Safe Sunscreen

In this post:

• A Safe Suncare Special Offer + Giveaway!
• Learn what to look for when shopping for safe sunscreen

Cleaning out your kitchen of toxic components like plastic food storage, non-stick cookware, and processed foods is a huge first step in reducing toxins in your home and living healthier. The next frontier is personal care, in particular skincare. To put it simply, what goes on your body, goes in your body and most conventional skincare is chock full of chemicals, 80% of which have never been tested for safety!

Now that we’re about to kick off the summer season, the #1 product that we recommend swapping out for better health is sunscreen. When our friend Lisa Leake from the popular healthy food and living blog 100 Days of Real Food wanted to “clean up” her sunscreen supply, we shipped off a box of safe suncare for her to try with her girls. To see what you should keep in mind when shopping for safe sunscreen, see our guide below.

Special Offer and Giveaway!

Lisa's and our favorite sunscreen is the Sport Continuous Spray Natural Sunscreen by Goddess Garden. For a day at the pool, park or beach, we prefer a 3.4 oz bag-friendly size that's a $15.99 value. So you can all play it safe this summer, we've created a special offer so you can get it for just $10 + FREE SHIPPING! Enter the Giveaway below and we'll email you the details. 

We're so excited to be giving away $700 of safe sun and beach gear to 6 lucky winners! Enter for a chance to win below. 

• 1 Grand Prize Winner: $300 worth of sun and beach gear + a $100 school donation
• 5 Runners-Up will each win Safe Sun Kits worth $60
• Everyone who enters will get a special offer on our favorite sunscreen for families!

Giveaway ends May 27, 2015. View Official Rules.

How to choose a safe sunscreen

When shopping for a safe, non-toxic sunscreen these are the 4 things you should keep in mind.

1. Mineral sunscreens are the safest choice

For starters most conventional sunscreens are chemical formulas. They contain active chemical ingredients like oxybenzone, avobenzone, or homosalate that go into the skin and absorb UV radiation through chemical bonds. Unfortunately, they are also endocrine-disrupting chemicals that can throw off your hormones, wreaking havoc on your body.

On the flip side mineral sunscreens are safe and non-toxic; they work by simply reflecting the UV light. Upon application, they form a barrier on the skin's surface so they are effective upon application. Ingredients you may be familiar with (and should look for) are zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Note: Some commonly found sunscreens are now being marketed as "mineral" but still contain harmful chemicals as active ingredients. Read your labels!

2. Broad spectrum protection 

Specifically, you want protection from both UVB and UVA rays. UVB rays are shortwave rays that cause the skin to burn. UVA rays are long-wave rays that penetrate deep into the skin, increasing skin cancer risk and causing signs of premature aging.

3. Avoid NANO particles.

Simply stated, nano particles have different physical, biological and chemical properties than their larger counterparts and have the risk of creating free radicals and causing cell damage. For this reason, look for products that are labeled NON NANO.

4. Don't forget the inactive ingredients.

Similar to scanning food ingredients, you want to look at all of the ingredients listed for sunscreens. Avoid Vitamin A (sometimes labeled retinyl palmitate or retinol), which has sometimes been linked to skin tumors and lesions when exposed to the sun. Other inactive ingredients to avoid include parabens, phthalates, phenoxyethanol and PEGs.

Don't forget that most sunscreen expires after a year. So if you have any half-empty tubes lying around from last year, it makes sense to stock up now so you're prepared. To make it easier for you, we only carry sunscreens that are safe, healthy and non-toxic at MightyNest. Shop safe sunscreen for the whole family here.