Does safe sunscreen exist?
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Hey organic beauty lovers! I have been on vacation for the past week, so I have not updated the blog in a bit. Thanks for hanging in there with me though! I had the opportunity to go to Orlando, Fl and I had a blast! I went to the water park and beautiful Cocoa Beach. I did not go unprepared however. I made sure I brought safe sunscreen to protect myself from harmful sun rays.
In my organic journey, I have searched and searched for a safe, natural, non-chemical sunscreen. I live in South Florida, where this is a necessity. Plus during the summertime I practically live at the beach. So what is a girl to do? Well I did a little trial and error (which can be expensive!) First I tried Burt’s Bees non-chemical sunscreen. I was not impressed. It was difficult to rub in and seemed to bead when it was rubbed in to much. Plus, I noticed that I burned. Next, I tried UV Naturals sunscreen. While it was thick as can be and also difficult to rub in, it provided great sun protection and the ingredients were very pure. I also use a sunscreen made by Badger (SPF 30,) which has been my favorite so far. Still on the thick side, but providing very good sun protection.
So maybe you don’t have the time or resources to test sunscreens? The Environmental Working Group now makes this easy for you! The EWG is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping inform and protect people about health and environmental issues. They recently studied over 1,600 sunscreens and products containing spf to determine their safety and effectiveness. There were some surprising results. Most sunscreens tested did not protect skin from sun damage or had hazardous chemicals! To make it even easier for you, they rate the sunscreens from best to worst. The ratings go from 0 (the best) to 10 (avoid.) Not surprisingly, the best overall sunscreen was…(drumroll please)…Badger!! It received a rating of 0 for UVB and UVA protection and sunscreen stability. If you would like to check out the rest of the list and even search for your sunscreen, visit EWG.org.
Click here to read the full ingredient list and to purchase this protective sunscreen: Badger
On a personal note, I would just like to thank those at EWG and Skin Deep (EWG’s Cosmetic Safety Database) for all their hard work and dedication on informing the public about the dangerous chemicals in our products. What safe sunscreens do you use? As always, comments are welcome. It’s good to be back!
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Hey there! I didn’t realize you were a Florida gal too.
It is so hard to find a good sunscreen, and further harder to find one that’s good for you. I was happy to hear about your success with Badger. I’ve been wanting to try their line, so now it’s officially on my wish list.
I found a great sunscreen this year in my local natural food store. They mix it on site. It’s Zinc bases with Aloe, Witch Hazel and some other natural ingredients. It looks awful but you shake it really well and then spritz it on. It’s fabulous under makeup and I love the zinc since it’s effective right away. No mess, no beading, no whiteness. It’s wonderful! And it’s only $5 for a spray bottle! Woo hoo!
Keep up the great work blogging!
Jami
I love light natural oils! Especially in the summer when body butters are a bit heavy. I created a “summer fruit oil” blend that’s a mixture of Apricot, Cherry and Peach Kernel Oil-super light and great for skin and hair
Have you tried Keys Soap Solar Rx moisturizing sunblock? #1 on the EWG list. also, co-founder and melanoma skin cancer survivor Wendy Steele and her husband and co-founder, Bob Root, have lots of good information about cancer detection/prevention and chemical-free skin protection on their blog at: http://keys-soap.com/keysblog/
Hi Carolyn,
No, I have not tried Keys Sunscreen but thank you for letting me know about it and their blog. I will be sure to check it out.
Robin