Summer is just around the corner, so people all over the northern hemisphere are getting out of their homes and enjoying the warm, fresh air. Everyone is different, so not everyone’s summertime adventures are the same. Some people love going hiking in the woods, while others may enjoy going to the beach, hanging out by the pool, going to the park, or even gardening. The one common denominator in all of these scenarios is sun exposure. While the sun is an enjoyable, necessary part of life, it can wreak havoc on our lives if certain precautions aren’t taken before spending too much time outside. While there are lots of different things you can do to protect yourself from too much sun exposure, one of the most common ways is by applying sunscreen. For the avid-DIYer, the real question then becomes, can I make it myself? Let’s talk about it.
Sun, Sun, Mr. Golden Sun
Before diving straight into making your own sunscreen, we feel it’s important to talk a little bit about the Sun itself. The Sun, a giant yellow dwarf star (yep, we said dwarf), is the glue that holds our solar system together. According to NASA, the Sun is the single largest object within our solar system, comprising of 99.8% of our system’s mass. That’s huge! Located directly at the center of our solar system, and approximately 93 million miles away from Earth, the Sun’s gravity is what keeps all of our system’s planets orbiting. The Sun and Earth’s relationship is what causes the change in seasons, as well as weather, climate, and even ocean currents. It carries a lot of weight around here, literally! The Sun is also very, very hot – at its core, it’s approximately 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. Yikes.
Besides impacting the seasons, weather, climate, and ocean currents, the Sun also provides us with some amazing health benefits. When our bodies are exposed to sunlight, our bodies begin to generate Vitamin D. Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that helps the body absorb calcium which helps strengthen bones, and keep them in tip-top shape. Sunlight exposure has also been contributed to an increase in the brain’s release of Serotonin. Serotonin is linked with enhancing the mood, and helping people feel more calm, focused, and at peace.
The Sun, despite being so far away, is also responsible for emitting rays of light to earth which makes up a lot of our natural lighting. Mixed in with these visible rays of light are also three different ultraviolet (UV) rays, two of which impact us directly here on Earth, UVA and UVB rays. When left unprotected from these rays for too long, they can cause skin wrinkling and aging, as well as contribute to different skin cancers like Melanoma. They can also cause damage to the eyes like cataracts, and are also responsible for burning the skin (yep, sunburns).
Take cover and protect yourself.
While the health benefits of the Sun are great, it’s also important to protect yourself from the harmful UV rays. Luckily, there are many tried and true ways to help keep your skin, eyes, and overall health safe from the Sun. Here are some of our favorite ways to stay safe.
Cover Up
One of the easiest ways to protect the skin from harmful UV rays is by covering up. Wearing light, long sleeved jackets is a good way to help keep the skin covered and also, depending on the materials, cool and dry. Be sure that it’s not too thin, however. If you can see through it, it isn’t going to protect you as well as it could.
Wear Sunglasses
Wearing sunglasses is an excellent way to protect the eyes. As mentioned in the section above, harmful UV rays not only damage the skin, but they can also damage your eyes. Keep in mind that not all sunglasses are created equal. Look for a pair that offers 100% UV protection.
Use Sunscreen
Applying sunscreen to the skin is an important step in protecting the skin from burning, as well as keeping it healthy and less susceptible to skin cancer later down the road. When applied to the skin, sunscreen acts as a filter to eliminate UV radiation. How this filtering works really just depends on the type of sunscreen you choose to use. There are two common types of sunscreen options, chemical-based and mineral-based.
Chemical-based sunscreen gets absorbed into the skin and absorbs the UV radiation before they can cause any damage. Mineral-based sunscreens create a barrier layer on the top of the skin that bounces UV rays away. While both types of sunscreens are effective, not everyone’s skin is the same. Chemical-based sunscreens have a tendency to be a little harsh on sensitive skin. If you find that one doesn’t quite work for your skin, it’s okay! Just try switching which kind you are using and go from there.
Now, the fun part.
Now, for the moment you’ve been waiting for. Do-It-Yourself sunscreens. As an avid DIYer, you have probably been chewing on making your own sunscreen. If you are like me, you have also probably wondered whether it was safe to do, or whether it would be effective enough to protect you. And the real answer is, while it isn’t dangerous to make or apply, it can be dangerous for simply being ineffective. When making products intended to protect the body in some capacity, precision is key.
For a product like sunscreens to be effective, it has to have exactly the right balance of ingredients and the ingredients have to be blended exactly right. There is absolutely no room for human error when it comes to safety when it can be avoided. When you weigh the risks and benefits of making your own sunscreen, the risks completely outweigh the benefits. After all, we’re talking safety.
Now you might be wondering how we know any sunscreen is effective and made just right. After all, we’re all human. Can’t companies make mistakes, too? Absolutely. However, reputable companies who make quality commercially-produced sunscreen products send their products through in-depth, rigorous testing before it makes it to a shelf in a store near you.
In the USA, tests like the Broad-Spectrum SPF test are required before companies can sell sunscreen products to consumers. While several different tests may be administered, the two important ones are for water-resistance and SPF rating, both of which can cost anywhere between 2,000 and 10,000 plus dollars per test. That’s a lot of money, but you can’t put a price on safety.
References
- Our Solar System: Sun Facts. NASA website. Accessed at: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/sun/overview/ Accessed May 26, 2021.
- The burning facts. United States Environmental Protection Agency website. Accessed at: http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/doc/sunscreen.pdf . Published September 2006. Accessed May 25, 2021.
- Facts about sunscreens. (2006). American Academy of Dermatology website. Available at: http://www.aad.org/public/News/DermInfo/DInfoSunscreenFAQ.htm . Accessed May 25, 2021.
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