Which Sun cream, if any?

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Permalink Reply by Heather* on July 24, 2012 at 12:47am

I know how you feel!  I have very pale skin and have never been able to tan in my life and I still burn after about 15 minutes even after years of trying to condition my skin to the sun as well as cleaning up my diet.  I use natural sunscreens with zinc oxide - the one I buy is from Mexitan, but it is in the US and I don't know of any in the UK.  But you can also buy some zinc oxide and add it to any good natural lotion you have.  I forget the exact percentages, but there are resources online for diy sunscreen, and this allows you to also control how much protection you want. 

Also, the best after sun care I have found is lavender essential oil - just mix some in with your favorite oil (I use jojoba or coconut)  Lavender is safe to use at high concentrations.  Very soothing and smells great, too!  Hope that helps, and have a great holiday!

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Hand on July 24, 2012 at 6:23pm

Thanks Heather

I will now start to research it.

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Permalink Reply by David Costa on July 24, 2012 at 1:03am

I've read on here that sunscreen just lets you stay out too long and be still exposed to some dangerous wavelengths of light without getting the sunburn telling you to cover up. Whatever crap is said on some sunscreen bottle I choose to accept as a load of crap, can't trust some company selling you something.

I've been going without recently and just getting covered up or getting out of the sun when I think it's been long enough, get covered long before you feel a burn, I would concentrate on buying a hat and some shirts that can keep you cool comfortable and covered from the sun when you have had enough, this way you can stay outside and not have to go rot indoors the rest of the day.

Been wondering about building up a tolerance to the sun, does that work or do you just need to be of dark skinned descent to tolerate the sun all day?

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Hand on July 24, 2012 at 6:53pm

Hi David

Good advice I think, although I think you are right about building up a tolerance this diet seems to be fantastic for the skin and today I am changing colour without any nasty pain and peeling. I wonder whether the diet helps make more melatoin or makes it more readily available thus contributing to the natural build up allowing even whitest skin go more golden and be more tolerate?

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Permalink Reply by Vice Abattoir on July 24, 2012 at 1:08am

I'm not sure if there is indeed a dangerous amount to be in the sun, however i do know that sun creams work like this :

The SPF means how long you can stay in the sun-times longer- before reapplying

For instance, if without sun cream you'd be able to stay in the sun for 10 minutes without burning, SPF cream of 4 would allow you 10x4 = 40 minutes before reapplying, SPF 20 = 20x10 minutes before reapplying etc etc.

the amount of time someone can stay in the sun without sun cream differs depending on pigmentation, so you'd be able to tell for yourself, by yourself.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Hand on July 24, 2012 at 6:55pm

Cheers Vice

Very helpful as I did not know this.

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Permalink Reply by Delight on July 24, 2012 at 1:59am

I agree with Heather about the lavender oil for after sun.  That stuff works miracles on any kind of burn including sunburn!  Just be sure to get the real deal - good quality oil.

I also agree about the zinc oxide or titanium oxide.  They are physical sunblocks (as opposed to chemical sunblocks).  They do make your skin look even whiter though.  :)

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Hand on July 24, 2012 at 7:00pm

Thanks Delight

I will look into it. I Presume when you say 'good quality oil' you are referring to buying the purest and the most expensive one can afford?

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Permalink Reply by Delight on July 25, 2012 at 11:21am

Haha  :)  Yep, that's usually how it goes, isn't it?  It doesn't have to be the most expensive.  Some good brands are Young Living, Forever Green.  I've also bought from Mountain Rose Herbs and they are a lot cheaper than the other brands because they are not a MLM company!!  But it looks like they only ship to USA and Canada.  Bummer - good luck finding a good quality essential oil in your area! :)

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Permalink Reply by Amanda on July 24, 2012 at 3:12am

I prefer long pants and sleeves when the sun is strongest and when it's appropriate for the activity I'm participating in. If it's a warm and sunny winter or spring day here in Florida (like in the 80s), I don't use anything but in the summer here the sun is very strong. Obviously, you don't want long pants for swimming, but you could use a long sleeve rash guard if you wanted. For kayaking, etc., I like to use long lightweight pants and shirts, like the ones by ExOfficio. As a bonus, the longer clothing also offers some bug protection.

Also, I have noticed before that when I'm eating really huge and varied amounts of produce, I am much less likely to burn. I have light skin and spent all day at Disney once, thinking all the while I should have worn long pants because I felt like I was getting burned, but no color ever developed from it. I attributed it to the unusually large variety and quantity of produce I was juicing at the time and the tons of tomatoes I was eating. Just something to think about, but if you're not used to the sun, I wouldn't risk a bad burn. I'd still recommend the long clothing whenever possible.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Hand on July 24, 2012 at 7:01pm

Cheers Amanda

Good advice.

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Permalink Reply by sun on July 24, 2012 at 3:25am

As a semi pro windsurfer and being in the ocean bodysurfing at times 7 hours a day then the rest of the day from morning till night for my whole life (entire) I found that using greens and carotene foods and juices would increase the melanin in the skin . This along with smaller doses of sunshine early in the routine then building up and the skins gets darker.

HYDRATION is so important as is sweating to empty the pores of toxins that can be the real culprits  being in the sun moring till night feels natural then

Common sense though is listenint to your body  in every detail.

The greens and orange foods help Deep leafy greens will help that pigment layer evolve. on that note you can use aloe vera fresh plant leaf but these are after or before strategies.

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