We use sunscreen to keep us safe from the UV rays that can cause nasty things like melanoma or skin cancer. The belief has been that sunscreen protects our body and cells from being altered by harmful radiation due to sun exposure. However, research keeps coming out showing the unfortunate truth…certain sunscreens are harmful to our bodies.

Notice we said “certain sunscreens”, not “all”.

This is because some sunscreens contain ingredients known to alter hormones in the body. When hormones are altered, it can lead to disease, such as cancer.

There are three specific ingredients you want to stay as far away from as possible:

1) Oxybenzone

2) Retinyl Palmitate

3) Synthetic Fragrances

All of these have been shown to disrupt our inner balance and hormones. They’re actually more dangerous to us than the sun exposure. Some other good things to pay attention to and avoid are super high SPF’s and spray sunscreen. These are usually loaded with high amounts of toxic chemicals. Finally, the last thing you should be aware of is there are two types of sun rays, UVA and UVB. Both can be harmful.

To ensure you are getting proper protection from both UVA and UVB rays, select a sunscreen that contains both Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide.

The most common sunscreens that have dangerous ingredients are Neutrogena, Rite Aid brand, Walgreens brand, Target brand, and Coppertone. If you are using any of these brands, look at the ingredients label to makes sure they don’t contain one of the harmful

chemicals.

At the end of the day, sunscreen can cause more damage to our bodies than the actual sun can. Vitamin D is a necessity for us and sunlight is the best and only true source of it. Getting sunlight exposure without sunscreen is essential, but should be done in the early morning or late evening hours when the sun is lower in the sky.

Hopefully, this sheds some light on how you can be healthier while you’re out and about this summer.

Live Your Most Jubilant Life!

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#summer #chemicals #sun