Summer is almost here and most people will spend significantly more time in the sun than the rest of the year. This is an important fact to note, because not only are the sun’s rays much stronger than before, melanoma is also very common. Most of us live for the sunshine and its trusty supply of warmth, energy, Vitamin D and all-around good vibes! We want to be able to soak it up in a healthy way without becoming the next skin cancer statistic. Here are my tips to make sure you are upping your sun-care game.
Go Green!
The ECGC in green tea is a great antioxidant
to protect the skin from melanoma.
Most people don’t know that the majority of green teas contain fluoride – a neurotoxin! If you prefer the ECGC without the caffeine and fluoride, we have a Green Tea ND that’s perfect. We use this for kids all the time, and it helps improve digestion too! Check it out in our online shop here.
Use Healthy Sunscreen
We’re aiming to eat healthy, why wouldn’t we use a healthy sunscreen? After all – our skin is our largest organ. Our skin is part of us and it’s just as important to put healthy topicals (free of toxic tagalongs) onto our skin as it is to put healthy foods inside our bodies. Toxic tagalongs are additional things added to a product to extend the shelf life. These eventually become harmful to your body, so be sure to read product labels and only buy the purest ones. I’m a strong proponent of assuring all personal hygiene products, moisturizers and sunscreen are without toxic tagalongs. The Environmental Working Group (EWG.org) does a great job testing and reporting the cleanest sunscreens out there. I support their organization & donate regularly. Extra tip: Be sure to use sunscreen on your face and left arm daily – you’d be surprised how much sun exposure these get while driving!
Wear Your Sweat
These days so many people are deficient in Vitamin D3 as a result of long days inside away from the sun and from constantly wearing sunscreen while outdoors. When we wear sunscreen – which we must – we block the body from making Vitamin D – which it does – IN the skin. Such a dilemma! Here’s a tip: After you sweat, if you stay outdoors for 10 minutes before you shower, you’ll make and absorb more vitamin D! So, sweat it out, wait 10, then lotion up.
Hat’s On!
Sunscreen on your face and body is great, but what about your scalp? That area gets direct sun exposure when we’re in the water and playing around – essentially all of the time. Whether you have hair or not! Yet this is the one area we rarely cover with sunscreen! Not only can we get a nasty sunburn, there are numerous scalp issues that show up later in life, from unknown causes. Many adults complain of dandruff, excessive hair loss and headaches.
In general, these conditions come from unknown origin. What if excessive sun exposure or sunburn on the scalp were part of the cause? We’ll never know. Although we can’t trace the origin back to the sun, we all know loud and clear that sun exposure is harmful – so why not wear a hat and protect your noggin? There are too many times that sunscreen on our head does not make sense – and that is why a hat is my 4th Simple Solution for Sun Safety. I recommend purchasing a few hats for the summer months, so that you always have one with you. Make it fun, with a variety in your hat collection. Leave one in the gym bag, one in the car, and hang a few by the front door. This Simple Solution will allow you to have a hat with you whether walking down the street, at the beach or a luncheon.
Eat more SALT
Yes! And your first question is “Himalayan salt?” and the answer is again yes. When we are in the sun, most people do not drink enough fluids and they often feel dehydrated. Water is always the thing people run to for hydration, when in fact it should be salt. Salt is an electrolyte which is very important for digestion and our gut immunity. It is when we’re deficient in salt that people are vulnerable to food poisoning. Also, when we’re deficient in salt, our adrenals can’t work properly – so we feel fatigued, and this alters our hormones. I know you’ll eventually drink water, and that’s why my Simple Solution for Sun Safety is salt. It’s not something you will typically think of, yet your whole body will feel better and come back to life when there’s adequate salt. For kids I’m most often recommending a full teaspoon of salt each day. The more we sweat, the more salt we need to replace. The salt in the ocean does count! When we swim in the ocean, we do absorb some of that salt. Another great reason to love the ocean.
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