinics. It is paraben, oil and fragrance free. It’s lightly tinted and looks super natural.
USE THE SUN RESPONSIBLY
Don’t be scared of the sun because you NEED that vitamin D that UVB rays give you to help fight off sun damage. Your body has a built in sunscreen that is activated by UV rays. It will help to repair damage and keep your DNA in tip top shape. Make sure though that your sun exposure is taken in moderation. I hear from all my friends that their burns will turn into a tan. FAKE NEWS!!
A tan is increased melanin production where a burn is damaged DNA & loads of inflammation. That damage doesn’t turn into a tan. All that is happening is that your body is healing that damage and below it is that increased melanin.
For Vitamin D supplements I use this spray and then my Activate, weight loss packets also have Vitamin D in them!!
SUNBURNS DON'T TURN INTO TANS
So nooooo burning doesn’t turn into a tan and won’t help you become a bronzed beauty. It’ll just increase your chances of skin cancer, premature aging and saggy skin.
Lube up and stay safe out there! ;-)
& don't forget to leave comments or ask questions!!
Xoxo
Ps I have so much info to share that I’m going to do one on Vitamin D and the enzyme in your skin that fights of sun damage because it is fascinating!!
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