This post is allll about sunscreen. We grew up with commercial sunscreens like Banana Boat and Neutrogena. But as we began questioning the toxic items in our life (think deodorants, shampoos, toothpaste, etc.), we realized that our sunscreen was FULL of harmful things. There’s a lot of conflicting information on this and it took some time to try things out for ourselves. Time to share some truths regarding sun exposure and sun protection!

Get In The Sun!

First of all- I just NEED to point out that to be healthy, we always need to start on the inside. Eating high-antioxidant foods helps our bodies fight free radicals from sun exposure NATURALLY! Obviously, eating antioxidant-rich foods doesn’t replace the use of sunscreen, but this habit can truly help us to avoid health issues! I neverrrrr thought about this concept while growing up. Our bodies were designed to work with nature… it’s pretty magical!

Like most things, sun exposure is all about balance. Although too much sun can be damaging, our human bodies actually need sun exposure for health reasons. Sun exposure is necessary for our bodies to produce Vitamin D (which many of us are deficient in!) Sunlight benefits the physical health of our brains, muscles, hearts, etc, but also greatly improves mental health! The benefits are vast, but it’s important to note that we have to be very thoughtful about how we expose ourselves to the sun.

Yes, it’s actually healthy to get in the sun each day… but it’s quite the opposite if we do this the wrong way. There are a few ways to be smart about sun exposure. The first would be to stay out of the direct sunlight when you can by going into the shade, wearing a hat, or wearing clothes to protect your skin. But let’s be real- we all want to know about sunscreen because sometimes a girl just gotta float in the pool in nothing but a bikini!! Sunscreen always has an “active ingredient,” which protects us from the harmful sun rays. This active ingredient is either chemical based or mineral based. Chemical sunscreens are the brands that we can find at the regular drug store (such as Coppertone or Neutrogena). Mineral sunscreen is the natural kind that you may have heard about in recent years. People are skeptical, so let’s dive into this!

Chemical Vs. Mineral Sunscreen

The commercial, regular brands that many of us used as we grew up are chemical-based and are simply unhealthy for us as humans. Please know that I am not biased against store-bought products. Just because there are chemicals and ingredients that we can’t pronounce does not mean something is bad for us. Because of this fact, we have to do a little research to figure out which products are safe and which are not. Commercial sunscreens (Banana Boat, Neutrogena, Coppertone, etc.) are made with some really harsh stuff. Ingredients such as oxybenzone, octinoxate, homosalate, amongst others cause hormone disruption, immunotoxicity, and development and reproductive toxicity. This is huge… this is infertility, this is adverse birth outcomes, this is toxicity that gets passed down to children. Our skin is an organ and we’re absorbing the chemicals in our sunscreens! Another HUGE thing to note is that conventional sunscreen hasn’t been proven to protect against all types of skin cancers. It can decrease the risk of squamous cell carcinoma, but there isn’t evidence to support that it prevents against basal cell carcinoma or melanoma. (Gallagher, 2005). There are many concerns that the chemicals in conventional sunscreen are also related to cancer… isn’t this what we’re trying to avoid in the first place? In addition to hurting US, these chemical sunscreens have an awful impact on the environment. These chemicals aren’t good for any living things and are especially harmful to coral reefs. (If you don’t know much about coral reefs: they are home to many sea creatures, they affect our food chain, and they naturally buffer intense waves/storms… we need them!) Basically, the chemicals in these sunscreens are harmful in many ways.

On the flip side, mineral sunscreens are the “natural” and crunchy brands you may have heard about in more recent years. There’s some skepticism about them because some people say that they’re not as effective… which just isn’t true! They typically have one active ingredients with the most popular being zinc oxide, followed with titanium dioxide. Zinc oxide effectively block both UVA and UVA rays (which is not something all sunscreens will do!) (Schneider, 2018) Zinc oxide is very safe, in fact, it’s one of the ingredients in diaper rash cream! Personally, I’ve never seen anyone get a sunburn while using mineral sunscreens properly! I spent about 3 months in the Bahamas using homemade mineral sunscreens, as well as 1.5 months in Hawaii using store-bought and homemade mineral sunscreens. I’ve ALWAYS had great results. It leaves me with a sunkissed tan and no burn. Besides superficial results, it’s important to note that the ingredients in many mineral sunscreens (such as shea butter, coconut oil, and other oils) have naturally occurring SPF. I can’t speak for all, but many mineral sunscreens are made with ingredients that actually benefit your skin. And like I said, our skin is an organ that absorbs what we put onto it!

So the difference is pretty obvious, and I think it’s a no brainer! Chemical sunscreen is full of harmful chemicals that are related to some of the most common and awful health problems affecting people in America as well as the environment. Mineral sunscreen is full of healthy oils and minerals that nourish the skin and our bodies. Both protect against harmful rays, but the mineral based active ingredient, zinc oxide, has the most broad UV ray protection. Now… which mineral sunscreen to buy? (or make?!)

Best Mineral Sunscreen Brands

It can be tough to figure out which brands to trust. Sadly, the FDA doesn’t have enough rules and regulations in place to only allow safe products on the shelves of our stores. BUT- on the bright side, we have super helpful organizations like the Environmental Working Group (EWG) that work hard to protect us with the truth about things we are consuming. When determining which store-bought sunscreens you should buy, use the EWG’s Skin Deep Database. This is a great resource to determine if any beauty product is safe or toxic. You can easily see which products are EWG verified or in the lowest numbers (1 is best!). They also have tips and recommend people to avoid using spray sunscreens, SPF 50 or above, and ingredient listed as oxybenzone, retinyl palmitate, and added insect repellant.

My absolute favorite mineral based sunscreen is from Mad Hippie. It’s super clean and works great. It is on the expensive side, but an awesome product! Personally, I’ve used this on my face and the homemade recipe on my body.

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