We can all agree that nothing feels better or energizes better than the warmth of the sun. The good news is that we should get up to 15 minutes of sun per day to maintain healthy Vitamin D levels for healthy bones and teeth. The bad news is that more time in the sun leads to premature aging and skin cancer. This is why UVA protection is imperative. These are the rays that actually penetrate the skin's outer most layer damaging collagen, and elastin fibers.

Chemical vs. Natural Sunscreens:

Natural sunscreens use a physical barrier such as zinc oxide or titanium oxide to block UV rays. Natural sunscreens are generally less irritating and less allergenic, as chemical agents are often irritating to the skin and toxic to the body. Chemical sunscreens actually absorb UV rays and neutralise them in the skin tissues. Unfortunately, chemical sunscreens are prevalent in cosmetics and skin care.

The agents used to neutralize the UV rays can actually be carcinogenic. Look out for sunscreen agents such as octyl-methoxycinnamate, octyl-dimethyl-PABA, benzophenone-3, homosalate, and 4-methyl-benzylidene camphor. The higher the SPF, the more toxic the sunscreen. Natural sunscreens are physical blocks that sit on the skin and do not need to be reapplied. Chemical sunscreens, however, rely on the chemical properties and thus need reapplying every few hours as the ingredients become inactive... let's think twice about that one.

Natural sunscreen agents that use zinc and titanium minerals are better for both health and beauty. Titanium, when used for sunscreen purposes, is coated so that it does not penetrate the skin but rather performs as a shield. Zinc, as well as its sunscreen benefits, has other benefits such as anti viral and healing properties, which is of enormous benefit to the skin. It is anti-inflammatory, making it good for sensitive skin, and anti-bacterial, making it good for acne-prone skin. Many chemical sunscreens clog the pores, while natural sunscreens actually soothe, nourish and protect the skin.

The Value of SPF

SPF is defined as how long the sunscreen is active for in terms of how long it takes a person to burn. For example: if it takes you five minutes to burn without wearing sunscreen, then it will take you 75 minutes to burn when wearing SPF 15. (burn time X SPF # = sunscreen duration). It is often times marketed that a higher SPF value provides better protection from the sun, when in fact there is a very small difference between SPF 15 and SPF 30. The UV filtration of a SPF 15 is 96% while the UV filtration of SPF 30 is only 2% more at 98%.