As the weather gets better, most of us are eager to spend as much time outdoors as possible. The first thing we remember is to get a new bottle of sunscreen. Due to great marketing efforts, we believe that sunscreen is our ultimate protection from premature skin aging and skin cancer. But before you rush out for more sunscreen products, spend time to examine your sunscreen because nearly all conventional sunscreen can cause more harm than good.
5 Most Shocking Things You are Not Supposed to Know About Sunscreen
1. Almost all conventional sunscreen products contain cancer-causing chemicals.
Conventional sunscreen contains cancer-causing chemicals such as parabens, harsh alcohols, toxic chemical solvents and petroleum oils.
Here are 5 worst ingredients in most sunscreen:
1. Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), including octyl-dimethyl PABA
2. Benzophenones, especially benzophenone-3
3. 4-methyl-benzylidene camphor (4-MBC)
4.Cinnamates, namely octyl-methoxycinnamate (OMC)
5. Homosalate
2. Most “natural” sunscreen products are not really natural.
As a part of marketing efforts, a lot conventional sunscreen companies started using labels such as “natural” or “organic” but still contain may synthetic chemicals. Make sure to avoid sunscreen products that contain ingredients that sound like chemicals:
- Methyl…
- Propyl…
- Trieth…
- Dieth…
- Butyl…
- Ethyl…
3. Sunscreen blocks vitamin D production.
The main source of Vitamin D for us is sunshine. It is vital for our health. Vitamin D regulates more than 1,000 different genes responsible for nearly every tissue in the body. Unfortunately, sunscreen products inhibit the production of vitamin D.
4. You can activate your internal sunscreen with food
There are many nutrients you can take that will boost the protective benefits of your skin from the inside. These nutrients include vitamins C and E. According to many studies, antioxidant rich foods will help prevent UV-light induced inflammation and damage to the skin. The more antioxidants you consume, the more sunlight your skin will be able to handle without burning.
5. Conventional Sunscreen offers little UVA protection.
Did you know that conventional sunscreen do not block UVA rays. UVA rays are the rays responsible for premature skin aging because they are able to penetrate much deeper into the surface of the skin, damaging the cells beneath. So, instead of protecting us from damaging UVA rays, most sunscreen products block our skin from getting its much needed vitamin D thus contributing to cancer-promoting nutritional deficiencies.
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Aren’t there certain oils(carrot, raspberry seed, etc.) that one can use?
Hi Danielle! Yes, you can use use carrot and raspberry seeds oils. In fact, I’ve heard raspberry oil is very effective.
I don’t believe in sunscreen and never use it! Think about it……the rise in melanoma correlates with the rise in the use of sunscreen, which has also led to the rise in the number of people with Vitamin D deficiencies. But that’s just me.