Product Review – The Hottest Sun Protection
With all of this unbelievable heat these days we are all headed directly for the beach or the lake to cool off and soak our feet in the water. One thing we all think about is making sure no one’s summer days get ruined by an awful, dangerous sunburn. But, the sun protection we put on our kids skin can be just as dangerous as the sunburn we are trying to protect them from.
There are lots of kinds of sunscreen out there. But, really, only a few that offer optimal protection without ingredients that are packed with all kinds of toxins. Whenever it comes time to buy sunscreen, I always check out the Environmental Working Group’s Cosmetic Safety Database to see what brands are ranked the safest for the tiny person.
But, even before heading out to the store, experts agree that the best sunscreens have all of the following characteristics:
* provides broad-spectrum UVA and UVB protection.
* has an SPF of at least 15 to 30. You could go for a higher SPF, but most experts believe that these high SPF sunscreens don’t provide that much extra protection. Some experts go as far as to say the SPF rating should be capped at SPF 30 or SPF 50, which provides protection against 97 to 98 percent of UVB rays. Using a high SPF sunscreen might provide more protection for those parents who don’t use enough sunscreen and don’t reapply it often enough though.
* is very water-resistant. Even if you aren’t going swimming, if your child is outside, he will likely be sweating, so a water resistant might provide better protection than a regular sunscreen.
* is hypoallergenic and fragrance free, especially if your child has sensitive skin.
* is in a form that is easy to use on your child, whether that means it is a stick, gel, lotion, spray, or continuous spray, etc.
Not an easy combination to come up with. Here are three brands that are sold locally that hit the mark on all of these levels and rank as some of the safest sunscreens out there:
All Terrain Sunscreens. With an overall toxicity rating of 1 (this is very good), All Terrain products are considered safe and effective.
Badger Sunscreens. With an overall toxicity rating of 1 (this is very good), Badger products are some of the safest out there.
Alba Sunscreens. With an overall rating of 2, Alba has a few more ingredients that raise concerns. But, overall, this is a great option.
Now that you’ve got the scoop on sunscreen, get outside and enjoy this gorgeous weather. It’s amazing!
Category: Safety, THINK GREEN
About the Author (Author Profile)
Robin Rivers is Our Big Earth’s Publisher and Sr. Partner. Able to survive on coffee alone. Often can be found leaping tall buildings with the help of great friends. Predisposed to odd hats and the color orange. In love with imagination, her kids and that crazy guy who married her.Subscribe
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At firefly : new beginnings we carry Healing Bliss Botanical’s Sunblock, SPF 45, broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection. It has all-natural ingredients, and it is a sun”block” rather than a sunscreen, using titanium dioxide, a naturally occurring mineral as the active ingredient. This is not absorbed into the skin, but sits on top and blocks the suns rays (like those stripes we all used to rock on our noses.) All the other ingredients are plain and simple, and I confidently put this stuff on my whole family. Best of all, it is not greasy! And it’s unscented. End of plug.
I can vouch for Badger. We were long-time users of Aubrey’s Organics sunscreen products but after reviewing the EWG’s Cosmetic Safety Database last summer we switched to Badger. It has kept us safe ever since and I have no complaints. Sure it doesn’t rub in the greatest, but I’ll take that over cancer any day.
As an added bonus, our two-year-old son loves the illustrated Badger on the front
To avoid going all over town, would love any hints on where we can find these products locally…
Rachel, Edible Island sells all three.
The Alba Organics that you picture in your post actually got a rating of 5 but some of AO’s other products are definitely rated at 2. We’ve used their Lavender product for a number of years…but it’s rated a 5 so I’m going to look for some of their mineral based products that do rate in at a 2. And we have used Badger as well; love it. Thanks for this post. We all just want to make the best and safest decision for ourselves and out little ones.