Is sunscreen bad for you, your health and your hormones? In this post you are going to learn why we need the sun, what sunscreen is, the negative affects of sunscreen and what you can do instead. I have a few more posts on sunscreen you can check out here and here. Personally, I do not wear sunscreen because I don’t need it! I’m so glad you respect my decision 🙂 Thanks!

Why the sun is so important

The sun provides over 1,500 different wavelengths, each one offering their own unique medicine and life. It’s a potent medicine that does not cause cancer. I repeat, does not cause cancer. There is little to no science supporting the claims that sun exposure is linked to or causes cancer. If there are studies, they are usually skewed and funded by big corporations. Most importantly, we need the sun to get vitamin D. We as a population are deficient in vitamin D like.. 80% of us! This is linked to sunburn and skin conditions.

Did you know that vitamin D from the sun lasts up to two times as long in our blood as ingested vitamin D?

Journal of Pharmacology & Pharmacotherapeutics

Take a deep dive into the sun and the science behind it in my Wild Woman’s Hormone Ebook!

What sun does for our hormones

We need vitamin D from the sun for our bodies to function as they’re designed. It is necessary for the expression of over 10% of the genes and is involved in 100% of the cells in our bodies. Without the sun, we become ill, diseased, fat and dead. Just speaking truth here. Actually, vitamin D is not even a vitamin; it’s a hormone itself! When it comes to hormones specifically, they are widely controlled by our pineal gland which is a highly rhythmic and cyclic gland. This means it’s run by routine and pattern and this pattern is LIGHT.

Naturally, we need light in our eyes first thing in the morning to boost serotonin. Later on in the day, that serotonin will manufacture melatonin, when the sun goes down. This means we sleep well = hormones rebuild, restore and regenerate! Continuing with serotonin, it’s our mood and appetite hormone as well as our awake hormone. We need it to kick-start our metabolism and digestion.

Where the sunscreen industry duped us

One time, God created the sun for good and life. Then, the sunscreen industry and their lobbyists deemed it life-threatening. Since then, we’ve been brainwashed and told to avoid the sun; even if means covering up with toxic sunscreen. I’ll tell you one thing, God didn’t make a mistake.

Here, let’s look at the billion dollar industry that has brainwashed you into believing the sun is dangerous and the cause of cancer. There is an entire marketing plan for who to target, where they live and what they’re afraid of. Look closely at the studies you read because 10/10 of them are funded by corporate giants with one interest in mind: Y O U R  M O N E Y.

Mainstream media and their involvement

The mainstream media pushes fake news and they directly benefit from these false claims. For example, if someone says “cancer is caused by the sun.. wear sunscreen!” what’s going to happen? Most aren’t going to research, find the true link and learn that it is NOT the sun! Everyone is heading to the store, buying the first sunscreen they find and lathering it all up on their bod.

“This myth was created and brought forward by the sunscreen industry, dermatologists and the cancer industry.” (3)

All “protective agents” like sunscreen are contributing to your fear of developing cancer from the sun. It’s not coming from the sun, it’s coming from being undernourished, living a poor lifestyle and exposing yourself to cancer-laden chemicals found in sunscreen. 50% of the most popular sunscreens (500) contain ingredients that increase the speed at which malignant cells develop and spread throughout the body.

Toxic ingredients in sunscreen

The list of ingredients – both active and not – is something worth looking into and paying close attention to. You’ll be shocked to learn most of the ingredients are banned in other countries. They wreak havoc on your overall health and should not be anywhere near our skin or the skin of our kids!

Sunflower Oil

First, sunflower oil is a common ingredient in ingredients, even the organic and non-toxic ones. This polyunsaturated fatty acid is highly heat, light and air sensitive.. all things you’re soaking at the beach. When sunflower oil is exposed to these elements, it becomes rancid and unstable.. oxidized!

So, why do they use it? It’s a super cheap filler! Sunflower oil goes for $30 a gallon whereas jojoba oil is $240 a gallon. The issue lies in the quality and the potential for rancidity and oxidation. Sunflower oil is a PUFA and is highly susceptible to oxidation since it’s sensitive to light, heat and oxygen.. all things you get on a beach day!

Titanium Dioxide

Next, titanium dioxide is facing scrutiny from toxicology expert. Here’s an excerpt from this study: “Mechanistic toxicological studies show that TiO2 nanoparticles predominantly cause adverse effects via induction of oxidative stress resulting in cell damage, genotoxicity, inflammation, immune response etc.”

Oxybenzone

Oxybenzone is another common ingredient in sunscreen that shouldn’t be anywhere near our bodies. It’s a hormone disruptor and acts as a weak estrogen. This can lead to anti-androgenic effects. Plus, it’s a skin allergen so.. keep it off your skin! 96% of Americans have oxybenzone in their blood.

Homosolate

Homosolate bioaccumulates in the body and is a known hormone (endocrine) disruptor. Since our endocrine system runs all of our hormones and essentially all of our health, we need to nurture it!

Avobenzone

Avobenzone is – interestingly enough – extremely sensitive to light. This means they have to add more chemicals to stabilize it! Many of the ingredients in sunscreen cause reproductive and thyroid hormone dysfunction. 

“Recently, Danish researchers reported that eight of 13 chemical sunscreen ingredients allowed in the U.S. affected calcium signaling of male sperm cells in laboratory tests, which the researchers suggest could reduce male fertility (Endocrine Society 2016).” 

EWG

Is sunscreen bad for you

Seeing that 50%+ of the most popular sunscreens contain ingredients that are directly linked to cancer, hormone disruption, skin conditions and respiratory conditions… I’ll let you decide. There really is no “good for you” sunscreen; natural or not. This is the part of the post where you make an educated decision instead of succumbing to the one-liners you’ve been taught to believe from the big pharma and other large corporations.

What do do instead of wearing sunscreen

• Clean up your diet
• Be mindful of what you put on your skin (fats)

A diet high in ancestral and seasonal foods is one that will protect your skin and your health. If your diet is full of healthy seasonal and organic veggies, fruit, meat, eggs, fish, limited nuts & seeds, saturated fats (OH NO, I said it) and nutrient dense foods is wonderful at protecting against light damage.

Meals like this raw milk hot chocolate, adrenal cocktail and salmon dish are perfect antioxidant and nutrient-filled options! You can learn more about being prepared with ingredients here.

• Cover up

We have a weird obsession with being tan and if you aren’t healthy or used to being in the sun, let’s chill out! Grab a cute cover up and when you notice your skin getting pink, cover it up babe. You’ll make it.

• Buy my Wild Woman’s Hormone Ebook

This ebook is filled with sun safety tips, ways to love your hormones and ancestral and natural healing methods that got me from infertile to balanced hormones!

• Watch your time in the sun

I love to use the app Dminder. It tracks your sun exposure and customizes your time based off a short list of questions. 

• Ease in

If you’re vitamin D deficient, you can’t just go plop in the sun for 6 hours. Definitely not at peak UV (around solar noon). You’ll need to ease in. Start by going out in the early morning before the UV index is high and slowly add time.

• Find a good product

This isn’t a sunscreen but it’s a wonderful skincare product that’s made for the sun. It’s called Sunny. It’s created by a sweet online friend of mine and I recommend it 10/10 times. She is also an amazing lady, go support her business!

So what do you say, is sunscreen bad for you? I can’t wait to hear what you’re going to do instead!

Resources

(2) https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/20/deadly-melanoma-not-due-vitamin-d-deficiency.aspx

(3) https://www.collective-evolution.com/2011/12/18/the-sun-cancer-myth-the-sun-causes-skin-cancer/

(4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3423755/