It’s really easy for moms to forget about themselves when it comes to sun protection (or healthy eating, or getting enough sleep, or, or, or — fill in the blank, right?). We’re givers and caretakers who rarely take good care of ourselves.

I always want to make sure my kids get the safest treatment, whether that be the best mineral sunblock, sunshine to make Vitamin D, or shade and sun protective clothing to keep the rays away. My husband has such light skin that when we intertwine our fingers at the end of the summer, we look like a multi-racial couple because of my tanned olive complexion. He’s worn a rashguard and “black tarp” SPF 60+ chemical sunscreen for years.

It was easy for me to seek out sun protective clothing for them. It was sort of an unexpected treat to get something for me as well. Oh, I swore I wouldn’t use this picture in a post. It must be getting late and I’m punchy. Look out, you don’t want those pipes to punch you!  Sigh. I’m such a dork.

The point, really, is that the UPF sun protective swim shirts from Alex & Me for adults are cute. They’re sharp. They’re even kind of sexy, for men and women, and I mean that in a classy way, not the kind of degrading, take-your-clothes-almost-all-the-way-off-and-take-away-all-the-mystery-while-entering-into-at-the-very-least-the-near-occasion-of-sin way.

I like the way my husband looks in a well-fitted rashguard for swimming and sun safety. I felt attractive in my women’s rashguard, and I didn’t have to worry about bending over the wrong way or swimming too fast/getting hit by a big wave and losing something out the top of a low-cut swimsuit. Besides that, in this particular picture, my left shoulder was awfully sunburnt, and I was more than happy to hide under a real black tarp while grabbing the Vitamin D on my legs and the rest of my arms.

You can see more of my thoughts on sun protective clothing and why it has a place in our dressers, as well as a review of Alex & Me and their products. Our family received the black women’s rashguard I’m wearing, along with a long-sleeved sun protective swim shirt for my 2-year-old daughter. I bet she’ll be able to wear it for 3 or 4 years! The sleeves even need to be rolled up, but I like buying big and making them last. Important note: this women’s swim shirt runs small. They changed my size to one larger and were dead on!

Some Highlights of Alex & Me

• 12 years in business – in this industry, that’s actually kind of like the grandfather!
• lots of brands to compare
• all high UPF (and good explanation of what that means, “Ultraviolet Protection Factor”)
• not only swimwear, but also sun protective active wear (pants, polos, etc.)

My personal opinion? I think the product offerings at Alex & Me look classy, comfy, and of course, safe from UV rays. How about you? Want a little shopping spree?

WIN IT! $100 Gift Certificate

As with the other giveaways this week, comments on this post are NOT entries. You must click on the entry form and fill it out to be counted in this giveaway.

Mandatory Entry: Visit Alex & Me and do some shopping! What would you spend your $100 on if you win and why?

You can also get up to NINE additional entries in the contest by doing any of the following (you’ll check a box on the form when you get there):

1. Subscribe in a reader or via email to Kitchen Stewardship (or tell me if you already do).
2. Follow @kitchenstew on Twitter AND tweet this:
   Please don’t sign up for the $400 in sun protection #giveaways @kitchenstew – I want to win $100 from @alexandme ! http://bit.ly/a3zuEa
3. Follow @alexandme on Twitter.
4. “Like” Kitchen Stewardship on Facebook.
5. “Like” Alex & Me on Facebook.
6. Enter at least one of the other giveaways this week (see links below).
7. Email 5 friends about this giveaway along with the link to it. (Email subscribers can forward their message.)
8. Stumble or Digg the natural sunscreen review at Kitchen Stewardship (you can use the Share This icon at the bottom of the post). What is Stumble?
9. If you have a blog or website, post about this giveaway linking back to this post and the natural sunscreen review. (You can even copy and paste that link.)

How to Get Five Bonus Entries in Every Giveaway

Please consider taking my 2010 July Reader Survey (~2-3 minutes), which will earn you FIVE EXTRA ENTRIES in all 8 sun protective giveaways this week (over $400 worth of prizes)! You’ll simply check a box in the contest entry form to count for your 5 entries. The survey itself is completely anonymous.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE READER SURVEY

I truly appreciate your input, which will help me improve Kitchen Stewardship by giving you what you want. The survey also gives me important statistics to help me explain to advertisers and sponsors (like the eight companies sponsoring giveaways this week) the benefits of working with the Kitchen Stewardship community. Thanks!

Enter Here:

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE ALEX & ME $100 GIFT CERTIFICATE GIVEAWAY!

Please remember, comments on this post are NOT contest entries.

I will use random.org’s integer generator to choose the winner.  Giveaways all close on Friday, August 13th at 11:59 p.m. EST, and the winners will be announced by Monday, August 16th.

Two more sun protective clothing giveaways: Nantucket Sun and Solartex.

Enter to win 5 kinds of sunscreen ($150 value) HERE.

If you missed the last Monday Mission, click here.

Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money.  If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.

Disclosure: I received products to review free of charge from Alex & Me, and they have offered the gift certificate for you, also free of charge. I earn a small advertising fee to run a giveaway, but that in no way changes my opinion in the review. Ya’ll know you can trust me not to sell out, right? Unless perhaps the price was right… Just kidding!

Hungry for More? Related posts:

1. Sun Protective Clothing Review: Alex & Me, Solartex, and Sungrubbies
2. Sun Protective Clothing Review: Cover Up and Get Out of the Sun?
3. Sun Protective Clothing Review: Thoughts on Two U.S. Companies

Yep, just sleeves. It’s  a rough economy, folks, we can’t afford to be giving away the whole shirt!

Nantucket Sun’s arm sleeves are a unique product, and they afford you the opportunity to hide your skin from the sun in the heat of the day after grabbing some Vitamin D in the earlier morning hours. They stretch from the wrist up to the mid-bicep (or armpit if you’re only two years old) and stay up fairly well through activity.

My son thinks they are SO. Cool. He’ll wear them even when he doesn’t have to!

Made of high quality UPF 50+ fabric and manufactured 100% in the USA, Nantucket Sun’s sleeves are of the utmost quality.

Here’s a little background on the company:

I started Nantucket Sun because I was tired of putting sunscreen all over my boys, (just another chemical to apply and it washing off, the boys call it “Icky Sticky Stuff).  In 2002 I started importing swim wear for my kids from Australia for friends and kids and got such a positive feed back that I wanted to start my own private label in 2006.    I researched and sourced the BEST FABRIC using the Australian standards (U.S. is far…far behind in our Sun Safety standards) from the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency.

The fabric that I use is tested and retested every 6 months (by far the most compliance stated ARPANSA representative, most companies have their fabrics tested once, and then retest after YEARS).

The sleeves are the company’s biggest seller, particularly appreciated by melanoma patients, children with heart defects and on medication, breast cancer survivor patients, and others who share their stories about how “the sleeves have only aided in their ability to live a normal life.” One customer even calls them “my next best friend.”

Sun protection is taken seriously at Nantucket Sun, where they often remind us that 1 in 5 children will will develop skin cancer later in life. It is true that most skin damage occurs before the age of 18, and it’s up to parents to teach kids about safety in the sun. One burn can double your risk of skin cancer, an entirely preventable disease, according to Laura, founder of Nantucket Sun, whose husband is a dermatologist who specializes his research on Vitamin D. He advised morning sun as the best source of both feel-good rays and Vitamin D, and then get your sleeves on! (See my sunshine research post for more on that.)

Whether you can do this by diet alone, sunblock, or shade and sun protective clothing, the jury’s still out for me, but if you’re interested in another layer of sun protection (literally!), you can grab the chance to win TWO pair of sun sleeves (value: adult $24-26 or child $20).

I’m curious to hear what you all think of the sun sleeves in the comments below, although comments on this post do NOT count as entries in the giveaway. Check out my review of the sun sleeves to see what I thought and then follow the directions below to enter.

WIN IT! Two Pairs of Sun Sleeves from Nantucket Sun

As with the other giveaways this week, comments on this post are NOT entries. You must click on the entry form and fill it out to be counted in this giveaway.

Mandatory Entry: Visit Nantucket Sun and tell me what your favorite product is.

You can also get up to SEVEN additional entries in the contest by doing any of the following (you’ll check a box on the form when you get there):

1. Subscribe in a reader or via email to Kitchen Stewardship (or tell me if you already do).
2. Follow @kitchenstew on Twitter AND tweet this:
   I’m going to keep my skin safe with arm sleeves from Nantucket Sun if I win @kitchenstew ’s giveaway! http://bit.ly/a1psIt
3. “Like” Kitchen Stewardship on Facebook.
4. Enter any of the other sun protection giveaways this week, HERE or HERE.
5. Email 5 friends about this giveaway along with the link to it. (Email subscribers can forward their message.)
6. Stumble or Digg the natural sunscreen review at Kitchen Stewardship (you can use the Share This icon at the bottom of the post). What is Stumble?
7. If you have a blog or website, post about this giveaway linking back to this post and the natural sunscreen review. (You can even copy and paste that link.)

How to Get Five Bonus Entries in Every Giveaway

Please consider taking my 2010 July Reader Survey (~2-3 minutes), which will earn you FIVE EXTRA ENTRIES in all 8 sun protective giveaways this week (over $400 worth of prizes)! You’ll simply check a box in the contest entry form to count for your 5 entries. The survey itself is completely anonymous.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE READER SURVEY

I truly appreciate your input, which will help me improve Kitchen Stewardship by giving you what you want. The survey also gives me important statistics to help me explain to advertisers and sponsors (like the eight companies sponsoring giveaways this week) the benefits of working with the Kitchen Stewardship community. Thanks!

Enter Here:

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE NANTUCKET SUN ARM SLEEVES GIVEAWAY!

Please remember, comments on this post are NOT contest entries.

I will use random.org’s integer generator to choose the winner.  Giveaways all close on Friday, August 13th at 11:59 p.m. EST, and the winners will be announced by Monday, August 16th.

More sun protective clothing at the Solartex Giveaway ($100!) and another $100 from Alex & Me.

Enter to win 5 kinds of sunscreen ($150 value) HERE.

If you missed the last Monday Mission, click here.

Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money.  If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.

Disclosure: I received products to review free of charge from Nantucket Sun, and they have offered the sun sleeves for you, also free of charge. I earn a small advertising fee to run a giveaway, but that in no way changes my opinion in the review…obviously, since I told you the jury’s out for me.

Hungry for More? Related posts:

1. Sun Protective Clothing Review: Cover Up and Get Out of the Sun?
2. Sun Protective Clothing Review: Alex & Me, Solartex, and Sungrubbies
3. Sun Protective Clothing Review: Thoughts on Two U.S. Companies

Time to see Katie do a handstand again!

Yes, the sun protective wear really is comfortable and cute. We’ve already talked about how I feel about sun protective clothing in general and trying to strike the balance between getting some sun and not getting burned, and yesterday I walked you through my review of products manufactured by Coolibar and Nantucket Sun, two Made in the USA companies.

Today I have some goodies from three more companies, and they are a bit different because they resell other brands. It doesn’t necessarily imply that the clothing is lesser quality, as some of the fabrics are made in Australia where they have very strict sun standards. It’s nice to have options!

Don’t forget that I’m not afraid of the sun, but a moderate. If you’re just starting with this post, back up a little and read about the hazards of chemical sunscreens and my search for the best mineral sunblock. Now on to those options that will hide you from the sun when you can’t help it otherwise…

Alex and Me: Women’s and Youth Rash Guards

The mom always worries more about her kids when it comes to good health and protection, doesn’t she? I didn’t really plan to have a rash guard for myself, but I’m glad I got the chance to try a Dakine rash guard along with my daughter’s Platypus sunshirt from Alex & Me. It’s a good example to my kids, and I also really, really like it for multiple reasons:

1. Cute factor: when I tried it on, my husband gave cat calls. With capped sleeves and a short mock neck, they’re very flattering!
2. Modest top: If you have a two-piece suit, the rashguard could easily replace your top, or simply cover it.
3. Save the skin: Boy, was I thrilled to have this option when I foolishly got burnt last weekend after six hours in the sun. We had two more days at the beach left, and I couldn’t have been happier to cover up my already tender shoulders. The women’s rash guard has a tricky job of balancing cute with coverage. I might add one more inch to the capped sleeves to make sure it covered the skin most affected by the sun’s rays.

The one drawback for women is that the shirts have no liner or support, so if you order a light color or will be doing any bouncing, you will want to wear it in addition to your regular suit. I found I could get away with just the shirt because it was black and tight-fitting enough to suffice.

The sizes do run a bit small, so be sure to order one larger than you expect yourself to be. Mine is a size bigger than my shirts, but it’s plenty tight enough!

For children, I always buy one size up on shirts so that they can wear it a few years. My daughter is very petite, and at just two years old the size two gives her a few inches of extra sleeve length to grow into.

I did like having the long sleeve option for her, for when the sun was just too intense. The shirt looked comfortable, and she never complained about the bulk. I can even say that watermelon stains come out of it just fine. However, at over $40 for one shirt – for a child – I just can’t recommend this one. Then again, if you buy a short sleeved shirt and Nantucket Sun’s arm sleeves, your grand total is going to get right up there again.

On the company: I found the folks at Alex & Me to be incredibly pleasant and prompt, willing to work with me and very helpful as I had questions. The shipping was fast and simple. They have periodic sales, so if you’re interested in something, you may want to get on their mailing list.

WIN $100 FROM ALEX & ME!

Solartex: Child’s One-Piece Suit and Flap Hat

Solartex was one of the companies I called upon for a hat with a drawstring after I thought the Coolibar hat I reviewed yesterday wasn’t going to cut it. I received a flap hat and one-piece SPF/UPF swimsuit for my daughter.

I’m personally not a huge fan of the baseball cap front, flat as a board, and then the fabric hanging down in the back, although I do like that feature if my daughter wears a bathing suit that exposes a great deal of her bare back. Along with a one-piece sun suit like this one, however, I think it looks a bit goiky and fearful. Is that just me? I much prefer the bucket hat below.

The hat and suit themselves were both very nicely made. I thought the hat ran a bit large because it comes down very close to my daughter’s eyes, although now that I see on the site that the size small should last until she’s 8 years old! That explains that! Even with the large size, the hat stays on really well in windy conditions.

The suit is very easy to put on , and there’s only one big problem with it for a toddler who is not potty-trained yet. Can you guess? It’s tricky to get at a dirty diaper, so I might recommend a two-piece suit for this very young crew. Solartex also carries some suits in sizes 0-2 with snaps for easy opening, and the C-Wear brand suits have snaps, too. If I had my druthers, I’d also make the zipper an inch or two longer just to aid in the “getting it off” game when everyone’s skin is wet and sticks to the clothing. Order these a bit large – my little one’s in a size four, which is what the company said they usually put 2-year-olds in.

On the company: Solartex had prompt customer service and very helpful answers to my questions. I love that it is founded by moms like me, and some of their brands are U.S. made! WIN $100 FROM SOLARTEX!

Sungrubbies: Tunga Bucket Hat

This pattern is so very cute that I wish it was my bathing suit. The Tunga bucket hat from Sungrubbies incorporates the best of both worlds: it’s snug enough to stay on in the strong winds or big waves, but if it does get jostled off, no one has to chase it across the beach because it has a drawstring cord. The fabric just seems like it’s high quality, and I love that the hat is even reversible to a solid color.

The wide brim casts a deep shadow on face, neck and shoulders, but it’s not so floppy that it gets in her face (like the Coolibar hat does when she borrows her brother’s). The shape is just perfect for maximum cuteness, in my opinion!

My daughter’s hat is a size small, and it just fits. It doesn’t even really tolerate her pigtails underneath, so I’m crossing my fingers and hoping it still fits next year! I’m curious if a medium would stay on as well in the wind. Be sure to measure your child’s head when ordering hats, and shoot larger rather than smaller if you’re guesstimating.

Can you tell how strong the wind is in the photo to the right? The hat stays on, no problem.

On the company: I knew I’d be working with fun people when the email address was “the folks” at Sungrubbies. I had a lengthy conversation with Gail over there about sun wear and even sunscreens, which is how I ended up reviewing (and liking) Melansol. I could tell that these gals really take their time choosing and take pride in selling only the best products out there. Actually getting the hat was a little slow, but it’s definitely their busy season.

The Best News…

Three of the five companies I worked with for this review are sponsoring giveaways to share the love with you, the KS readers! Here’s where taking that reader survey will really start paying off, because you’ll get five extra entries in each of the three contests, and the prizes are awesome, if I may say so myself.

Here are the giveaways:

• Solartex ($100 gift certificate)
• Alex & Me ($100 gift certificate)
• Nantucket Sun (2 sets of sun sleeves)
• $150 worth of sunblocks, 5 winners

———————————————

Be sure to catch all the sun protection giveaways!  Sign up for a free email subscription or grab my reader feed. You can also follow me on Twitter, get KS for Kindle, or see my Facebook Fan Page.

If you missed the last Monday Mission, click here.

Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money.  If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.

I received products to review free of charge for this post, but the opinions here are completely my own (can’t you tell?). I am also an affiliate of Sungrubbies, so I’ll receive a small commission if you purchase something there through my link, but I wouldn’t have signed up with them if I didn’t already love the hat. See my full disclosure statement here.

Hungry for More? Related posts:

1. Sun Protective Clothing Review: Cover Up and Get Out of the Sun?
2. Sun Protective Clothing Review: Thoughts on Two U.S. Companies
3. My Favorite Non-Toxic Laundry Option: Soap Nuts Review

I’ve had a couple readers say that they don’t put much weight in the expense of sun protective clothing and would rather just allow their kids to wear T-shirts while swimming.

A soggy T-shirt may more or less do the job – most fabrics are about an SPF 15, although once wet, a white T-shirt is going to offer even less protection. Beyond sun protection, I think the special UPF wear has some nice advantages:

1. It dries quickly and evenly
2. It looks like a swimsuit and is attractive even when wet
3. It doesn’t sag on the body when wet
4. They are a specialized item that goes with the swimsuits in the drawer or wherever, so it’s harder to “forget” that you need to pack them

Regular bathing suits always seem to cost more than it feels like they ought to, so I’m not surprised to have to pay very similar prices (for more fabric) than buying a bikini.

Today you can just have fun, though, and go shopping at Solartex without considering the cost. They are offering a $100 gift certificate to one lucky reader! I reviewed the two products in the top photo at my sun protective clothing review. Here’s a little more to brag about Solartex:

• founded by two moms who wanted to make safe swim ware more available to people in the U.S.
• offers plus sizes for adults
• offers accessories like water shoes, goggles and sun glasses
• many swimwear items are chlorine-resistant fabric
• wide range of brands and styles

WIN IT! $100 Gift Certificate

As with the other giveaways this week, comments on this post are NOT entries. You must click on the entry form and fill it out to be counted in this giveaway.

Mandatory Entry: Visit Solartex and do a little shopping with the $100 you hope to win. What might you buy (some or all) and why?

You can also get up to EIGHT additional entries in the contest by doing any of the following (you’ll check a box on the form when you get there):

How to Get Five Bonus Entries in Every Giveaway

Please consider taking my 2010 July Reader Survey (~2-3 minutes), which will earn you FIVE EXTRA ENTRIES in all 8 sun protective giveaways this week (over $400 worth of prizes)! You’ll simply check a box in the contest entry form to count for your 5 entries. The survey itself is completely anonymous.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE READER SURVEY

I truly appreciate your input, which will help me improve Kitchen Stewardship by giving you what you want. The survey also gives me important statistics to help me explain to advertisers and sponsors (like the eight companies sponsoring giveaways this week) the benefits of working with the Kitchen Stewardship community. Thanks!

Enter Here:

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE SOLARTEX $100 GIFT CERTIFICATE GIVEAWAY!

Please remember, comments on this post are NOT contest entries.

I will use random.org’s integer generator to choose the winner.  Giveaways all close on Friday, August 13th at 11:59 p.m. EST, and the winners will be announced by Monday, August 16th.

Two more chances to win sun protective clothing: Nantucket Sun and Alex & Me.

Enter to win 5 kinds of sunscreen ($150 value) HERE.

If you missed the last Monday Mission, click here.

Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money.  If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.

Disclosure: I received products to review free of charge from Solartex, and they have offered the gift certificate for you, also free of charge. I earn a small advertising fee to run a giveaway, but that in no way changes my opinion in the review…obviously, since I told you I didn’t love the hat.

Hungry for More? Related posts:

1. Sun Protective Clothing Review: Alex & Me, Solartex, and Sungrubbies
2. Sun Protective Clothing Review: Cover Up and Get Out of the Sun?
3. Sun Protective Clothing Review: Thoughts on Two U.S. Companies

Right about the time you think you have it all together, your five-year-old son talks you into skipping the swim shirt and hat and using sunblock instead.

I thought, “At least he’ll understand how much of a pain reapplying sunscreen can be, and then he’ll choose the swim shirt in the future.”

Now that he’s sunburned on his chest and back, I feel like the bad mom and wish I hadn’t given him a choice! (The sunblock, rated “KS Recommends” at the natural sunscreen review, did a decent job, but the white skin, direct sun, and pool time was just too much for it, along with the fact that I only hit the shoulders and upper back with the reapplication.)

Sun Protection vs. Embracing Sunshine

There’s much to be said for the health benefits of Vitamin D, and there’s even evidence that if you have enough Vitamin D in your diet, that too will protect your skin from sunburns. Many people claim we shouldn’t hide from the sun at all but rather seek out unprotected exposure to increase our Vitamin D intake. But if you haven’t gotten enough base tan by slowly working up to maximum sun exposure, who wants to risk a sunburn?

Our family has a pretty healthy diet with, I hope, more Vitamin D than most based on our raw milk consumption alone. However, I don’t know how to gauge the right amount of Vitamin D, and I don’t know that I’m willing to allow my kids to get sunburns just to test out the theory. Yesterday was a certified failure, even with the added protection of four applications of sunblock. My son just swam too much in the pool between the hours of 1:30 and 6:00 p.m.

My daughter, on the other hand, was out for the same length of time in her Nantucket Sun swim shirt and shorts, her Tunga bucket hat from Sungrubbies, and no sunblock whatsoever, and she does not have a sunburn. Did she get shorted on Vitamin D yesterday in comparison? Who can know – I certainly feel like she had to have gotten some sunlight anyway with all the outside time we had.

Please also see my thoughts on sun protective clothing advantages and disadvantages in general, including the fear factor, an application of the traditional foods paradigm to sunshine exposure and Vitamin D, advantages of swim hats and shirts, and the modesty bonus.

Sun Protective Fabric: Is there a Safety Hazard?

On the tags of one of the swim suits I received from the companies I worked with for this review, I read the fabric content: “80% Polyamide, 20% Elastane.”

Shucks, I thought. I don’t recognize either of those terms.

It struck me that perhaps there’s a material safety risk with the fabrics in the sun protective clothing, and I realized I had to research a bit into the technology of the industry.

Mostly, the UPF on sun protective clothing (Ultraviolet Protection Factor, means about the same as SPF does for lotions) is determined by the tightness of the weave. Other factors include the color of the fabric, weight, and stretch (from an explanation of UPF ratings at Coolibar, and corroborated by the other companies). Some companies add zinc oxide into the fabric in ways that it cannot wash out, like Coolibar’s ZnO Suntect cottons. Cotton has a looser weave, so to have a high enough UPF, it needs some help.

When there’s no treatment, it’s likely that the fabrics used are a polyester blend. The polyamide is nylon and elastane is spandex, which of course are synthetic plastics, but generally aren’t targeted for being hazardous or toxic, and I think you’d be hard pressed to find a swimsuit made of anything radically different than that.

I’m fairly confident that the fabric in sun protective clothing is not going to be a risk factor unique enough to take into consideration.

The Review

I am very pleased to have worked with five companies for this review, two of which manufacture their own products (Coolibar, Nantucket Sun) and three resellers (Alex & Me, Sungrubbies, Solartex). Here’s what we thought of the products we reviewed from the first category:

Coolibar: Children’s Hat and Men’s Rashguard

Coolibar manufactures their own fabrics and products, which is important to remember when evaluating the items. I immediately loved the look and feel of the Chlorine resistant bucket hat, but I was so unsure about the lack of a chin strap that I bothered a few more companies just for a hat with a strap to keep it on. This hat has an adjustable Velcro tab that pulls tightly on a strap hidden from view inside the fabric. It’s a very clean look, seen here:

As the weeks wore on with my son’s Coolibar hat and we figured out how to fasten it tightly, I found some surprising results. Although the hat does come off at times when jumping into the pool, it has stayed on through:

1. A 20+mph speedboat ride
2. Very, very strong winds at Lake Michigan (enough to send the sand pricking into our legs)
3. Jumping and diving into 2-foot waves in Lake Michigan

I’ve actually come to appreciate the Coolibar hat more than the two I received with chin straps, because:

1. • It’s adjustable to fit multiple head sizes
   • It’s staying on great anyway
   • It’s perfect for kids who dislike things touching their neck
   • When a chin strap hat gets tossed around, it still falls off and has to be plunked back on, you just don’t have to chase it around. Unless a sun hat is also snug enough to stay on most of the time, the chin strap doesn’t save the hat plunking parent all that much time and energy.

Here my daughter demonstrates the hat’s sun coverage compared to a standard issue child’s swim hat from a big brand store:

One of the added benefits of this adjustable hat is that it really can work for multiple head sizes. Ours is a size S/M, rated for ages 2-8. I always figure the longer a child can wear an item, the most cost savings you’re going to get, so I love that factor!

If you have a small child who will take their hat off themselves and throw it overboard, the Coolibar hat won’t cut it and you’ll want a chin strap. But for slightly older kids who will leave their hats on, I’m very pleased to recommend Coolibar’s style. UPDATE: Coolibar is offering free shipping on orders over $75 with coupon code “MELTING” through July 29th.

Men’s Rash Guard or Swim Shirt

I often wonder how much money we’ve saved on sunscreen because my husband has worn a rash guard for three or four years now, not to mention the time he didn’t have to spend applying cream to his back and chest. Males are notorious for either (a) forgetting sunscreen altogether, (b) neglecting to reapply and/or (c) using too little sunscreen to be effective. For guys, I’m a huge proponent of the swim shirts.

The shirt from Coolibar really looks sharp on him, and the steel gray is very manly. My husband says it really keeps him cool at the beach in spite of the darker color, because it stays wet longer than his skin would. It breathes well and dries quickly on the line.

The review was going to be 100% positive until last weekend, when my husband wore a backpack to the beach and we discovered one major disadvantage of the matte fabric: it doesn’t hold up well under any abrasion, even that as simple as a backpack rubbing against your back. You can see the rubbed area on his lower back, along with a few long, thin scratches on the upper back and one 4×1-inch swath on his front that looks like the wrong fabric got stuck to some Velcro, even though there was no Velcro involved:

I was so disappointed, because this really wasn’t wear and tear beyond normal use, and his previous rash guard never had this sort of problem.

On the Company

Coolibar has great customer service, quick shipping, research-driven production, and a commitment to sun safety and quality. They have a very comprehensive line of clothing that goes well beyond the beach, and they also sponsor a school hat program to try to get bucket hats and sun protection information into the hands of school officials and teachers at a reduced cost.

Nantucket Sun: Arm Sleeves

I was intrigued by this concept, that we were going to receive a family set of just…sleeves. It’s a unique product, and my first thought is that it seems fear mongering, that the only market for the sun sleeves would be people who are truly afraid of the sun. As a balanced perspective sort of gal, I am not afraid of the sun (too much), and I find that our family has never burned on our forearms, so I didn’t really get it.

My son, lover of all things new and novel, fell for the child sun sleeves immediately and and wore them right away. He’s definitely the one in our family who gets the most use out of them. I am still having mixed feelings overall.

My kids did their modeling job:

Disadvantages:

• They still make you warmer than bare arms (much!)
• Can’t help if you’re wearing a tank top or standard women’s swimming suit anyway
• They stay up well, but not perfectly. You’ll spend some time tugging them up your arm
• The sleeves of course will make your Vitamin D synthesis impossible, but for your face. It is important to get some unprotected sun exposure to reach the body’s daily Vitamin D needs.

That said, I think the sleeves still have a place. It’s easy to imagine how a skin cancer survivor or someone who has watched family members battle the disease would be eager for simple, comprehensive sun protection. There are also people who, for reasons of medicinal reactions or various skin or heart disorders, really cannot tolerate sun exposure. For this small subset of the population, the sleeves are a fabulous invention.

If I had children with incredibly fair skin, and I wanted them to get some sun for Vitamin D but not too much, the sleeves are a nice way to go out with bare arms and then cover them once adequate sun exposure has been reached.

I don’t think I’d purchase sun sleeves for my family, but now that I have them, I’ve brainstormed some alternative uses:

• Bug protection without chemicals
• Great for cold skin when in air conditioning, and smaller to pack in a purse than a sweatshirt
• Good for biking or other sporty activity: if it’s cold when you start, especially, you can peel them off as you go (or vice versa)

And they do look mighty snazzy. If you’re wearing a T-shirt and the sleeves, no one would know that you didn’t just have a long-sleeved shirt underneath. Kids can also wear the adult sleeves on their legs, which we did for a walk to protect from mosquito bites.

I’ve also washed my son’s after our camping trip, and they came through the wash (hang to dry) acceptably.

One piece of advice if you order for your family: get everyone a different color. It makes it easier to pull the right ones out of the pile that way! Mine are the same color as Leah’s, and I’m constantly holding them up to check the length when I get them out.

YOU CAN WIN TWO PAIR IN THE SUN SLEEVE GIVEAWAY!

Swim Shirt and Shorts

We also received this swim shirt and shorts for my daughter to test out (the reason she didn’t get burned yesterday).

After our first season last year with a girl and girl’s bathing suits, I was quickly dismayed at how much skin is showing and needed sunblock protection. My kids have both always worn hats out in the sun, but little girls’ shoulders, back and chest seemed so exposed to me. I couldn’t wait to try something with some more coverage this summer.

We ordered a size larger than we needed, which is one of the many benefits of this kind of suit over a traditional girls’ style. Whereas a girls’ swimsuit hanging low because it’s oversized would look shabby, this suit ought to last three years or so on my petite little one, which is good because the two pieces together run just under $40.

The only problem I’ve run into so far is that the suit, along with almost all the other UPF swimwear I received, advises not to touch abrasive surfaces. Yeah, right. Like you can keep a 2-year-old at the pool or beach away from anything that will snag the fabric.

The swim shirt is showing its wear already after only 3-4 uses, and the pink stitching on the shorts is fuzzy. It’s not the the stitching is coming out at all, but it’s just snagging and fuzzy all the way around. The white stitching on the shirt is perhaps a different type of thread, because it’s not having the same reaction. Both pieces have been washed in the machine already, rinsed often, and soaked to try to get the smell out after dearest daughter made a mess in her swim diaper and got in the pool afterward. Yuck.

On the Company

Nantucket Sun, founded by a concerned mom and remaining women-owned, manufactures all of their own products and only uses UPF 100+ to block all the UVA and UVB rays. (They do carry a few other brands as well.) All of Nantucket Sun’s brand clothing is made in the USA yet passes Australia’s strict standards for sun protection. They get their fabrics tested and recertified every 6 months, going above and beyond requirements.

To Be Continued…

Come on back tomorrow for the remaining three companies, Alex & Me, Sungrubbies, and Solartex, along with $250 in sun wear giveaways! (HERE is that review.) Be sure to check out the sunblock giveaways where you have five chances to win!

Disclosure: I received free products for my review, but that in no way reflects upon my opinions, and the companies have no sway over what I say here.

Hungry for More? Related posts:

1. Sun Protective Clothing Review: Cover Up and Get Out of the Sun?
2. Sun Protective Clothing Review: Alex & Me, Solartex, and Sungrubbies
3. Food for Thought: Sun, Sunscreen, and Safety – How Much do You Need? (Part One)

To sun, or not to sun, that is the question.

When I asked companies to partner with me on this sun protection review project (see the natural sunblock review as well), they had no idea I was not only reviewing their products, but the idea of sun protection itself.

I find myself dangling between the two extremes. I applied sunscreen daily when I put on my toddler’s clothing a mere four years ago, but I am now rather deep into the traditional foods world, and with it a body of people and research that is generally skeptical of chemicals and highly in favor of natural Vitamin D from the sun. Many advocate zero sunscreen use and claim that with a proper diet, particularly healthy fats, along with a modicum of shade during the heat of the day, one should not get a sunburn. They would scoff at the big hats and full coverage swimsuits and sun shirts we’ve been testing the past month.

When I first put a short-sleeved, short pant suit on my toddler daughter and slapped a hat on her head, I had an uncomfortable feeling. Does it look like I’m afraid of the sun? Is this geeky? Is it over-cautious? Or am I an awesome parent doing the safe thing?

I pondered the sun danger question over and over in my head as we played outside this summer. How much skin should show? Should I encourage shade? How often to use safe sunblock and how often to skip it? Is there a place for sun protective clothing at all, or is it just fear inducing?

Often I waffled, thinking one day that I’m covering my kids too much and then when a hint of pink shows up on their cheeks, getting anxious and feeling thankful that I have hats for them.

I think I’m landing staunchly in the middle of the issue: there is a place for all of it – sunblock (as safe as possible), sun protective clothing, and unprotected exposure to the sun, especially if you can balance shade and time in the sun and be smart about what time of day you’re outside.

Traditional Amount of Vitamin D?

If we need the sun to help our bodies make Vitamin D, and we need sufficient Vitamin D for good health, then clearly we need the sun to touch our skin. But how much skin needs to be showing to make proper amounts of Vitamin D? Must we bare tummies and backs just to be healthy?

I tried applying the traditional foods paradigm to sun exposure and protection and wandered down an intriguing path: How did God design our bodies to work with Vitamin D? Was His intent that we all frolic naked in the Garden and get perfect doses of Vitamin D each day on the full expanse of our skin, or would He prefer us to be modest and only get sun on our faces, arms, and maybe lower legs?

I have a hard time believing that humans were designed to need sunshine on our entire bodies just to manufacture an essential vitamin. Even though Adam and Eve didn’t wear clothing, God knew that the Fall was coming, and quickly, so it makes sense to me that a modest exposure to the sun ought to be sufficient. (No, that’s not research-based. I bet there’s research out there. Maybe you can find some for me?) 

Why I Love Sun Hats and Shirts

Advantages to sun protective clothing include:

• When you’re already getting burned (or are burnt), you can hide.
• Easier to carry with and have kids put on than sunscreen
• Uses less sunscreen (less time to apply and less money spent)
• They’re cute!

The number one reason to have some sun protective shirts at your house is for the rock-in-your-stomach feeling when you realize that your child has already been out in the sun too long and is beginning to look a little pink. At this point, you know a reapplication of sunscreen isn’t going to do any good, but you want to stay at the beach/pool/water park a few more hours. Having the swim shirt saves you! (Your child’s skin, actually.)

The Modesty Bonus

Tell someone they should wear a modest swimsuit instead of a bikini and you’ll likely get an eye roll and a bikini. Tell someone the sun is going to give them cancer and they should limit their exposure, and it’s pretty easy to get them to wear a sun shirt, which just happens to be incredibly modest! The trend toward sun protection also caused more manufacturers to produce modest swimwear under the guise of coverage from the sun rather than roaming eyes, so there are more attractive (darn cute!) options out there if you’re shopping for modest bathing suits.

I am very pleased to have worked with five companies for this review, two of which manufacture their own products (Coolibar, Nantucket Sun) and three resellers (Alex & Me, Sungrubbies, Solartex).

Here is our family’s little runway show of the products we got to test out:

Men’s rash guard from Coolibar

Child’s Chlorine Resistant Bucket Hat from CoolibarWomen’s Dakine Rash Guard and Toddler Platypus Sunshirt from Alex & Me

Solartex hat and suit

Solartex hat and Coolibar hat

Nantucket sun two-piece suit, Tunga Bucket hat from Sungrubbies

I don’t have a picture (note to self: take picture!) of the sun sleeves from Nantucket Sun that our family tested, but here’s the idea from their website:

To Be Continued…

In the true spirit of the lazy days of summer, why call a week a Monday through Friday thing? Sunshine Awareness week at Kitchen Stewardship has sort of been moseying along, and it makes sense that it will cross a weekend. Plus, it’s very typical for me to make you all wait in suspense for something!

I’ll be back Monday with the inside scoop on what I thought of each product, company, and fabric, along with $250 in giveaways so you can hide from that doggone sun, too!

Part One: Two U.S. Companies

While you’re waiting (on the edges of your seats, I know), you can take the KS reader survey, which not only helps me out but gets you FIVE extra entries into all 8 sunny giveaways this week. (Week? Who said anything about a week?) You did see the first 5 sunscreen giveaways posted Friday morning, right? If not, get on over there! There’s $150 worth of products waiting for you!

Don’t forget to subscribe by email subscription or reader. You can also follow me on Twitter, get KS for Kindle, or see my Facebook Fan Page so you don’t miss out on any of the good stuff this week. (Next week?)

Hungry for More? Related posts:

1. Sun Protective Clothing Review: Thoughts on Two U.S. Companies
2. Sun Protective Clothing Review: Alex & Me, Solartex, and Sungrubbies
3. Food for Thought: Sun, Sunscreen, and Safety – How Much do You Need? (Part One)

I love sharing! If you’re starting here, do back up a bit and read about my search for the best natural sunscreen. I’ve got 28 bottles, tubes and jars tumbling around my house, and I give you the scoop on all of them, from the $1/ounce to the $40/ounce. Um, yeah. $40/ounce. I couldn’t in good conscience recommend that one unless it also cooked, cleaned house and did dishes for you!

Today I get to share five natural sunscreens with you in a little more depth and offer the chance for five lucky folks to pretend they live with me and test out a new product. I tell people who know me in real life, “You can use my sunscreen, but you have to wear two kinds, one on each side. This is just how life is at the Kitchen Stewardship house!”

This post is also an exercise in following directions, starting with this one: Comments on this post are NOT entries in the giveaway. You can comment at will with questions, comments, and the depth of your gratitude, but it won’t get you any prizes.

There are five different entry forms here to enter each of the separate giveaway contests. You need to enter each contest separately. The good deal? Although you will be asked to visit the sponsor of each contest you enter to thank them for offering a giveaway prize, you can get extra entries for all five contests just by sharing this post ONCE in any or all of the following ways:

How to Get Five Bonus Entries in Every Giveaway

If you want a really great deal, please consider taking my 2010 July Reader Survey (~2-3 minutes), which will earn you FIVE EXTRA ENTRIES in all 8 sun protective giveaways this week (over $400 worth of prizes)!

CLICK HERE TO TAKE READER SURVEY

I truly appreciate your input, which will help me improve Kitchen Stewardship by giving you what you want. The survey also gives me important statistics to help me explain to advertisers and sponsors (like the eight companies sponsoring giveaways this week) the benefits of working with the Kitchen Stewardship community.

The Giveaway Prizes:
Click the name to take you directly to the giveaway.

• TruKid Sunny Days ($15.99 value)
• California Baby Package ($31.95 value)
• Anarres Natural Health choice of lotion ($12 value)
• Kabana Green Screen Organic Sunscreen ($64 value)
• Miessence Organics Reflect Outdoor Balm ($27.90 value)

WIN IT: TruKid Sunny Days

TruKid is a creamy, easy application, sweet smelling orange sunblock, rated ONE at EWG’s Cosmetic Safety Database. It was an easy favorite for our family, and you can read more about my TruKid Sunny Days review (along with 27 others!).

The 3.5 oz. tube retails for $15.99. You can buy it at Amazon as well as TruKid online.

The prize: TruKid is offering a 3.5 oz. tube of Sunny Days Mineral Non-Chemical Sunscreen to one U.S. resident and KS reader.

Each giveaway in this post has a different mandatory entry for that particular contest:

Mandatory Entry: Visit TruKid and share something you learned about the company or the product. (The “About Us” tab has some neat background info.)

Extra bonus entries: You can also get two extra entries for following TruKid on Twitter OR signing up for their newsletter by clicking here or going to the signup form at the TruKid website. Remember that there are other bonus entries for all the giveaways on this post, as listed above. The TruKid giveaway has a total of NINE ways to enter plus a possible FIVE more entries if you take the reader survey.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE TRUKID GIVEAWAY!

Please remember, comments on this post are NOT contest entries.

WIN IT: California Baby Suncare Basics Tote

Nubius Organics is a great new find on the web, featuring “Healthy, Green products for Eco-Friendly Living” including reusable bottles and bags, organic items, and no-waste lunch supplies. Sounds like a perfect fit for the KS community!

The prize: open to any U.S. resident, California Baby Suncare Basics Tote ($31.95 value), which includes:

How cute is that? I’m jealous, since I only got the citronella sunscreen lotion, which we loved. It’s so, so waterproof. My son kept smelling his arm and exclaiming, “It smells so good!”

Mandatory Entry: Visit Nubius Organics and do a little shopping. What would be tops on your wish list? (We’re working on a green lunch packing giveaway for KS, too, so feel free to put in your vote for what would be best for that topic.)

Extra bonus entries: You can also get two extra entries for following Nubius Organics on Twitter OR giving them the ol’ “like” on Facebook.  Remember that there are other bonus entries for all the giveaways on this post, as listed above. The Nubius Organics giveaway has a total of NINE ways to enter plus a possible FIVE more entries if you take the reader survey.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE NUBIUS ORGANICS/CALIFORNIA BABY GIVEAWAY!

Please remember, comments on this post are NOT contest entries.

WIN IT: Anarres Natural Health Choice of Lotion

Although I had a bad experience with the Safe Sun Protection Cream from Anarres (see the natural sunscreen review for the story), I only had a chance to test it out once. I’m anxious to try it again this weekend, especially after its creator told me of a young man who bicycled across Canada. He used the product on his fair skin every day for 3 months and had no problems. He’s a new convert from chemical sunscreens!

The Anarres Safe Sun Protection Cream (SPF 30) was by far the most natural and “green” product I tested, with large particles of zinc oxide (325 microns) that can’t penetrate the skin and super certified, fair trade, often organic ingredients. Anarres’ other lotions are where I get a little giddy, though.

The Elemental Protection Lotion, Shea Intensive Healing Lotion, and Cocoa Light Lotion are all naturally SPF 15. Tracey TieF, a natural health consultant who mixes her own products by hand, explained to me how the natural products – avocado, cocoa, shea butter, and coconut oil – offer sun protection:

• help skin maintain moisture level, which makes it less burnable
• the plant manufactures its own protection from the sun, which in turn give the human skin a defense
• rather than absorb or reflect UV rays, the plant products help the body do better what it already does naturally to protect it from the sun (they don’t protect against UVA rays, but the zinc-based Sun Cream does)

What I love about these lotions:

• Ease: a creamy lotion in a pump bottle…
• Safety: …that’s not full of dangerous ingredients or petrochemicals.
• Absorption: It goes on smooth and sinks right in. I can almost feel it working immediately.
• Scent: The Elemental Protection and Cocoa Light Lotion smell like chocolate! Mmmm…
• Eco-friendly: The three lotions are in metal bottles with only a plastic pump apparatus. The Safe Sun Cream is in a glass jar.

My only problem with the lotions is that the Cocoa Light really shouldn’t be in a pump, as it’s much too thick to come out.

The prize: Choose any one of the four lotions/sun protective creams I reviewed, open to anyone in North America.

Mandatory Entry: Visit Anarres Natural Health and choose the lotion option you’d prefer for your giveaway prize. (Safe Sun Protection Cream, Elemental Protection Lotion, Shea Intensive Healing Lotion, Cocoa Light Lotion, all valued at $12 each)

Extra bonus entries: You can also get two extra entries for signing up for the Anarres newsletter by emailing anarreshealth@gmail.com or doing some extra looking around at the Anarres shop and choosing your favorite product. Remember that there are other bonus entries for all the giveaways on this post, as listed above. The Anarres giveaway has a total of NINE ways to enter plus a possible FIVE more entries if you take the reader survey.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE ANARRES GIVEAWAY!

Remember, comments on this post are not entries.

WIN IT: Kabana Green Screen Organic Sunscreen

Kabana Skin Care is perhaps one of the most impressive research-based products I found. There is true transparency about what is in the tube and why, and after spending a little time at the site, you almost feel like you know Erik Kreider, the founder, a scientist trained in biochemistry at Stanford who realized most of what we put on our skin is fundamentally not good for us.

There are only eight ingredients in Kabana Green Screen, 25% non-nano zinc oxide, and all the rest are certified organic (best in the industry). You don’t have to be a chemist to know you’re protecting yourself and children.  I’m not a 100% organic gal in my kitchen because of availability and frugality, but if you’re the kind of person who avoids all chemicals at all costs, this sunscreen may be the most economical choice of those with “ideal” ingredients.

I knew I had stumbled upon a quality company when the Kabana product samples arrived (very quickly) and inside was a piece of paper sharing that “Kabana Exclusively Uses Recycled Packing Materials” and it was printed on both sides. It’s so refreshing to be in contact with an eco-conscious company!

The prize: TWO 8-ounce tubes of either Green Screen SPF 20 Organic Sunscreen or Green Screen SPF 22 Organic Sunscreen (Tinted) – or one of each, as much as a $66 value (open to anyone in North America).

Mandatory Entry: Visit Kabana Skin Care and poke around a little. You can either comment with your favorite product OR a fact you learned from the extensive informative articles there.

Extra bonus entry: You can also get an extra entry for signing up for Kabana’s Newsletter. Remember that there are other bonus entries for all the giveaways on this post, as listed above. The Kabana giveaway has a total of EIGHT ways to enter plus a possible FIVE more entries if you take the reader survey.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE KABANA GIVEAWAY!

Remember that comments on this post are not entries.

WIN IT: Miessence Organics Reflect Outdoor Balm

If I could get Miessence to be a little more economical, it would be my top favorite. I’m impressed by its ability to make water bead up on the skin whenever it’s applied. Like Kabana, Miessence’s ingredients are second to none. They are often organic and always well-sourced. ONEgroup, the company that parents the Miessence brand, is another green business I enjoy working with.

Here is ONEgroup’s mission statement: An innovative product range of unrivalled purity and effectiveness combined with an ethical, unique and versatile business model that rewards all those associated with us through a financially stable, soundly managed company.

ONEgroup (Miessence) submitted the Reflect Outdoor Balm for third party review, which rated it to have a SPF of 29.5. For people afraid of burning, getting the SPF up there makes a big difference in perception.

A little note: All orders of $100 or more receive FREE shipping and handling.

The prize: a 3.5 ounce tube of Miessence Organics Reflect Outdoor Balm ($27.90 value)

Mandatory Entry: Visit Michelle’s Miessence page and do a little shopping. What do you see that is tempting you?

Extra bonus entries: You can also get three extra entries if you subscribe to Traditional Simplicity by email or RSS OR Follow @Shelbylyn1982 on Twitter OR “like” Traditional Simplicity on Facebook. Remember that there are other bonus entries for all the giveaways on this post, as listed above. The Miessence giveaway has a total of TEN ways to enter plus a possible FIVE more entries if you take the reader survey.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE MIESSENCE GIVEAWAY!

Remember that comments on this post are not entries.

I will use random.org’s integer generator to choose the winner.  Giveaways all close on Friday, August 13th at 11:59 p.m. EST, and the winners will be announced by Monday, August 16th.

WANT MORE PRIZES? Three of the sun protective clothing companies I worked with for this review are offering very generous prize packages, to be posted over the next few days. Be on the lookout!

If you missed the last Monday Mission, click here.

Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money.  If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.

Disclosure: I received products to review free of charge from all the companies in this giveaway, and they have offered the prizes listed here to you, also free of charge. I earn a small advertising fee to run a giveaway, but that in no way changes my opinion in the review (it takes a team of horses to do that, you see).

Hungry for More? Related posts:

1. Natural Sunscreen Review: Do Mineral-Based Sunblocks Work?
2. Sourdough Recipes Galore: Pizza Dough
3. Charlie’s Soap Natural Laundry Detergent and All-Purpose Cleaner: A Mixed Review

“If I get sunburned today, I’m really going to have a hard time putting trust in the natural sunscreen,” my husband said during our six hours in the sun, each slathered half and half with two different natural mineral sunscreens.

My husband has used the same sunscreen for years: Coppertone Sport, as high an SPF as they make. He has very light skin and burns before he tans. Especially after SPF 50 became available, he referred to his sunscreen as “black tarp”, because he figured about as much sunlight got through as if he had hidden under a black tarp. His skepticism about changing comes honestly, as he knows the real pain of being sunburned to a crisp.

Nonetheless, he was a good sport about this massive project to review 28 mineral based creams to search for the best, safest natural sunscreen!

Sunblocks vs. Sunscreens

The major difference between sunblocks and sunscreens is that sunblocks are mineral based (always) and sit on the surface of the skin. The active ingredients are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Sunscreens are generally chemical based and must be absorbed into the skin to be effective via a chemical reaction with the UV rays. Ingredients vary widely, as does their safety. (See my Food for Thought article on sunscreen safety.)

For the purposes of readability, in this review I’ll just use the term “sunscreen” when referring to both sunscreens and sunblocks. The FDA has said “sunblocks” is too misleading of a term anyway. Just remember that there is a difference and be smart about terminology like “mineral based” when shopping.

On Zinc Oxide

Zinc Oxide is sometimes referred to as the only safe sun protection available in a tube. It protects from the full spectrum of UVA and UVB rays, incredibly effectively, all by itself, making it truly the best natural sunscreen ingredient available. It is a sunblock, and sits on the surface of your skin forming a barrier between you and the rays of the sun.

In that vein, natural mineral sunblocks are notoriously difficult to rub in. Your skin ends up looking a little ghostly white from the sunblock. It’s a different look and can be a tricky transition if you’ve been used to spray sunscreen or lotion that’s super easy to rub in until it disappears. However, I’d rather take slightly pasty looking kids than tempt fate and skin cancer in the name of vanity.

I like being able to see the sunscreen sometimes. That way I know it’s still there and I feel like it’s working.

A deficit of zinc oxide sunblocks is the stained clothing factor. I was disappointed last summer by some zinc-based sunblock that made white marks on my nice, dark bathing suits. Testing so many of them, it was really difficult to pinpoint if any in particular stained the clothes, since we were switching so often. Some definitely did make marks on the new sun protective clothing we reviewed, so that hazard is real. Just realize that zinc-based mineral sunscreens have a high potential for staining dark clothing and take care accordingly.

Some people are also sensitive or allergic to zinc oxide. My 2-year-old daughter had an initial reaction of red, bumpy arms (but not bothersome or itchy that I could tell) with the very first sunblock we tested, but then it never happened again. I would believe that it might have even been a reaction to too much sun all at once, early in the season. When I was reading Musings of a Housewife’s natural sunscreen search, a commenter mentioned red bumpy skin as a reaction to zinc oxide, too. There are a few safe sunscreens listed below that do not contain zinc, so you’ll want to be on the lookout for them if you have a skin reaction.

How to Apply Sunscreen

You’re really supposed to use a lot of sunscreen in order for the SPF to be accurate. A grown man would need an entire ounce (shot glass full) of the stuff to reach full protection. From Sungrubbies, a company who partnered with me for the sun protective clothing review: “To reach the advertised SPF on a bottle of sunscreen a child needs to have applied: face and neck ½ tsp, one arm and hand ½ tsp.” Wow! An adult needs 2 teaspoons for just the back and shoulders (and that’s another reason I choose sun protective clothing most of the time!).

If you’re using a chemical sunscreen, you do need to (1) rub it into your skin so that it absorbs and (2) give it 20-30 minutes to fully absorb before you go into the direct sun. Mineral sunblocks begin to work right away and do not need to be rubbed in quite so vehemently.

An Important Lesson You Need to Know

When you’re checking out EWG’s Skin Deep Database and 2010 Sunscreen Safety Guide, you really need to write down exactly the name of those sunscreens that are rated safe. I ended up inadvertently accepting review samples of two sunscreens that were rated 6 (moderate hazard) at EWG, and I didn’t realize it until I was scanning the ingredients on the bottle: “Octisalate, Homosalate…”

“Hmmm. Those sound an awful lot like the same old chemicals in my Coppertone. I wonder how they got such a safe rating…”

Once I checked the database, I figured out my error. You can’t just remember the brand and head off to the store. Both Jason Naturals and Alba have chemical and mineral-based sunscreens, and it’s really easy to get them mixed up. It’s probably a smart idea for the company, since zinc oxide sunblocks don’t really achieve an SPF higher than 30. By making both, the brand can pull in all the natural mommas and please those super-safe moms who just want the higher SPF. (More on how SPF protection works and why higher isn’t always better.)

“Natural” Sunscreen?

If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that pretty much everything on the sunscreen bottle or tube is meaningless, especially the word “natural.” When the same brand of sunscreen can have versions that are mineral based and others that are chemical sunscreens, each with radically different ingredients, and blatantly label both “natural,” you can’t be too careful.

In my search for the best natural sunscreen, sunscreens called themselves sunblocks and vice versa. Many claims are made on sun cream tubes, from “water resistant” “eco-friendly” “photostable” “non-greasy” “biodegradable” “broad spectrum” and “UVA/UVB protection” to all the following terms as “_____ free!”

• Tears
• Parabens
• Gluten (& other allergens)
• Chemical

Why is it all so confusing? Mostly because the FDA has yet to issue strict sunscreen standards, so everyone is just poking along trying to figure out what to do. The FDA is working on something, and you can read this article about the work in progress. It’s possible that very high SPFs will be illegal since they don’t offer a vast amount more protection even though “SPF 100″ sounds impressive.

For now, you need to ignore the word “natural” and learn to read the ingredients: How to Understand Sunscreen Active Ingredients

Among Chemical Sunscreens…

It was still helpful to have the “wrong” sunscreens, because I could compare those chemical sunscreens that pitch themselves as “natural” with some really conventional sunscreens that were lying around my grandparents’ house at the lake. Some time ago I memorized a list of chemicals to be avoided (even more than other chemicals) from Greg Horn’s Living Green: A Practical Guide to Simple Sustainability. I couldn’t help but notice many of them in the conventional sunscreen ingredients, including parabens just piling up, yet none of note in the Alba and Jason chemical sunscreens. At least you can get the lesser of the chemical evils if a zinc oxide based sunblock doesn’t work for your family for whatever reason.

How Often do I Choose Sunscreen, Anyway?

At the Kimball house, we’re seeking a balance of getting some unprotected exposure to the sun, seeking shade between 10 and 3 or so, and using the safest sunblock we can find for those times when we’re bound to be outside. Nobody wants to burn, and my family would be scarlet if the rays are too intense. In general, though, I avoid sunscreen as much as possible, even the safer ones. Bring on the Vitamin D! See yesterday’s research post for Vitamin D benefits and why we need it, and here’s another succinct article on balancing sun exposure and why too much time indoors increases your risk of skin cancer. Fascinating!

How to Review Natural Sunscreens

The Environmental Working Group recommends fewer than 40 safe sunscreens at its 2010 Sunscreen Safety Guide. I started there and ended up with 28 sunscreens, 25 of which are rated 0-3 at EWG’s Skin Deep Database. Are you ready for an epic post?

How we tested: I always put two kinds of sunscreen on, one of each half of our families’ bodies.

Even when in the sun all day, unless we made a mistake and didn’t reapply properly, we hardly had any sunburns. Once I did forget to apply sunscreen to my own face, and it got slightly, slightly pink while my shoulders did not. I was encouraged to know that the zinc oxide based mineral sunscreens clearly do something effective.

Here are the criteria I attempted to analyze with each product:

• Did anyone get a sunburn? Since I used two kinds almost every time, I was always looking to see if there was a difference in the tan/burn on either side. Sometimes (on myself only) I would leave one side without any treatment just to try to really test the product to see if I could burn. (And I did, ahem…)
• EWG Safety Rating? The Environmental Working Group rates tens of thousands of personal products based on each ingredient’s safety: cancer-causing, hormone disruptors, etc. A rating of 0-2 is generally deemed “safe,” and 3 is close enough for me!
• Stays on in water? Repels water? I was very surprised to see water actually beading up on our skin with most of the zinc-based mineral sunblocks. I liked it! I felt like I was visibly able to see that the sunblock would remain on while in the water. Some of them still repelled water after 3+ hours.
  
• Stings eyes? How often have you comforted a screaming child whose eyes were stung by a chemical sunscreen? I’ve seen it happen, and stinging eyes is one of the reasons my husband has liked his “sport” sunscreen so well. I don’t want to purchase a sunscreen that will make my kids afraid to put it on because it hurts. You won’t see me mention this much in the individual reviews, because no one ever screamed, cried, or complained about stinging of any kind.
• Greasy or creamy? For many people, consistency can be a deal breaker when everything else is similar. I don’t really care as long as it works, but I will tell you what I can about how the product feels on the skin.
• Rubs in well? Mineral sunblocks, by nature, just don’t rub in well. They’re sitting on top of the skin to block the sun. That said, some rub in better than others.
• Separates? Some of the products separate in the tube. This one doesn’t really matter to me, but I thought I’d share in case it does to you.
• Forms visible barrier? Although this is pretty much the opposite of “rubs in well” and might be a negative to some people, it makes me happy if I can see the sunblock at work. Then I know if it’s come off in the water.
• In the individual reviews below, I’ll classify the four categories above as “Ease of application” and rate it overall with a (+) as a high score, a (+/-) for the middle ground and a (-) for a negative rating.
  Many mineral sunblocks are much thicker than your standard chemical sunscreen; this is Miessence Outdoor Balm.
• Pleasant scent? My aromatic addict 5-year-old kept me straight on this one, giving his immediate and honest opinion on how each sunscreen smelled upon application.
• Skin reaction? I’ll tell you if anyone got a rash from any of the products. That’s a pretty important indicator of quality!
• Nano vs. micronized minerals? Whether this matters or not, I think it’s important to know what’s in the sunblock choices so you can make an informed decision. I explained nano particles of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide (those are the small ones) at yesterday’s research post. Be sure to see the comments as well for even more perspectives. Micronization is just the basic process of making the minerals smaller and is deemed safe as only nano particle absorb into the skin. Here is EWG’s letter to the FDA requesting more testing and information about nano particles.

Kitchen Stewardship Recommends…

The following natural sunscreens and sunblocks are in no particular order within the section. Recommendations are based on overall impression, safety, and price. The best sunblocks in this first section are those I could actually see myself purchasing for my family.

KABANA GIVEAWAY ($66 value)!

TRUKID GIVEAWAY ($15.99 value)!

Other Good Alternatives…

This section includes sunblock options that either have a few more questionable ingredients, are more pricey than I’d like, or have some feature that disagreed with me. For example, I really want to put California Baby on the “recommends” list because we loved it and it’s easy to find at Target…but it is awfully pricey and doesn’t include any zinc.

CALIFORNIA BABY GIVEAWAY ($32.95 value)!

MIESSENCE GIVEAWAY ($27.90 value)!

It’s almost hard to believe how well Miessence repels water. The product was applied on skin already wet with sweat, and the photo was taken after about a half an hour, obviously after more sweating.

Keys Soap on the left, Miessence on the right. The difference is striking! Can you see the the Keys is actually dripping down the skin just from sweat?

ANARRES GIVEAWAY choice ($12 value)!

The Jury is Out…

I either didn’t have time to conduct a proper test or ran into a problem (like a sunburn) that hasn’t been replicated, but makes me nervous about recommending the products here.

Not Recommended…

I can’t love everything. These sunscreens either are too pricey for my budget (and likely that of my readers), have too many ingredients I don’t like, or I just wasn’t impressed. A girl’s entitled to an opinion!

I was supposed to get Jason Sunbrellas Mineral Based Physical Sunblock, SPF 30, but I didn’t know better than to ask for anything more specific than “Jason Sunbrellas.” You really have to watch closely!

I was supposed to get Alba Botanica Very Emollient Mineral Protection Sunblock, with zinc oxide, but here again I didn’t know better about asking for super specific items. It JUST arrived as I was formatting this post. Better late than never!

What Else to Look For

I certainly didn’t test every safe, natural product out there. There were a few others on my list that I wasn’t able to acquire, and I notice that some are sold in normal retail stores that are pretty safe, including one I picked up a few years ago thinking it might sound “safer” without even knowing what I was doing! You can always check the Cosmetic Safety Database at EWG to get the lowdown on any ingredients in just about every personal product in the world. Here are a few examples of big brand, retail store sunscreens that are still rated under 4 for safety:

Coppertone Kids Pure and Simple Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50 (rated 3): A great example of a zinc based sunscreen with added chemical UV absorbers that are the safest available.

Ocean Potion Suncare Natural Mineral Protective Lotion, Faces SPF 45 Uses only zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as active ingredients; a couple other bad ingredients get it up to a 4 rating at EWG. Kids’ version is only a 3.

UPDATE: There’s a spray sunscreen rated 3 at EWG! A lot of people mourn the loss of the easy sprays when they switch to natural mineral sunscreen, so this one is a good compromise. Doctor T’s Supergoop is a chemical sunscreen but still rates only a 3 and has broad spectrum protection. Now I want to test that, too…

If you appreciated the information in this post, please take a moment to pass it on to others by emailing, tweeting, or sharing on Facebook. I appreciate the compliment when you value my work!

FIVE companies have sponsored giveaways for you to try some natural sunscreens, too, and they’re coming later tonight! You won’t want to miss this week, so be sure to sign up for a free email subscription or grab my reader feed. You can also follow me on Twitter, get KS for Kindle, or see my Facebook Fan Page to keep updated on all the sunny goings-on this week and beyond. (Sun protective clothing is coming up next!)

Want to know more about what Kitchen Stewardship can do for you? Check out 7 Reasons to Subscribe to Kitchen Stewardship and the mission of the site.

Thank You to the Natural Sunscreen Review Sponsors

I’m very appreciative of all the companies and individuals who partnered with me on this project, with whom I never would have been able to review 28 natural sunscreens, including:

1. Kabana, a research-based skin care company grounded in green goals.
2. Nubius Organics, who will also be working with me on a back-to-school giveaway in August!
3. Vitacost.com, who worked so hard to get me natural sunblock samples they even ordered from another company.
4. Michelle Brumgard, a KS reader and sponsor, who shared her Miessence product and fab customer service with me.
5. TruKid, who made sure I was aware of the EWG database – love that!
6. Acacia Organics, a small store where they make sure everything passes the highest organic standards.
7. Angie Regali, a Keys Soap reseller who was the inspiration behind the entire project when she offered my family a sample of her broad spectrum sunblock.
8. Tracey TieF at Anarres Natural Health, whose lotion ingredients are so natural they make me hungry.
9. Sungrubbies.com, where sun protection and natural ingredients are the keys to their business. I had a great conversation with Gail there about different sunscreens, even though I was calling to inquire about clothing!
10. Solartex Sun Gear, a mom-run company who you’ll see more of later in the week with sun protective clothing.
11. DermStore.com, where natural sunscreens and more have free shipping every day.
12. Lucky Vitamins.com, selling natural sunscreen and other nutrition and wellness items.
13. Caribbean Sol.com, selling natural body products and even natural dog shampoos.
14. Beauty Intuition, featuring quite a number of safe sunscreens ranked 0-3 at EWG.

Disclosure: Every product I reviewed was received from one of the companies listed above without charge. However, they cannot and did not expect a positive review, just an honest one (which is, of course, what I’m here to provide). Some companies provided products for giveaways as well, along with an advertising fee. They still didn’t get special treatment in the review, which is just for you, my readers. J There are affiliate links in this post, including Amazon and Kabana, from which I will receive a commission, so thank you very, very much for starting your shopping here if you can’t find a product locally.

This post is entered in Fight Back Friday and Finer Things Friday.

Hungry for More? Related posts:

1. Food for Thought: Sun, Sunscreen, and Safety – How Much do You Need? (Part One)
2. Sun, Sunscreen, Skin Cancer and Safety: How Much do You Need?
3. Sun Protective Clothing Review: Thoughts on Two U.S. Companies

Like almost any topic in the field of health and wellness, it seems there is a tangled web of research and opinions when it comes to sun exposure and sunscreens. Should we wear SPF 50 sunscreen for our walk from the house to the mailbox, or should we shun all sunscreens in our quest to increase our Vitamin D levels as much as possible? Do we buy sun protective clothing to safeguard every inch of our skin from the damaging UV rays, or should the real cause of our cancer fears be the sunscreen ingredients themselves?

As usual, I’m going to seek the balance on this controversial topic and try to share with you some brief synopses of the current research on the issue. I lean heavily on the EWG 2010 Sunscreen Guide but realize that multiple sources are necessary, especially when I read articles like this one questioning EWG’s scientific validity. In spite of the rebuttal, I think EWG does a great job organizing a wealth of information.

What is the Difference Between Sunscreen and Sunblock?

Before we get into the topic too deeply, let’s start with terminology. In general, tubes of sun protection use both terms fairly interchangeably, but officially sunscreens use chemical “absorbers” and sunblocks use physical blockers to protect the skin from UV radiation and sunburns.

The ultimate questions for any suncream is: Does it protect from both UVA (cancer causing) and UVB (skin damaging/burning) rays? Look for terms like “broad spectrum” coverage or ingredients like avobenzone, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, all of which protect from UVA rays. All sunscreens will protect from UVB rays because you’d notice if it wasn’t working!

How Sunscreen Works

“Sunscreens absorb UV energy and have to be absorbed into the upper layer of skin to really get up to full speed,” says Darrell Rigel, clinical professor of dermatology at New York University Langone Medical Center. ^(source) A chemical reaction takes place between the sunscreen ingredients and the UV rays to “screen” your body from most of the effects of the sun. That’s why the instructions on the sunscreen bottles say to put it on 20 minutes before being exposed to the sun. It needs that time to sink in to your skin before its full SPF is realized. ^{(1, 2, 3)}

How Sunblock Works

Sunblock, on the other hand, is called a “physical” block rather than chemical. It sits on the surface of your skin rather than being absorbed into it. Most sources say that sunblocks “reflect and scatter UV light.” ^{(1, 2, 3, 4 and many more)}

On the other hand, the founder of Kabana, one of the products I’m testing for tomorrow’s review, disagrees with that explanation and claims instead:

“Zinc oxide has a broader UV absorption profile than titanium dioxide, which is noteworthy, because much misinformation populates the media about how these chemicals protect us – they do NOT reflect and scatter in the UV spectrum – rather zinc oxide absorbs UV and does so very effectively. The media (and ‘experts’ alike) need to investigate the physical chemistry of these compounds, rather than assume they reflect UV light because they look white in the visible spectrum. They do reflect in the visible, but would look black in the UV.” ^(source)

Either way, sunblocks use minerals that sit on the surface of the skin (usually zinc oxide and titanium dioxide) rather than chemicals that sink into the skin to protect one from the sun. Mineral sunblocks begin working right away on both UVA and UVB rays, so there’s no need to apply 20 minutes before sun exposure.

What is a Sunburn?

What exactly are we trying to protect ourselves from when we use sunscreen, anyway? (Note: I will use the term “sunscreen” alone to refer to both sunscreen and sunblock when both apply simply to avoid having to write sunscreen/sunblock constantly.) According to this video from a dermatologist: Ultraviolet rays of sun penetrate the skin and cause damage to the skin. Inflammation and redness is a first level sunburn. Blistering means deeper damage to the skin. Tanned skin is superficially damaged skin. Tanning is the skin’s way of trying to protect the skin from damage.

What Does an SPF Mean?

Every person’s skin has a certain tolerance for sun, and SPF (Sun Protection Factor) multiplies that tolerance. If you could spend 15 minutes in the sun without getting burned, applying the appropriate amount of an SPF 15 product would allow you spend 15 times 15 minutes in the sun.

Another way of describing SPF is to say that the sunscreen absorbs UV rays at a percentage based on the SPF. For example, that SPF 15 sunscreen would allow your skin to absorb 1/15 th of the UV rays that it would if you weren’t wearing any protection. That’s about 6.7% of the rays coming through your sunscreen.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Using that formula, an SPF of 45 allows your skin to absorb 2.2% of the UV rays. Increasing the SPF three times only increased the protection by 4.5%. ^(source) Some use that data to claim that SPF 15 is really all you’ll need, since higher SPFs don’t add much protection at all.

Often studies show that those who use a higher SPF are more likely to get melanoma (skin cancer), possibly because they’re tricked into thinking they’re safe from the sun and stay out longer.

Sunscreens and Sunblocks Release Free Radicals

The sun is said to cause cancer because it forms free radicals in the skin. Sunscreens and sunblocks may block that radiation, but in the process they also form free radicals, because all the energy from the sun has to go somewhere. The trick is to block more free radicals than the sun cream creates. Many sunscreens include natural antioxidants like Vitamin E or green tea to combat the formation of free radicals in the skin. ^(source)

The Risks of Chemical Sunscreens

Since chemically-based sunscreens have to be absorbed into your skin just to start working, they have one strike against them already just for entering your system instead of sitting on the surface. Some of the potential health risks of chemical sunscreens include:

• Hormone disruption; mimics estrogen and raises risk of breast cancer (theoretical but frightening) ¹
• Allergic reactions
• Bioaccumulation in tissue and organs (found in 97% of Americans’ bloodstreams!)²
• Also found in mother’s milk, demonstrating its reach even to the unborn
• Failure to biodegrade in the environment ³

Oxybenzone is the chemical ingredient with the most fingers pointing at it; that’s the one found in 97% of Americans. If I was only avoiding one ingredient, Oxybenzone would probably be the winner, especially for children, whose small bodies make them especially susceptible to endocrine disruptors.

Those free radicals that form when the sun’s rays touch the sunscreen are ironic, don’t you think, since you can’t exactly avoid that situation, or you wouldn’t need sunscreen in the first place. Free radicals are cancer-causing, but here’s the catch: It’s thought that both the sunscreen and the sun must penetrate deeper into the skin in order for the problems to happen.

If you reapply, the new sunscreen will, in theory, block the sun afresh and stop its path to the already well-absorbed sunscreen. If you don’t reapply, you may just be inviting skin cancer to roost in your skin. Applying a chemical sunscreen one time, particularly one with oxybenzone, and forgetting to reapply when still in the sun may have worse consequences than not applying any sun protection at all.

Are There Safer Chemical Sunscreens?

Perhaps you don’t like the ghostly pallor of folks using zinc-based sunscreens, which are opaque white and notoriously hard to rub in well (see tomorrow’s natural sunscreen review for more info). Perhaps you’ve tried them and burned. If you are still hooked on using a chemical sunscreen for whatever reason, there are safer choices. Remember this:

• Always avoid oxybenzone (B for “bad”) rated 9 at EWG
• Usually avoid anything with “methoxycinnamate” or octinoxate in the name (no “cinn”amon or “ox”es in sunscreen) rated 6 at EWG
• Usually avoid Padimate O/PABA (PaBa = pretty bad, allergies, allergies!) rated 6 at EWG
• Homosalate is okay (homosalate for homosapiens) rated 4 at EWG
• Octocrylene is okay (octoCrylene gets a “C” grade) rated 3 at EWG
• Choose Octisalate (octiSalate is Safe) rated 3-4 at EWG
• Choose Avobenzone (A for “A plus” rating) rated 2 at EWG (Avobenzone is also the ingredient that screens for the UVA rays, so it’s important to have this one or one of the minerals titanium dioxide or zinc oxide to get broad spectrum coverage.)

Mineral Sunblocks: Nano vs. Micronized Particles

As soon as you learn to look for words like “zinc oxide” and “titanium dioxide” on your sunscreen (sunblock!) bottles, another layer reveals itself. Apparently smaller sized pieces of the minerals protect one better from the UV rays of the sun. They also rub in more effectively. Many sunblocks therefore use “nano particles” of both zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.

The smaller the particle, unfortunately, the more likely it is that it is absorbed into the skin’s cells, where it could cause unknown problems, including…what else? Cancer. ^{1, 2, 3} The nano particles may also be more hazardous to the environment and even if swallowed inadvertently while swimming.

You might also see the term “micronized” on a sunblock using zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. This is a smaller form of the minerals, but not as small as “nano”. If the ingredients weren’t “micronized” – simply the process of grinding them smaller – they would be gritty like sand, rather ineffective at protecting your skin, and pure opaque white if it was possible to apply correctly. Micronized minerals are not small enough to get through the cell walls and are nothing to worry about.

Not all sunscreens disclose on the labels whether they use nano or micronized minerals. A good rule of thumb: If your zinc or titanium sunscreen goes on clear it is nanosized.

Here is some scholarly research worth reading if you really want to know more: A review of the scientific literature on the safety of nanoparticulate titanium dioxide or zinc oxide in sunscreens

Is Zinc Oxide Better Than Titanium Dioxide?

Some sunblocks and companies are quick to label that the product “does not contain titanium dioxide!” which leads me to wonder why zinc oxide is being chosen over titanium dioxide, when the EWG rates titanium dioxide as 1-3, “low to moderate hazard” and zinc oxide ranks as 2-10, low to high hazard, depending on product usage. Sunscreen zinc oxide is 4-10. And the European Union classifies zinc oxide as “very toxic to aquatic organisms.” Huh? ^(source)

Titanium dioxide is flagged as a newly labeled carcinogen (cancer-causing agent), but upon reading this review and others, I realized that the cancer (in rats) was only after inhaling titanium dioxide dust, which you’re not going to be exposed to when you’re just wearing sunscreen. That may be the reason some sunblocks choose not to use it, but I don’t think it’s a valid interpretation.

I finally found this article at Kabana’s website that pointed out that while zinc oxide is an essential mineral even found in vitamins, titanium dioxide is a heavy metal and likely toxic. It does make sense that you’d want to choose the one for your skin that you could also ingest. Zinc oxide is also the only active sunscreen ingredient approved by the FDA for infants under six months, which is a striking fact. Zinc oxide is the active ingredient in many diaper rash crèmes, which is a pretty clear indication that it’s gentle and safe for even the most sensitive skin.

Zinc oxide is a better sunscreen ingredient, as it offers the best UVA protection of all current sunscreen chemicals, and titanium dioxide is second best. ^(source) I don’t know that I’d avoid titanium dioxide with as much vehemence as I avoid oxybenzone, for example, but pure zinc oxide sunblocks are probably the best choice.

The Dangers of Sunshine? Or One More Danger of Sunscreen?

The real question is whether or not we need protection from the sun at all.

It seems that it’s simply common knowledge, no source needed, that the UV radiation from the sun (both UVA and UVB) increase one’s risk of skin cancer, and that any time spent in the sun, and particularly any sunburns, are one of the root causes of skin cancer.

Sunscreen is often used as the first (only?) line of defense against the skin cancer monster. Unfortunately, both the EWG and the FDA warn that “sunscreens should not be the first choice for skin cancer prevention or used as the sole agent for protection against the sun.” The International Agency for Research on Cancer writes, “Sunscreens were never developed to prevent skin cancer. In fact, there is no evidence to recommend that sunscreens prevent skin cancer in humans.” (Zoe Diana Draelos, editor of Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2010)

Some, like Dr. Michael Eades, a blogger with an M.D., and Dr. Michael Holick, who just wrote a book on how to get enough Vitamin D, would say the reason sunscreen use is linked to skin cancer is that the sun isn’t the problem at all. They point to the fact that there is little to no scientific research that the sun causes melanoma and plenty of data demonstrating that chronic sun exposure and vitamin D seem to prevent it. ^(source)

Skin Cancer: a Sun Issue?

Although it’s easy to accept “the sun causes skin cancer,” research shows that other options might include:

1. diet
2. skin tone/heredity
3. sunscreens themselves
4. vitamin A

Here is one example of a study from 2005 in the Journal of Public Health Nutrition that “aimed at examining the association between dietary constituents and risk of cutaneous melanoma.” In a small population segment in Italy, the researchers found two dietary factors that increased melanoma risk:

1. high linoleic acid intake (that’s polyunsaturated fats, also known as industrial oils like soybean, corn, and vegetable oil)
2. low soluble carbohydrate intake

There is anecdotal evidence from people who eradicate industrial polyunsaturates from their diet and suddenly have a high tolerance for the sun and rarely (if ever) burn. I don’t have any data, however, that demonstrate the link between sunburn and diet (not to say that it doesn’t exist).

Other evidence shows that “fair-skinned people really are at a higher risk for skin cancer, regardless of how much sun their country gets.” Still more research shows that chemical sunscreens cause “profound changes in sun behavior.” There can be more damage staying too long in the sun with a high SPF sunscreen than if bare skin were exposed to UV rays, particularly if you don’t reapply as I mentioned above.

Vitamin A, one of the antioxidants added to many sunscreens, was just pegged by an FDA study that showed that retinyl palmitate, a form of Vitamin A, may speed the development of skin tumors and lesions when exposed to sunlight. ^(source)

Vitamin D: The benefits of sunshine

If sun may not be the enemy, is it possible that it’s actually a healthy advantage? It seems to fly in the face of popular reason from a few years ago to say that we need sunshine, but it’s been hard to miss the trend toward healthy sun exposure vs. avoidance of the sun at all costs.

Vitamin D is essential for good health. Sure, it’s synthesized and added to milk, but the best and most natural way to get your daily dose of Vitamin D is to spend some time in the sun. (gasp!) Yes, that’s right – time in the sun is healthy for you. In fact, the American Medical Association recommends Vitamin D in the form of 10 to 15 minutes of direct sun (without sunscreen) several times a week. Dermatologists disagree, citing the skin cancer risk.

Want a fact? Over twice as many people will be struck with a health issue because of Vitamin D deficiency as will be affected by overexposure to the sun.

Vitamin D is necessary for:

• Healthy bones
• Strong immune system
• Protection from cancer
• Cardiovascular health

Lack of vitamin D increases your risk of ^(source):

• Heart attack
• Colon cancer
• Breast cancer risk
• And possibly: skin cancer, metabolic disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and dozens more ^(source)

Many scientists and organizations recommend MORE Vitamin D in this editorial request from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:

Human diets do not provide sufficient vitamin D; if they did, the abovementioned associations between health and serum 25(OH)D concentrations would not be so routinely observed. The vitamin D provided by foods and supplements is overwhelmed by the effect of skin exposure to ultraviolet B light. Geography, season, skin color, and sun-related behavior are the main predictors of vitamin D nutritional status. Correction of low 25(OH)D concentrations can happen only if some or all of the following are implemented: the encouragement of safe, moderate exposure of skin to ultraviolet light; appropriate increases in food fortification with vitamin D; and the provision of higher doses of vitamin D in supplements for adults.

I remain fascinated by this article on Vitamin D and sun exposure by Dr. Michael Eades. Here are a few notable points:

• An SPF 8 reduces vitamin D synthesis by 90 percent. Just putting on basic sunscreen and going out in the sun makes it so that you’re not getting much Vitamin D. I think about the days when I stuck sunscreen on my toddler first thing in the morning when I read that kind of statistic.
• When you are exposed to sunlight, you make not only vitamin D but also at least five and up to ten additional photoproducts that you would never get from dietary sources.
• “8,700 people died last year from melanoma.  We know that sun exposure and vitamin D (along with maybe the other 5-10 photoproducts we synthesize from sun exposure) help prevent breast, colon and prostate cancer. Last year 40,230 people died from breast cancer, 32,050 from prostate cancer and 51,370 from colon cancer. So, on the one hand, we have 8,700 people die of a disease that probably isn’t related to sun exposure while on the other we have 123,650 who died from cancers known to be related to lack of sun exposure.” I realize you can twist statistics to demonstrate just about anything, but these are striking to me!

How Much Sun is Enough?

How do we synthesize all this information and apply it to what we’re going to do the next time we walk out the door into the sunshine? Here’s how I break it down so I can digest the facts in one bite:

• The sun may or may not cause skin cancer, which can be treatable or deadly.
• The sun DOES cause sunburns, which just plain hurt (among other possible negative side effects).
• Chemical sunscreens may or may not cause skin cancer, and there are other health and environmental risks linked to oxybenzone and other active ingredients.
• Mineral sunscreens have a slight chance of causing skin cancer, too, but are much safer otherwise than the chemical kinds. Zinc oxide is always broad spectrum, so it protects your skin from all the radiation from the sun, not just the burning rays.
• We need Vitamin D – from the sun – for optimal health.
• Sunscreen and sunblock also block Vitamin D.
• Therefore we need some time in the sun, unprotected.
• Nobody wants a sunburn, so….

…the bottom line is that we need some sunshine every day, unprotected, for Vitamin D, but we have to balance that time in the sun with the risk of sunburn for our particular skin type. If your sun exposure needs to be at 8:00 a.m. in order for you not to burn, and then you use the safest natural sunblock you can find, I’d say that’s a pretty good application of the information.

For our family, I’m determined to have some options for safe sunscreen for those times when we’re in the sun in the middle of day and can’t seek shade. I’m also determined to only use sunscreen when necessary and try to balance sun and shade, sun protective hats with basking in the Vitamin-D enriched rays. We’re fortunate enough to have a rather shady yard, so I am in control of our sun exposure most of the time.

Our family has been experimenting with about 25 brands of (mostly) natural sunscreens, those rated 0-3 (safe) at the EWG Cosmetic Safety Database, along with sun protective clothing from five companies. Here is my massive natural sunscreen review and five giveaways so you can try some, too (coming soon)! Friday will highlight sun protective clothing and even more giveaways, totaling over $400 this week.

You won’t want to miss anything during Sunshine Awareness week, so be sure to sign up for a free email subscription or grab my reader feed. You can also follow me on Twitter, get KS for Kindle, or see my Facebook Fan Page to keep up on what’s going on.

Other sunshine links for further reading:

• The benefits of sunshine at Simple Organic.
• A great overview of 9 Surprising Truths About Sunscreen at EWG
• Stephanie’s tips for smart sun exposure, timing, etc. and how her family avoids sunscreen most of the time
• Jo-Lynne’s thoughts on finding a good natural sunscreen (see comments for good ideas)
• Stephanie on whether or not to use sunscreen at all (great thoughts in the comments)

There are some affiliate links in this post. See my full disclosure statement here.

Hungry for More? Related posts:

1. Food for Thought: Sun, Sunscreen, and Safety – How Much do You Need? (Part One)
2. Natural Sunscreen Review: Do Mineral-Based Sunblocks Work?
3. Sun Protective Clothing Review: Cover Up and Get Out of the Sun?

I’m on vacation camping through tonight, so for your Monday, please relax and enjoy some time off from making changes.  It’s summer!

Do read Friday’s post to find out what’s coming this week during Sun Appreciation week at Kitchen Stewardship, and I’ll see you all tomorrow with some epic articles!

Hungry for More? Related posts:

1. Monday Mission: Time to Tackle Lard and Tallow
2. Monday Mission: Buy Local Produce
3. Monday Mission: Memorial Day Review Week