Warm weather is here and folks are enjoying more sunshine hours each day. Have you thought about your sun protection for your skin that’s not under compression? What about your kids? Are you ready to revamp your sunscreen routine and ditch the toxic products once and for all?

With many travel restrictions being lifted. folks are excited to get out there again. Let’s be mindful on how we can lessen our impact on Mother Earth and ourselves while safely enjoying the sun and all that summer brings!

As a lymphie, you may have lots of questions like: what sunscreens can you choose that won’t burden your lymphatic system? What to do if you get a burn? Do you need sunscreen under my compression?

As a herbalist and being a skincare maker for 10+ years, I can help! Book a 1-on-1 with me to discuss your summer challenges, and help you create a summer routine for you.

Today, we are going to cover 5 reasons you can feel good about choosing a zinc sunscreen, whats lurking in chemical sunscreens and how it’s impacting us.

Swapping out chemical for mineral sunscreens can help you safely enjoy the sun without the worry of toxin overload for you, your family young and old, as well as our mother earth.

What to look for in a mineral sunscreen? 

Look for products that are made with ZINC OXIDE and may also have TITANIUM OXIDE as well.

These two mineral oxides offer some surprising benefits, like soothing to sensitive skin, are lymphatic friendly, and can boost your immune system through your skin, plus it’s ready as soon as you apply it! No need to wait like the chemical sunscreens. Mineral sunscreens act by reflecting both UVA and UVB back into the air. When a sunscreen is reflective, it can mean less heat and inflammation in our skin. Chemical sunscreens absorb the rays, then disperse them through our skin. They can still trap heat and are not as good at blocking the UVB rays, which go deeper into our skin. We will go over these benefits and more below. But first, why should we ditch chemical sunscreens altogether.

WHY IT’S BEST TO AVOID CHEMICAL SUNSCREENS

Steer clear of any sunscreens with UV filters: oxy-benzones, octinoxate, octocrylene, as well as toxins like: Parabens, PEG compounds (e.g. PEG-40), and PFAs (Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl). PEG compounds are added to cosmetics for an array of uses included skin penetration enhancement, meaning it helps the ingredients soak in deeper. Not something you want to have on your skin if you are a lymphie! They have been associated with genetic-toxicity and disrupt natural hormone rhythms of the body.

PFAs are forever chemicals that can stay in our ecosystem and our bodies forever! They don’t break down and have been found in remote areas of the arctic and other places far away from human interaction. They have been linked to several health problems such as (Guardian UK)

We may think that a little bit of sunscreen can’t cause that much harm, but here’s what a recent study had to say about that.

So how toxic is oxybenzone?

“Downs’ study suggested that oxybenzone had a detrimental impact at 62 parts per trillion – the equivalent of one drop in six and a half Olympic-sized swimming pools.” (Guardian UK). 

More and more tourist destinations from Hawaii, to Mexico, to a tiny pacific island called Apau have taken the bold and empowering step of banning reef-toxic sunscreens because of the impact these chemical sunscreens have on the ocean life. In places in Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, they have had to shut down beaches because the coral reef has died. 

If you aren’t travelling to tropical beaches, should you still choose a natural sunscreen?

Yes! All our water systems around the world are connected in the hydrological cycle. They have found evidence of sunscreen chemicals high up in the Artic, far from tropical beaches or human impact (Guardian UK). If the sunscreen is this toxic to the oceans, it is likely even more so for our fresh water sources which are much smaller in size. Only 4% of all the water on earth, is fresh water. Besides, do you really want that toxic load on your skin, asking your lymph system to deal with it? No!!

5 reasons that you can feel good about a zinc sunscreen

• Reef & water-way safe.

• Natural protection & it works. Zinc suncreens can offer protection in the range from 20-40 SPF. Zinc and titanium oxides work by reflecting the rays of the sun back into the atmosphere.

• Lymphatic friendly - mineral sunscreens won’t burden your body with toxins that end up as forever chemicals in our organs while out lymph system is trying hard to detox them from our body. With a compromised lymphatic system, this job gets even harder for our bodies.

• Immune boosting - Zinc on the skin is soothing for sensitive skin and can give our immune system a boost. If you have sensitive skin, dry skin, or eczema, a zinc sunscreen could help with those challenges as well as protecting you from the sun at the same time!

• Broad spectrum protection - Zinc oxide offers both UVA and UVB protection, which is helpful for reducing inflammation and heat we can feel from time in the sun.

• Safe for all ages from the youngest to the oldest member of your family.

• Immediate action - no need to wait for it to absorb. Because it relies on reflecting the light, it’s ready as soon as you put it on your skin and rub it in. Remember to reapply after time in the water or sweating.

Where to find zinc oxide sunscreens?

“EWG’s 2022 Guide to Sunscreens includes more than 1,850 sunscreens, and only about one in four products, or 500, meets our standards for adequate sun protection and avoids ingredients linked to known health harms.”

There are a lot of zinc based sunscreens on the market now. As we can see by this finding above, it’s still as important as ever to read the labels.

Thankfully, there are a couple apps and guides out there that can help make the process of deciphering what’s on the label easier to know if it’s harmful for us or the environment!

An Environmental organization in the United States called The Environmental Working Group (EWG), Have created something called the Skin Deep Database which is online searchable database for major brands of cosmetics included sunscreens. They rate the products based on both human and environmental toxicity. They have great educational materials as well, like an annual safer sunscreen guide, which is in it’s 16th annual edition!

A Canadian company called Think Dirty, ranks products by toxicity similar to EWG’s. Their founder’s story is quite amazing. They also have a sunscreen guide. The best thing about what tehy do is making it accessible to customers with a searchable, easy to use app! Very handy to us on the go when shopping, travelling! Just scan the barcode on the product label with your phone using the app, and it tells you all about the product and if there are any questionable ingredients and what it means.

In my sister company, PLANTiful Apothecary, we make a zinc oxide sunscreen and it will be available in our Summer Solstice box! Our boxes are available for pre-order now and will be shipping by summer solstice. Click on the link to learn more about all the products in the box.

5 STAR SUNSCREEN REVIEWS for PLANTiful Apothecary sunscreen.

“This stuff really works! A little goes a long way, and rubs in nicely and isn't too greasy.” Allison H

“Smells good, works well, and is the only thing I'm comfortable putting on my toddler.” Emily

“When I bought a small jar at the beginning of the summer, I was sure I'd run out in no time, but boy, was I wrong! Here we are in September and it's still going! Although I'm not a big sunblock user, that's still pretty impressive.” Nadine

Remember, Sunscreen alone is not enough

No matter how good and clean a sunscreen is, it should be just one part of your sun health hygiene.

• Wear clothes (shirts, hats, shorts, etc. can help protect your skin

• Find shade or make your own with an umbrella, hammock, sun shelter, etc.

• Wear sunglasses or a hat to shield your eyes when needed

• Maximize your outdoor time around the sun, choosing less peak sunlight hours sometime and choose more early daylight or evening hours when the sun is less intense.

References:

1) David Suzuki Foundation. PEG compounds in cosmetics. https://davidsuzuki.org/living-green/dirty-dozen-peg-compounds-contaminants/#:~:text=PEGs%20(polyethylene%20glycols)%20are%20petroleum,used%20in%20pharmaceuticals%20as%20laxatives.

2) Guardian, The. (2021). Lotion in the Ocean. Is your sunscreen killing the sea? (UK). https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/06/lotion-in-the-ocean-is-your-sunscreen-killing-the-sea

3) EWG. EWG’s Guide to Sunscreens. https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/

Well, I hope you are now versed in the many reasons ot choose a zinc oxide sunscreen and how it can be helpful for our lymphatic system and skin health too!

Comment below and let me know what you think!

Amy