Thank you Suzi for your inspiration.

[Guest guest]

Just thought I would share this. I don't agree

with using the usual sunscreens as they are way more damaging to the

skin then the sun. Anyone can do a search and find more than enough

data to prove this. However, I do think that using natural sunscreens,

unlike the chemical based usual sunscreens, can be helpful to those who

do wish to use some protection. This is an interesting article and I

would not have found it if Suzi had not posted the link to her

information.

Thanks Suzi.

Don

How and Why to Protect Your Skin with

Natural Sunscreens

Sue Frederick

Most of us realize the risks of sun

exposure. However, a healthy, active lifestyle often keeps us spending

time outdoors for walking, running, hiking or enjoying other leisure

activities. It's essential to understand how to best protect your skin

from harmful rays. Natural sunscreens have many advantages for skin

protection. Here's why…

As everyone knows, the sun's ultraviolet,

or UV, rays stimulate the skin's pigment-producing cells to produce

extra melanin, our skin's defense against burning. This process takes

several hours, and it's usually two to three days before tanning from a

single day completely appears. Your skin continues to produce new cells

until the sun's effects are eliminated. This is the reason your tan

fades after a few days out of the sun.

The more your skin is exposed to the sun,

the more it produces protective cells. If you burn, your skin works

overtimes manufacturing cells, and you eventually peel.

On the other hand, building a tan

gradually with several 15-minute to one-hour exposures allows the skin

to slowly create new cells that stay around much longer. Then you'll

have a nice summer tan.

Repeated sun exposure can age skin. The

sun's rays penetrate your skin's inner layers, damaging the collagen

and elastic fibers, causing wrinkles. Plus, just as your bathing suit

dries quickly on a sunny day, your skin loses moisture, increasing risk

of skin wrinkling. How can you best play in the sun safely?

Apply sunscreen that matches your skin

type and Sun Protection Factor (SPF). A Food and Drug Administration

(FDA) rating system, SPF indicates how much more time you can spend in

the sun without burning. For example, a sunscreen with an SPF of 7

should let you stay in the sun seven times longer than you could

without sunscreen. You'll find SPF factors ranging from 2 to 40 and

above.

You should also know your skin type

before purchasing sunscreens. Type 1 skin burns and freckles but never

tans. If you're red haired with blue or gray eyes, you may fit into

this category and should use a sunscreen with the highest SPF rating.

Type 2 eventually develops a tan but

always burns after 20 to 30 minutes in the sun. Type 2s are light

blondes with blue or green eyes and should stick to a high SPF (45)

sunscreen.

Skin cancer occurrence drops drastically

at Type 3. People with this skin usually have dark blond or light brown

hair and blue, green or brown eyes. They can develop a dark tan but

will burn moderately, so should begin with a high SPF (30) sunscreen

and gradually work down.

Type 4 is naturally dark complected, has

brown hair and eyes and always tans dark brown. Still, they can burn

minimally and should start tanning with an SPF of 15 and work down.

With Middle Eastern or Latin American

ancestry, Type 5 hardly ever burns but should use a slight sunscreen of

SPF 4.

Type 6, with black hair and dark skin,

usually never burns but should play it safe with a sunscreen of SPF 4.

Benefits of Natural Sunscreens

High-quality, natural suntan and

after-sun products are found in abundance at natural foods stores or on

websites such as Holistic.com. From avocado oil to

botanicals such as rosemary

and comfrey, these ingredients

soothe and protect your skin. Many also are waterproof.

Some plant oils contain natural

sunscreens. Sesame oil

resists 30 percent of UV rays, while coconut oil, peanut oil, olive

oil, and cottonseed oil block out about 20 percent. Mineral oil,

derived from petroleum doesn't resist any UV rays and dissolves the

sebum secreted from oil glands that helps inhibit water evaporation

from the skin.

Cocoa butter can moisturize and soften your skin. As an

ingredient in sunscreens, it offers protection from drying sun and

wind. Vitamin E fights free radicals, helping to prevent skin

damage from too much sun.

For additional protection, most suntan

lotions contain PABA (Para-Amino-Benzoic Acid), a sunscreen that's part

of the B-vitamin complex. A few people experience allergic reactions to

PABA, so be sure to test new products on a small patch of your skin.

There are PABA-free lotions using benzophenone as an alternative

sunscreen.

Aloe Vera

is included in many natural sun-care products for its soothing, healing

qualities. Known as the burn plant, the gel from aloe is believed to

stimulate skin and assist in new cell growth. Use it to relieve

sunburn, blisters or heat rash, or mix with PABA for a moisturizing

sunscreen.

Australia's tea tree oil,

an ancient Aboriginal remedy, is an effective antiseptic, fungicide and

germicide. It's a component of many sunscreen lotions and after-sun

creams and may relieve sunburn by increasing blood flow in capillaries,

bringing nutrients to damaged skin.