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Sunscreen - Sunblock


Troy
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I work outside in the summer (10 hours a day) and have been looking for a good fragrance free spf 30+ sunscreen... from what my goog searches have shown me... due to concerns with chemicals that do DNA damage, disrupt hormones or irritate skin, a zinc oxide based sunscreen is the best way to go. I read the concerns about micronized versions of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide but its not feasible for me to walk around looking like I have white paint on my face so I will probably go with a micronized zinc oxide formula from U.V. Naturals. This brand looks like the cheapest micronized zinc oxide product I could find that also stated "No Animal Testing". However, the SPF 15 did have beeswax listed as an ingredient. The SPF 30 did not.

 

Any other recommendations?

 

(P.S. Deleted my first porn post)

Edited by Troy
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I use Jason Sunbrellas Chemical Free Sun Block SPF 30+ (chemical, fragrance and paraben free, complete UVA & UVB protection, 100% Vegetarian)

 

edit: also it does have the "not tested on animals" symbol on it as well and no beeswax in the ingredients list.. it doesn't say it is micronized, what are the concerns with that?

 

 

Active ingredients are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, it does go on white but doesn't stay white after rubbing it in a bit. I have been using it on my hiking trips and it works quite well!

Edited by Jessifly
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I've never seen that up here

I guess I'll be reading a lotta labels soon. I have super pale skin that burns quickly. I've never been burned really bad cuz I've always taken extra precaution. Never had a blistering burn or anything like that. I'd like to keep it that way hehe

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I can't really recommend a brand as I live on the Other side of the world, but coming from Australia, which has the highest rate of Skin Cancer in the world - 2/3 of the population will be affected. I'd also recommend to cover your skin with clothing as much as you can as well. I realise this is sometimes hard to do, but long sleaves and a hat, work better than anything.

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I live on the Other side of the world, but coming from Australia

 

That U.V. Naturals company that I listed above says they are based in Australia... under the FAQs it says...

 

"Q. Is your sunscreen really Australian?

 

A. Yes, our sunscreen is really Australian, we do not put pictures of kangaroos or koalas on our tubes or use Australian phrases on the labels to trick you into thinking to that we are from Australia like some others out there - our sunscreen is the real thing, developed and tested in Australia's harshest sun conditions. We have brought our truly Australian sunscreen to the USA for you to benefit. "

 

Any experience with their products?

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I'm based in Australia. My partner has used this product. I haven't yet. She said it is a good sunscreen, however she did find it quite greasy and it stained light-coloured clothing and swimwear. It's available from Mrs Flannery's for those of you in Australia.

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I like Jason's as well but I've been lucky and have found great deals a local health food stores on Nature's Gate 30spf lotion. I buy tons when I see it.

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it doesn't say it is micronized, what are the concerns with that?

 

"In order to render transparent sunblocks containing titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, many manufacturers are using "micronized" ingredients or "nanoparticles," that is titanium dioxide and zinc oxide particles that have been fragmented to sizes below 100 nanometers (a nanometer is 1 billionth of a meter long). Some research indicates that titanium dioxide, particularly if it enters the body through cuts or inhalation, can cause more damage to DNA than larger particles of titanium dioxide, as noted in the November 1996 Toxicology Letters. However, a January 2006 literature review conducted by the Australian government's Department of Health and Aging found that current evidence indicates that titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles "remain on the surface of the skin and in the outer dead layer (stratum corneum) of the skin." Micronized ingredients are noted where found in the product list below. To be prudent, when applying avoid all cuts or abrasions."

- http://thegreenguide.com/reports/product.mhtml?id=27&sec=2

 

"There is some concern about the toxicity of micronized or nanoparticles of zinc oxide or titianium dioxide, which has initiated a world-wide effort to study the skin absorption and phototoxicity of nanoparticles of preparations used in sunscreens and cosmetics. At this time, the safety of nanoparticles has not been proven, so caution is prudent, especially when using these products on children."

- http://www.healthychild.com/natural-safe-non-toxic-sunscreen.htm

 

"Q. My sunscreen has Titanium Dioxide in it and yet the label says "natural". What is wrong with Titanium?

 

A. Titanium Dioxide is a photoactivator that can react with other sunscreen chemicals and potentiate their free radical production or their cancer forming abilities. Recent studies have shown that Titanium damages the DNA of the cell and it has been listed as a potential carcinogen. It is far from being "safe"."

- http://www.uvnaturalusa.com/htm/faq.asp

 

 

 

I'm really looking for the reasonably safest sunscreen since I will be wearing it everyday for 3 months straight. I don't think the above sunscreens mentioned would be bad if worn occasionally, (just like everything else in this world) but if its going on my body day in and day out, I'll want something pretty safe. Jason's contains titanium, which from reading, scares me a bit... and Nature's Gate has chemicals.

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Well i'm not sure how relevant what i'm about to say is but here it's worth mentioning.

 

Algaes and Grasses are supposed to protect you from UV damage when you consume them on a daily basis. I think it may be because of the chlorophyll but I am not certain on that one.

 

Coconut Oil is supposed to shield your skin from burning.

 

BUT, I would imagine no amount of chlorophyll consumed is going to stop you from getting sunburnt and for me, I felt that whenever I put coconut oil on my skin, it only intensified the sun.

 

Anyone ever heard that about coconut oil? I don't get it......

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Jason's contains titanium, which from reading, scares me a bit... and Nature's Gate has chemicals.

 

Thanks for the info on the titanium.... I am going to look in UV Naturals now too, the ingredient list looks good, like you could eat the stuff. I once read "if you wouldn't eat it, don't put it on your skin" because absorption is just as good as ingestion.

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Anyone ever heard that about coconut oil? I don't get it......

 

I have heard this too, but I think the claims are that the antioxidant benefits of coconut oil taken as a supplement and topically help protect from free radicals but doesn't necessarily protect from the burn?

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  • 1 month later...

I went to cosmeticdatabase.com and looked up their top 10 rated sunblocks and then investigated each of them to find out which ones were best. I bought UV Naturals SPF 30+ Adult and Keys Soap Solar RX Broad Specturm Sunblock. UV naturals is very thick and hard to spread over the skin, almost painful in that you have to rub it in so hard. Solar Rx is a far superior product, it spreads on nicely but depending on how much you use will leave you slightly greasy if you use to much. UV Naturals 5.29 oz tube can be found for about $30 at Valley Naturals and a Solar RX 3.4 oz tube can be found for about $25 at Celiac.com.

 

UV Naturals is about $5.67 per ounce

Solar RX is about $7.35 per ounce

 

Pretty pricey... anyways...

 

I have posted this at my place of work and I hope this helps any of you looking for the best sunblock... I have made notes on the Top 10 sunscreens rated below:

 

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f115/troyloferski/Sunblock-1-1.jpg

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I bought the UV Naturals SPF 30+ Adult ($30 at REI) about a month ago and used it on a 2 day glacier trip...

 

-It didn't rub in well and therefore I missed some random spots and ended up looking very blotchy.

 

-It didn't take much for it to be washed off by a little water/snow but I reapplied every 1-2 hours

 

-It felt greasy/sticky

 

-It didn't stay on my lips well at all and my lips got a terrible burn (I need to find a good effective vegan lipbalm/sunscreen)

 

but 2 days in the sun at high altitude with snow/ice glare is not exactly typical use... I gave it another try last weekend on a sunny 95 degree day in the mountains spent walking, biking, and picnic-ing (a little less intense more typical) and I must admit it worked perfectly with 2-3 applications through the day. A little bit went a long way but it still felt too greasy/sticky. I appreciate the info Troy, next I am definitely going to try the Solar Rx!

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  • 1 month later...
I don't wear sunscreen because I am BROWN. My ancestors worked under the Caribbean sun all day and turned out fine. You might not be as lucky.

Good ole Melanin!

A greater percentage of Black (Brown) whatever who are diagnosed with skin cancer die. Due to the fact that it's harder to detect and therefore it is in later stages. Men get breast cancer too silly, so before you go bragging, you might want to think about some preventative measures first. Just a suggestion if your going to be in the sun for long periods of time. Ozone aint what it use to be.

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VeganJoe makes some good points. Dark skin is not 100% protection from skin cancer and detection in early stages results in better outcomes.

 

Yes, men do get breast cancer and can die from it. It's rare but devastating to those who suffer from it. I'm not sure about the prognosis and typical stage of progression at the point of detection - but I've known two men who died from breast cancer.

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  • 1 year later...

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