Hmmm...apparently Summer is on the way although you wouldn't know it in these parts with all the rain we've been getting! It's so dreary in Calgary it reminds me of those overcast drizzly winter days I grew up with on the West Coast. It's certainly not the kind of weather that reminds me I need to be getting prepared for summer once the clouds clear away, that's for sure!
If you are a parent you know that the one thing you need to have in your child's summertime tool box is sunscreen. If you are like me though, you are nit picky about sunscreen and would rather not slather your children in the toxic brews that tempt you from the store shelves and promise ultimate protection under the beguiling façade of safety. It seems the debate starts around the playgrounds and splash parks every year around this time on what brand of sunscreen is actually safe, followed by a few comments that they all must be safe or they wouldn't be sold (which is sadly not the case and even sadder is many people don't want to hear that fact) or that any sunscreen, no matter how toxic the ingredients, is better than nothing.
What's a parent to do? It is an incredibly confusing product to figure out sometimes and yet it's equally important that you do. Skin cancer is, of course, a clear risk from running around in the bright afternoon without sun protection and at the same time our bodies need the sun to help us synthesize Vitamin D. You can watch the clock when it comes to outdoor time and cover yourself in protective clothing, but that isn't always the most feasible option, so you end up turning to sunscreen.
Do your research simply because many companies are counting on you NOT to...
These are chemicals that are being put on your child's skin countless times over the next few months (and for many of you, possibly year round) and will be absorbed into their sensitive little bodies. Please, please stop being complacent and research your ingredients. In this case you don't even need to search that hard because I am going to link you up some of the best resources I have found when it comes to the safety of your children. All you have to do is click and read. Easy peasy! ♥
Know that most sunscreens on the mainstream marketplace contain incredibly toxic ingredients like Oxybenzone, and retinyl palmitate (which has, ironically, been linked to skin tumors and if that wasn't bad enough, it's also believed to speed up the formation of cancerous cells. I'm serious folks, I couldn't make this up if I tried). Not only that, your SPF 50 that you put on your little bean this summer might only be SPF 10. You literally might end up paying more for an SPF 50+ that is full of carcinogenic, hormone disrupting ingredients and isn't even doing what you paid for. I don't know about you, but I would be royally ticked off if that was the case.
Do you have sunscreen in the house? Then click the bold green link to read the Environmental Working Group/Skin Deep's 2011 Sunscreen Hall of Shame to learn more about the ingredients listed. It will certainly be eye opening if nothing else!
Which sunscreen should you buy then, you ask?
I personally am partial to Badger and Green Beaver products. I love them and they work. Plus it just gives you that warm squishy feeling inside when you buy one of them and know you are getting an awesome product that is produced either 'locally' (as in here in Canada for you fellow Canucks) or by a family run business like the Badger products are in New Hampshire.
I realize though not all chemically safe sunscreens are available in all places, so I present to you
drumroll please......
THE Queen Bee of the blog-o-sphere when it comes to product safety for children and families,
a fellow Mama Bear,
someone whom we would proudly place in our Eco Diva Hall of Fame (if we had one, which on second thought I'm going to make one, because us Eco Divas need to band together right?!?),
the one and only,
SafeMama and her 2011 Sunscreen Cheat Sheet!
I love SafeMama, and her dedication to child safety and non toxic products. She makes me feel less neurotic totally normal that I am concerned about this stuff and research all these topics. Plus, she sums everything up so beautifully in easy to understand language that doesn't require a chemistry degree to understand.
Needless to say I was thrilled to see my beloved Badger Sunscreen on her list! She has listed over 25 different sun protection products that are safe for you and your family - it is one of the best resources I have found when it comes to sun/skin care and it is most definitely a list worth looking at.
Everything you need to know about sunscreen ingredients including the good, the bad and the ugly, can be found over at SafeMama. Do yourself and your family a favour and click on over and take a read through! ♥
I hope you are having a great week so far!
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