I am so pale, I had coffee with Ryan this morning and we discussed my tanning strategy. Why I would discuss risk factors with someone who sky dives for fun is another issue altogether. He said I should avoid the sun from 1 - 3, I thought I should do 2 hours 2 - 4. I don't have a clock or phone in my bag so I time my tan listening to tracks on my iPod, this has the added advantage of blocking out the unbearable sound of other people. I estimate that I did 90 minutes between 2 and 3.30. I think if I do an extra 30 minutes each day I can build up to brown over the next few weeks. My friend Jess is doing a project about replacing chemical products with safer alternatives. She asked me to name the ones I could not do without. Right now Clarins Sun Oil SPF 15 is one. Clarin's Gentle Foaming Cleanser and Clarin's Daily Energiser Lotion SPF 15. The thing I don't understand about SPF's is this, if a product is factor 15 then I understand that it means that you can be in the sun 15 times longer without burning. If you then reapply your product - do you get another '15 times longer' or is it a once a day thing?
Aaaargh sunscreen. This is one of the most gnarly subjects in beauty. There are a few things to know, briefly:
ReplyDelete1. SPF refers only to the product's ability to filter UVB rays. UVB is implicated in basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas. UVB also causes sunburn.
2. To filter UVA rays we need a 'broad spectrum' sunscreen. UVA is implicated in DNA damage leading to malignant melanomas and does not cause visible sunburn.
3. The SPF scale is held to be so misleading that in Australia, the home of sunscreens, products may only be labelled to an upper limit of SPF30.
4. Sunscreen must be applied throughout the day in order to be effective. There is no such thing as 'all day protection'.
5. Many chemical sunscreens are not only toxic to humans (they release free radicals and are suspected hormone disruptors) they also cause a great deal of damage to marine environments. A common chemical sunscreen is Oxybenzone, but new ones are being developed all the time and they are largely untested.
6. The most effective, non toxic physical sunscreen (as opposed to chemical) is Zinc Oxide, closely followed by Titanium Dioxide. These are the minerals that make you look white. Therefore, manufacturers finely grind or 'micronise' the ZO to make it appear less white on the skin. This leads to another hazard: nano particles - particles so small that they can be absorbed through the skin. There has been almost no research into the long-term health effects of nano particles. Avoid anything that uses the terms 'nano' or 'micronised'.
I use Green People SPF15 with tan accelerator. It is very light. http://bit.ly/r2VNTS
For greater protection in high summer, I use Green People No Scent Sun Lotion SPF 25. http://bit.ly/GW384C
9 Surprising Truths About Sunscreen: http://bit.ly/GUTZK3