I love the sun but with my milky white Irish skin, the sun can do damage under 30 minutes. As I'm sure you can guess, I've had my fair share of burns over the years. I've been extremely careful the last decade, but as a teen, I was a sun worshipper even though my parents tried to stop me [sorry mom!].
Interestingly though, I don't burn as quickly as I used to. You might assume this is because I'm more careful with applying sunscreen regularly, while that certainly helps, eating foods that are natural photoprotectants are also extremely beneficial.
In this video, I talk about foods and nutrients that help protect your skin from the damaging effects of the sun. What I mean by this is that there are actual nutrients that lessen the negative effects of UVA and UVB rays. This means they can help prevent a burn and they can lessen aging of our skin.
WARNING: This doesn't mean you can megadose with these nutrients I talk about in my video and expect that you can laze by the pool all weekend long!
You still need to be mindful of your sun exposure and apply sunscreen as you see fit.
Another thing I talk about in this video is the importance of the sunshine for vitamin D. If you slather your body with sunscreen every time you're exposed to the sun you will make very little vitamin D. Sunshine is quite simply THE BEST way to increase your vitamin D levels naturally. And you already know the importance of vitamin D from a recent post right? ;)
I know you're probably curious what sunblock I use. My two faves are Green Beaver Spray which I use on Vienna too and Consonant's Perfect Sunscreen on my face.
Wishing you a burn-free joyous summer!
Joy
Hi Joy, thanks for your video! I'm like you. Fair Irish skin which tends to burn. I wear a hat and if I'm out in the sun for awhile, use Badger's fragrance free (avoid attracting bugs!) sunscreen which is basically zinc oxide. As well as the foods you mention, I've heard that drinking green tea is sun-protective. I'd love to hear your thoughts on tea and sun!
ReplyHey Barbara! For sure – a high-quality green tea can have photocemoprotective effect and is loaded with antioxidants! I would still accompany this with your Badger's sunscreen but like the foods mentioned in this video, it can be very helpful :) Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Loved this! I am super fair and this makes so much sense. You mentioned Green Beaver sunscreen for Vienna. I would love to know your thoughts and recommendations on sunscreens for adults - especially red heads like me, with very fair skin. Thanks Joy! You are always an inspiration!!
ReplyHey Liz! Joy switches between Green Beaver's spray sunscreen (but more so for Vienna) or Consonant's Perfect Sunscreen. Both of those would be great options for your precious skin :) Rachel - Joyous Health Team
I have dark skin (I'm African-American) and I've never had sunburn in my entire life. Seriously (my skin tone has a natural spf 15, so I've heard). BUT that said, I am a sun protection freak. I always wear sunscreen on my face and in the I use Alba Botanicals' daily shade body lotion on my exposed skin like arms, chest, etc. since where I live in Colorado we have about 300 sunny days a year. The lotion is okay, but definitely not my favorite sunscreen. But here's my problem: many, many natural/clean sunscreens are not created with people of color in mind at all. They leave a visible white residue on my skin tone that doesn't disappear after a few minutes. Even products that claim to be sheer or whatever end up not working out for me. Black people need sun protection too!! So Joy, if you know of a truly sheer/invisible natural sunscreen please let me know! Ashley
ReplyHey Ashley! Joy would recommend Eminence Organics' Caramel Latte Tinted Moisturizer. It has a 25 SPF too! I believe they have one for darker skin pigments as well. If you're in Canada, you can buy it from beautysense.ca :) https://eminenceorganics.com/ca/product/caramel-latte-tinted-moisturizer-spf-25-light-medium Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Rachel, thanks for that recommendation, I'll check it out. But that isn't a sunscreen that I can use all over my body, sadly! I need to find one for when I'm out in the sun that I can use on my legs, arms, etc.
You have just got in new subscriber, the post is really helpful for a reader like me. Everything has been explained beautifully. Let me know when are you posting your next article, would love to read your every article.
ReplyAw, thanks so much! We're so happy to hear you enjoyed it :) If you're signed up to the newsletter already, you'll be the first to know when we have a new post up on Joyous Health! Rachel - Joyous Health Team
Hi Joy! Thanks for the Great helpful info in this video! Where might I find the sunscreens you mentioned that you use here in the Okanagan Valley (BC)
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