If you met me in my 20’s I wouldn’t have been able to tell you anything about sunscreen. I would have been able to tell you about every sun accelerator under the sun, though. 20 years later and here I am writing a post about mineral sunscreen and why I use it. Oh, how I have matured! Like most young people I didn’t view the sun as a dangerous object, I loved the sun. But now that I have a baby with fresh sweet skin I know the dangers of the sun for her and for me. What I’m sharing today is something I wish I knew 20 year ago, but even knowing it 5 or 10 years ago would have been good.
Today I’m sharing why I use mineral sunscreen and not chemical sunscreen. Not all sunscreens are created equal and you actually may not even know there are different types of sunscreen. There is mineral sunscreen and chemical sunscreen and they both serve different purposes. I’ll explore all of that in today’s post and share why I use mineral.
What is Mineral Sunscreen?
Mineral sunscreen, also known as physical sunscreen forms a barrier on your skin protecting you from harmful UV rays. It actually lays on top of your skin and doesn’t sink into your skin. The only FDA approved mineral sunscreens include the ingredients zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. What does this mean…check your labels and ensure those ingredients are included in your sunscreen. Mineral sunscreen is ideal for daily and prolonged use because of its ability to block both UVA and UVB harmful rays.
Mineral Sunscreen vs. Chemical Sunscreen
I literally thought all sunscreen was the same and recently found out this is not the case. When I was pregnant I started to focus more on clean beauty and what I was putting on my body and face. All of the chemicals in the products you use seep into your skin and can affect your endocrine system. And if you are pregnant those chemicals can reach the baby. Now it’s impossible to prevent everything harmful from getting into your system, but I try my hardest to pay attention.
Chemical Sunscreen
Chemical sunscreen, when applied, penetrates the top layers of your skin to absorb the UV rays. Meaning the sunscreen actually seeps into your skin and into your body. Chemical sunscreens have ingredients like oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate and octinoxate. Some studies show that these chemicals in chemical sunscreen can be endocrine disruptors.
This means the same chemicals that are protecting you seep into your skin, enter your bloodstream and in some cases mess with your hormones. These chemicals can be linked with developmental, reproductive, brain, immune, and other problems. Now they aren’t only found in sunscreen, they are all around us. In the products we consume and even in the air. While there haven’t been enough studies done to see the effects on children, there are concerns as children rapidly grow and develop that any chemical can be harmful.
Mineral Sunscreen
As I noted above mineral sunscreen doesn’t get absorbed into your skin, but rather sits on top of your skin. This means it doesn’t seep into your body and disrupt your system. The downside is that mineral sunscreens don’t protect as well against the sun. It’s as if you can’t find the perfect product so you need to choose. For me it’s mineral sunscreen, the benefits out weigh the negatives for my health and my daughter’s. However you need to do what is best for you when it comes to health.
Is Mineral Sunscreen Effective?
I touched on it above, but let’s explore it a bit more. Studies show that mineral sunscreen is less effective than chemical sunscreen, but still effective. In the end any sunscreen is better than no sunscreen. Mineral sunscreen provides protection against all UV rays, which gives you the widest range of protection when it comes to sunscreens.
Mineral sunscreen provides protection immediately after you apply it, there is no waiting time for it to be effective. And it can be applied over your makeup and doesn’t leave a film like chemical sunscreen does. It is also gentle on your skin. For those with sensitive skin it would irritate it or exacerbate acne.
How To Apply Mineral Sunscreen
Applying sunscreen isn’t rocket science, but here are a couple tips to help with applying mineral sunscreen.
- Apply liberally, for best results do it 10 minutes before sun exposure
- Rub in all of the sunscreen, no white should be showing on your body
- Reapply every two hours of sun exposure and after 40 minutes of swimming or sweating
My Favorite Mineral Sunscreen
Right now I am exclusively using Beauty Counter Mineral Sunscreen Mist. I use it on me and my daughter. It’s easy to apply in the mist form, however it comes in a cream and even a stick. No matter what the form, they are formulated the same way and provide the same protection.
For a gentle self-tanning option, be sure to check out my post on Isle of Paradise Self Tanning Drops here.
Comments
Comments are closed