Sunscreen keeps us safe from the sun, right?
Eh. Not so much.
Sunscreen’s bad reputation is starting to catch up with it in recent studies. It’s looking like for us HashiGirls™, we need to be using a few different strategies to protect us from the sun. There are some pretty nasty chemicals in the sunscreens we’ve all grown up using and they may be taking a toll on our health!
When it’s hot outside the last thing you’re probably thinking is “Hey! I should put on more clothing!” right?
Dress For Sun
Well, that’s exactly what I am going to tell you to do. But you have to make sure you’re putting on the RIGHT clothing. We’re not putting on a parka to protect ourselves from the sun. We need to find breathable fabrics and headwear that can create a physical barrier between us and the sun. Consider wearing hats or shirts with sleeves, like fishing style shirts more often this summer. Find fashionable choices that can do double duty. Protecting your skin is always in style!
Pay Attention To The Time Of Day You’re Outside
Another thing to keep in mind is the time of day that you’re outside. Try to stay inside between 10-2 PM. Want to get a walk in or some fresh air? Fit this in your schedule in the early mornings or evenings!
Try Supplementation
We all know that what we put into our bodies is important whether it be food, supplements, or medications. What we’re learning now is how big of an impact some supplements can make in our lifestyle from a convenience standpoint. Vitamin D is a HERO in my book (I wrote about this more here) and recommend it to all my HashiGirls™ as most women are deficient in it. Well, I recently learned that we can start combining oral Vitamin D supplementation with Vitamin C for added sun protection! We can use Vitamin C topically as well! I’ll talk about it more in a bit.
Safer Sunscreens
Now don’t worry, I understand some of you may be hesitant to completely get rid of sunscreen all together. Yes, I’m talking to you my fair-skinned friends. I have some recommendations of some safe sunscreens for an extra layer of protection. Personally, I use Beauty Counter Sun Daily Sheet Defense for face SPF 25. This is EWG verified. I also use the Baby Bum Mineral Sunscreen fragrance free SPF 50. This one is a Green 2 in EWG.
Don’t know what EWG is? It stands for Environmental Working Group. They specialize in the research of things like toxins, subsides, and corporate accountability. They’ve created an app and you can scan things on your phone while you shop! So helpful, y’all.
OK, back to sunscreens… I use Beautycounter™ for face, neck, and shoulders daily. I also LOVE a good beach vacay, so when we go there I use the Baby Bum™ on my boys because they don’t care about the white streaks and it’s cheaper for full body application. Coming back to the topic of vitamins, I love to add Vitamin C serum underneath my sunscreen. It can help up the protection level I get out of my products!
I know it feels scary to kick traditional sunscreen to the curb, but remember when we know better we can do better, and this is an easy way to “do better” for your skin. A little research can help you better protect yourself and those you love.
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