Busy Mommy Media » Green Health and Beauty

How to Pick a Safe & Natural Sunscreen

Kelly Tracy — Thu, 27 May 2010 01:31:13 +0000

Have you ever read the ingredient list on a bottle of sunscreen lotion? The long list of unpronounceable chemicals can be baffling when you want to choose natural products yet protect your family’s skin. Let’s look at two kinds of sunscreen ingredients—the active and the inactive—and decipher what they do and how safe they are.

Sunscreen Active Ingredients

The active ingredients in sunscreen are ultraviolet (UV) filters. They either absorb or reflect UV radiation and extend the time you can be in the sun before burning.

Oxybenzone is a UV filter that is easily absorbed and helps other ingredients in sunscreen to penetrate your skin. That means it gets past the skin and into other systems. The Centers for Disease Control says oxybenzone is in 97 percent of American’s urine. This is not a chemical you want in your children’s bodies—oxybenzone is an endocrine disruptor, meaning it interferes with hormonal processes like growth and development, sexual maturation, and thyroid function. Many people are allergic to oxybenzone.
Octinoxate is less allergenic than oxybenzone but is also an endocrine blocker.
Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are the mineral active ingredients found in many “natural” sunscreen products. Many sunscreens use nanoparticles (microscopic particles) of these minerals to avoid the white streaks they’re famous for. The jury is still out on the safety of nanoparticles—they may be able to interact with DNA because of their tiny size. Unfortunately, sunscreen labels usually don’t tell you whether or not they include nanoparticles.

Sunscreen Inactive Ingredients

Like other personal care products, sunscreens often contain fragrances and preservatives, some of which carry risks.

Phthalates are chemicals found in plastics as well as in the fragrance added to many personal care products. They are another endocrine interrupter and are connected to breast cancer.

Parabens are common cosmetic preservatives and—you guessed it—endocrine interrupters. Look out for ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, and particularly methylparaben—recent studies show that it can become carcinogenic when exposed to sunlight.

The Safest Sunscreen Options

Compared to the alternatives, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide appear to be the safest UV filters in commercial sunscreens. They provide what’s called broad spectrum protection, meaning they are effective against both UVA and UVB rays. Avoid sunscreens containing parabens or synthetic fragrance.

The Environmental Working Group has a fantastic database of sunscreens rated by ingredient safety. Some of their recommended products include:

Of course, the safest sun protection is avoidance. Use shade, tightly-woven clothing, and a wide-brimmed hat as your first line of defense, and remember that moderate unprotected exposure is important for healthy vitamin D production.

Luna Panties – Green Product Review

Pamela — Mon, 03 May 2010 21:22:58 +0000

Every where you look people are telling you about ways to live green, lower your carbon footprint, find healthier ways to live. I am always looking for practical ways to “tread lightly”. To me, “practical” is something that can relatively easily be merged into my already chaotic life. Well the gals over at Luna Pads have done just that – they have created a product that is both practical and green. Most of us moms get monthly visits from Aunt Flo. If you use disposable pads and tampons, you are a huge contributor to our landfills. The very nature of a maxipad is that it doesn’t breakdown easily, so that it can withstand it’s purpose. But with each time you change your pad you add to the landfills. So what’s the solution – Lunapads!

I was very excited when I was asked to do this product review. I was rather blessed to not menstruate for just about 5 years, while I was pregnant and nursing my little guys (stop gasping and throwing things at the computer, I absolutely do know how lucky I was, LOL). But when it came back just about 6 months ago, it was with a vengeance. So I really was interested to see if Lunapads could stand up to this sort of “punishment”. I have got to hand it to Suzanne and Madeline, the creators of Lunapads, for coming up with a both comfortable and functional product. I received the “period panties” in a bikini cut, which were just released earlier this month. The super soft brushed cotton was very comfortable and fit great. I was pleased to see that their size chart was very accurate. I would strongly suggest that you watch the short video of Madeline explaining the panties and their proper use, not because it’s difficult, but precise. I will admit that I did have to come up with a bit of new routine when it was bathroom time, but it was an easy transition. I definitely plan to use the Lunapads as much as possible from now one, because in addition to saving the earth, in the long run, it is going to save me money too. Currently the panties are available in hipster, brief, bikini and thong cuts, which are all available in either black or magenta and come in sizes small to 3XL.

All little about Lunapads

Lunapads International is a women-owned small business based in Vancouver, Canada. Our mission is to help women have healthier and more positive experiences of their menstrual cycles, and by extension, their bodies overall. Our team is made up of a passionate group of gals who believe that using natural menstrual products is a creative and empowering way to honor and care for ourselves and the planet.

Lunapads offers a diverse selection of products designed to meet the unique needs of women of all ages. All our products have been created or chosen based on our own needs and lifestyles (in other words, we use them ourselves, and have done so for years), and we are confident we can find a solution that will work for you. We are completely committed to customer service and want to ensure that your experience with Lunapads is a positive one. We love to hear from our customers, so please let us know how we can better serve you or how Lunapads has made a difference in your life.

Lunapad’s Social Mission

Pad donations. For almost a decade, Lunapads has been donating washable pads to women’s groups to support their fundraising efforts. We also regularly donate washable pads to women in developing nations. Our Pads4Girls campaign, in partnership with individuals and numerous NGOs, supplies washable pad kits to girls in developing nations. Imagine1Day is just one of many examples of groups working to help girls who would otherwise be missing school because they lack of adequate menstrual supplies. We also supply Maxi Pads to birthing mothers in Uganda.
Mentoring women entrepreneurs in our community. We regularly invite women wanting to start their own businesses (particularly green ones!) to our office to interview us about our experience, ask questions and generally bounce ideas around. We provide leads, contact and advice.
Business community support. We are members of the Green America Business Network and the Social Venture Network, as well as our local and online Better Business Bureaus and a local social-mission business support group.
Volunteerism in action. Madeleine is a volunteer Mentor with the Women’s Enterprise Society of British Columbia and the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and Suzanne is a former board member, treasurer and honored lifetime member of the Georgia Strait Alliance, a BC marine conservation organization.

Get Connected with Lunapads

Blog Check out the Lunapads Blog where you’ll gain an insider’s perspective on the goings-on at Lunapads. Get to know the Lunagals a bit better and see what’s on our minds, as well as read guest entries from our oh-so-devoted fans! Send an email to blog@lunapads.com if you’d like to share your experience with us. If we post your entry to our blog, we’ll send you a special thank you gift pack!
Facebook Page Our official home on Facebook! This is where we launch contests & giveaways, post current sales, share blog entries, promote new products & offer exclusive Facebook only specials to our Fans. Fans will also have the opportunity to post reviews of our products. Come on over!
Facebook Group Join this thriving Facebook Group to ask questions, give feedback, share stories, make suggestions, and discuss what you love most about natural menstrual products. Have fun!
Twitter Through the exchange of quick, frequent ‘tweets’, Twitter lets you in on the daily happenings at the Lunapads office. Follow our tweets to be among the first to hear about the new fabric we’ve just received, what feature we’re just about to launch on our website, what products are currently in production, or who’s popped by for an unexpected visit.

Luna Panties Twitter Party

Do you have questions or want to talk to other moms who have tried Luna Panties? There will be a #ecowed Twitter party for Luna Panties on May 12th from 10p-11p EST.

Try Luna Panties at a discount by using the promo code EcoMom10 for 15% off orders over $50.

In compliance with the FTC Guildlines, please note that this is a sponsored post. I was given a pair of Luna Panties to review free of charge, however, I was not paid for the review and the opinions are my own.

Head Lice: A Natural Solution

Guest Writer — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:02:11 +0000

Itch. Itch. Just typing the words: Head Lice, make me scratch my head. Spending years working in childcare settings, babysitting and then teaching, I’ve happily escaped these little critters. How, I do not know. Lice don’t care who you are, how much money you make, if you washed your hair today, what color you are, where you live or your age. My teenage sister had lice last year because a mother sent her teen daughter to school with lice and that girl gave my sister her hair brush to use. It was devastating to my teen sister because like many people, she thought it meant she was dirty. No. Lice are gross, no doubt but they don’t mean you as a person are dirty because you get them.

With back to school time here and children sharing combs, hats and little girls playing with each others hair, lice happens. There are some great preventative measures you can teach your children such as, don’t share hats or brushes but this is not 100% effective all the time. So what do you do if your child comes home and has lice? The funniest and most honest article I have ever read about how a mom is supposed to deal with lice when she is trying to be a “green” mom with comes from, Jessica Gottlieb. I read her article and felt for her because many moms feel like she does and they want to run to the nearest store and buy any and all chemical lice shampoos to help get rid of these itchy critters. That’s normal. Just not necessary. Jessica recently wrote another post about getting ready for school and trying to prevent this same scenario and I can tell she’s still traumatized.

I say it isn’t necessary to buy chemicals and pesticides and suds up your child’s head because you are hurting your child, not just the lice. I know, that seems harsh but it’s true. What you put on the skin goes into the blood stream and there is an effective alternative. Jessica mentions Happy Heads for a preventative measure and a solution. I prefer and recommend Safe Solutions-Lice B Gone, because of how long they have been around and the fact that the inventor of the product is often mentioned and quoted by a favorite site of mine, Beyond Pesticides.

For facts about lice visit any of these sources but buyer beware, you don’t need pesticides and read the labels carefully!

Kids Health

CDC

Head Lice Info

Written for Busy Mommy by Sommer Poquette over at Green & Clean Mom, where she writes about being some shade of green every day. Subscribe to her blog here and don’t miss out her latest finds, contests, giveaways and sexy and sassy green tips!