We all grew up fearing the sun. There are warnings that the sun is dangerous and that we must protect ourselves. The sun is not inherently bad and our exposure to it is absolutely vital to our health.
Why sun exposure is important
Sun exposure is essential to our health. We adapted with the sun and we need it for Vitamin D synthesis. Lack of sun exposure is linked to depression, cancer (yes, you read that right,) skin issues, and more.
Exposing yourself to the sun first thing in the morning helps reset your circadian rhythm by regulating melatonin and cortisol production.
Vitamin D is an important hormone for our health. We have vitamin D receptors on nearly every cell in our bodies! It’s involved in many functions, such as:
Immune system function
Inflammation
Reproductive health
Cell growth
Muscle function
Bone health
You don’t need sunscreen everyday
Unless you are outside all day long, everyday, you do not need to wear sunscreen everyday. Sunscreen reduces Vitamin D synthesis by up to 95%. Vitamin D is essential to so many biological processes and systems, such as the immune system, reproductive health, bone health, and so much more.
On top of this, many people use conventional sunscreens that are loaded with carcinogenic ingredients. Yep, that’s right. The very thing you wear to prevent cancer contains ingredients that can cause cancer.
Common harmful ingredients conventional sunscreen has:
Oxybenzone
Octinoxate (Octyl methoxycinnamate)
Homosalate
Octisalate
Octocrylene
Titanium dioxide
Many of these ingredients cause hormone disruption, immune system disruption, and can even be found in breast milk after use.
The best way to protect your skin is to wear protective clothing, find some shade, get on a top notch supplement and nutritional therapy program, and wear safe sunscreen.
Why protect from UV radiation and Oxidation
Too much sun exposure can lead to UV damage, which can cause DNA damage, inflammation, and promote tumor growth, collagen breakdown, and mitochondrial damage. Most of these effects are caused by oxidative damage and not necessarily due to sun exposure alone. The good news about this is your diet has a lot to do with how much oxidation goes on in your body. Oxidative stress is caused by free radicals in the body that steal electrons from other molecules.
Our bodies have intrinsic checks and balances put in place to prevent oxidative stress from occurring. Antioxidants help reduce oxidative stress by neutralizing free radicals and when we don’t get enough of these in our diet, that’s when damage occurs. When we get an adequate amount of antioxidants from our diet, we help prevent sunburn.
Internal Sunscreen (Working from the inside out)
The goal of oral photo-protectives are to reduce UV damage and boost your body’s ability to handle the sun, i.e. less chance for sunburn.
Antioxidants will help reduce your chance of burning, so load up on fruits and veggies.
When we are exposed to the sun, calcium becomes mobilized from the tissues, causing an imbalance. A combo of Cataplex F and Calcium Lactate will prevent this and reduce the chance of sunburn. Take 6 Cataplex F 2-3 hours before sun exposure and 6 Calcium Lactate and 6 more Cataplex F 3-4 hours after being in the sun.
Safer Sunscreen
Beautycounter- My all time favorite safer sunscreen. Effective, rubs in easily, and smells good. And it comes in three forms: cream, spray, and face stick
Badger- A classic natural sunscreen. The con to this is it’s very thick and hard to rub in.
Manda- I love this one because it has clean and simple ingredients.
Black Girl Sunscreen- cleaner ingredients with a hydrating formula.
Get the Sun Kit
Included in this kit is all you need for a day at the beach. Get it here.
Sunburn Care
Yeah, it happens. When you forget to take more of your Cat F and Calcium Lactate or reapply your sunscreen and you get a little too much sun, use these to cool your skin and repair the tissue.
Aloe vera gel
Lavender added to lotion
TL;DR
Vitamin D synthesis via the sun is crucial to overall health
Conventional Sunscreen contains cancer promoting ingredients
Chemical sunscreen (conventional sunscreen) contains ingredients that cause hormone disruption
Sunscreen blocks 95% of vitamin D synthesis
Calcium Lactate and Cataplex F can reduce chances of sunburn
Beautycounter sunscreen makes a great natural sunscreen
Get your Sun Kit here.
*Some of these links are affiliate links. The products I recommend are heavily vetted and brands that I love and use for myself.
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