Sungrubbies and Foil for my Sunscreen!

Before I write this particular blog - I want to give you my favorite sunscreen so you don't have to rush through the reading and look for it below... what? You think it's funny!? I do it all the time :) Come on - desperate mom's are always rushed and need quick answers... so here is mine :) 

(We have officially finished the "testing" phase.. and SO FAR SO GOOD! no mood "triggers" or other issues. I use it myself and LOVE it!)  It seems expensive ($20) a bottle BUT it is almost 3 Times the amount you get for natural sunblock at Whole Foods which can cost ($17+) !!! So you are actually spending less that you would for a mainstream sunblock with all of the TOXIC stuff in it at the local grocery store. Pretty Cool eh?

Sunscreen - Sun Stuff from Purple prairie

99% natural ingredients:
active ingredient: 20% micronized zinc oxide. non active ingredients: aqua(water), organic cold pressed olea europaea(olive)fruit oil,hamamelis virginiana(witch hazel) kosher vegetable glycerin, organic cocos nucifera (coconut),Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cetyl Alcohol, Butylene Glycol organic, butyrospermum parki (shea butter), organic theobroma cacao (cocoa butter), organic jojoba oil,rosemary extract

For my impatient friends out there (you know who you are!) : The link to the website where I purchase my girls' cute sunproof swimsuits is at the bottom of the page.

Who remembers going to the beach (or pool - for you non-coastal people) and having your mother spread that white paste all over your nose and cheeks? Just me? Come on - admit it... We all had the pleasure of looking like a bunch of clowns in the 80's when it came to sunscreen :)

But sometime in the mid 90's EVERYTHING changed.... at least from my point of view.  It seemed like the numbers got higher and higher and the ingredients became chemicals... hmmmmm...

I bought a book (10 years ago) about toxins in the home and read it in one night. It scared me!  One of the books "big draws" was it's information and research on OXYBENZONE in sunscreens.  My first thought was, "why would I want to put any type of fuel product on my skin?!". My second thought was, "great, it's back to clown face for me".

If you spend some time researching how sunblock works you'll come this very oversimplified explanation. There are 2 basic kinds of sunscreen:
1.) Those which absorb into your cells and tell them not to turn red.
2.) Those that act like a layer of foil covering your skin and reflect the rays off.

For me, this basic information is enough to influence my decision. I don't want anything altering the normal process of my cells.  It's FOIL FOR ME!

If you want some "proof" of my conclusions I can't give it to you definitively, but I can cut-n-paste a websearch response below...

"Oxybenzone is a chemical in the family of benzophenones that is used in the vast majority of common sunscreens, as well as other skincare products, lip balm, etc. It is in the majority of sunscreens because of its ability to absorb and dissipate UV light, which causes sunburn and eventually skin cancers. Ideally, the chemical would simply sit on the skin and block sun rays until being washed off. Unfortunately, a study from the CDC suggests that the chemical is actually absorbed into our system, and can stay there for an unknown amount of time. The CDC randomly tested thousands of blood samples and found traces of benzophenones in 95 percent of the samples. It is certainly a scary thought that this chemical is being absorbed into our systems and causing unknown effects.
Currently, there are no studies showing a direct relationship between oxybenzone in sunscreen and negative health consequences. However, there is evidence that benzophenones can cause damage to cells and affect hormones in a lab setting. This means that if you expose animal cells to oxybenzone in a lab, you may see toxic effects. The caveat is that this does not always translate into cellular damage in the real world, usually because the concentration of the substance is much higher in lab studies. Many commonly used substances have been shown to cause cancer in rats, most famously the artificial sweetener aspartame. I think the most important thing is to wear some type of sun protection, oxybenzone-containing or not, because we know for a fact that sunburns and sun exposure leads to skin cancer. Playing it safe, however, is never a bad idea."

Skin Biology website has a great page to read.(I highly recommend reading this one!) 

I like this link because it also explains a VERY important topic - the affects of too many "estrogens" in our daily life. And YES, chemical sunscreens contain estrogen-like compounds that confuse the body.

Here are some chemicals to watch out for in your sunscreen ingredient list (also on the above site):


Benzophenones (dixoybenzone, oxybenzone)
PABA and PABA esters (ethyl dihydroxy propyl PAB,  glyceryl PABA, p-aminobenzoic acid, padimate-O or octyl dimethyl PABA)
Cinnamates (cinoxate, ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate, octocrylene, octyl methoxycinnamate)
Salicylates (ethylhexyl salicylate, homosalate, octyl salicylate)
Digalloyl trioleate
Menthyl anthranilate
Avobenzone


If you are desperate and traveling - and NO WHERE near a natural food store etc...
 I only found one option:
 It is the LESSER of the EVILS....

Active Ingredients:
Titanium Dioxide 4.9%, Zinc Oxide 4.7%

Inactive Ingredients:
Alumina, Arachidyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, Beeswax (Apis Mellifera), Behenyl Alcohol, Benzyl Alcohol, BHT, Bisobolol, Butylene Glycol, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Cetyl Dimethicone, Dimethicone, Dimethicone PEG 8 Laurate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate (Licorice Root), Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium. Inactive Ingredients: Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Methicone, Methylisothiazolinone, Pantothenic Acid, PEG 100 Stearate, PEG 8, Polyaminopropyl Biguanide, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Polymethylmethacrylate, Polysorbate 60, Potassium Sorbate, Retinyl Palmitate, Silica, Stearic Acid, Styrene Acrylates Copolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Trisiloxane, Water, Xanthan Gum

Please note that this is the easiest sunblock to find if you are out in town, on the road, traveling, etc... and only have a walmart/target at your disposal.  I will add some natural food store brands later.


Also NOTE that sneaky little sucker - BHT in the ingredients. It pops out at me and has a whole lot of nastiness in those three little innocent looking letters. BUT, sometimes we have to go with the lesser of two evils.  And so I do...

Now,  on a daily basis, if my girls are out playing or going to the pool/beach etc... I simply put these COOL swimsuits on them (Here are the ones for older girls size 6+).  I LOVE them.. and I can attest that after spending one summer in the pool 5 hours a day for 6 days a week (why do pools always close one day for maintenance!?) They still looked like little Caspers :)
And these sunhats fold up nicely in your purse/bag/cargo shorts pocket etc... for those theme park adventures when your kids are waiting in line etc... we are wearing then in ALL of our Disney photos! They are a cool material that dries quickly - so your kiddos can wear them in the pool and walk around with them 5 minutes later. Also great on a hot day (get them wet in a water fountain before putting them on!)

 Here is the SunGrubbies website (click on me!)


The staff is kind. And, the last time i checked, you can still talk to a human when you call!