Getting and keeping healthy skin involves a lot more than washing your face. It’s about protecting your skin from the sun, dryness, dirt, cuts and scratches, rashes, and maybe even the wrong foods.

Though summertime puts a focus on the need for the right sunscreen, you really should focus on healthy skin all year long. Here are the best non-toxic ways to get healthy skin, some of which may surprise you.

1) Wear sunscreen in the winter as well as summer. Most of us consider sunscreen a summertime skin treatment. Not so. Our skin can suffer sun damage every month of the year, which is why doctors and skin care specialists recommend applying sunscreen every day.

Don’t miss this helpful post! ⇓

2) Give yourself a skin self-exam. These American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) videos show people how to spot skin cancer and give themselves a skin self-exam. Most family care doctors could spot an obvious unusual skin growth, but if you or your immediate family have a history of skin cancer, get a regular check-up by a dermatologist who can tell the difference between a harmless mole and something more serious.

3) Moisturize acne-prone skin. It seems counter-intuitive to add moisture if you think your skin is already oily. But when acne-prone skin gets dry, it overproduces oil to compensate and that leads to even more acne. Ironically, acne treatments can often leave skin dry.  Use a “sandwiching” technique to apply an oil-free moisturizer before and after acne treatment. If you use a face mask, make it one that moisturizes, not dries skin out.

4) Turn down the shower temp and keep it short. A hot shower might feel great at the time, but the hotter the water, the drier your skin may feel afterwards. Keep temps warm rather than hot, and keep your shower short. Get in, soap up, get out. You’ll save energy and water, too.

5) Moisturize when you’re still wet. Don’t completely dry your body when you get out of the shower or a bath. Adding lotion to skin when it’s still damp rather than completely dry amps up the moisture quotient. Give moisturizer at least 2 minutes to work its magic before adding anything on top of it.

6) Replace tanning salons with non toxic but fake tanning solutions. Like the sun, tanning beds can cause skin cancer and wrinkled skin, warns AAD. If you want the tan look, try a spray-on tanning product or use bronzer and blush. With winter coming (or having arrived in many parts of the country), take advantage of lowered expectations for a “sun glow” and break free of the notion that “tan is glam” altogether. Look for brands free of parabens, oxybenzone, diaolidinyl urea and DMDM hydrantoin, which can release formaldehyde as they break down.

7) Drink more water. “Drinking water is one of the best things you can do to keep your skin in shape,” reports WebMD. “It keeps your skin moist – and that makes fine lines and wrinkles less noticeable.” The group says that water helps cells absorb nutrients and shed toxins, too. The common advice is to drink 8 glasses of water a day, but you can get by with less if your diet includes fruits, vegetables, juices and tea.

8) Eat more beets. Antioxidants are the compounds found in colorful fruits and vegetables that appear to play an important role in slowing and preventing the kind of “free-radical” damage that can cause cancer. Skip the chips and eat berries, tomatoes, apricots, beets, squash, spinach, sweet potatoes and other colorful foods instead.

9) Skimp on perfume, scented lotions and products made with toxic ingredients. Fragrances in perfume and skin-care products can cause the collagen in the skin to break down, leading to allergic reactions, acne and skin rash. Plus, commercial lotions and moisturizers may contain ingredients like formaldehyde or nickel sulfate, power powerful chemical preservatives. Some botanical ingredients may cause problems as well, especially Tolu balsam, which can trigger additional sensitivities to cinnamon oil, lemon oil, orange peel or oil of cloves. Find the simplest, cleanest moisturizer that works for you, and stick with it. I personally use organic coconut oil for almost all my skin needs. It is light, effective and harmless.

10) Stay away from poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac. The key word here is “poison.” These plants can cause severe and painful skin rashes that, at their worst, may need to be treated with steroids. Most people think poison ivy and its cousins are only a threat in summer, but that’s not so. My daughter got a terrible poison ivy rash one winter when she brushed up against a tree that was covered with poison ivy vines. If you do encounter poison ivy, scrub your skin immediately, including under your fingernails and avoid using your hands to spread the rash to other parts of your body after you scratch or itch. Wash clothes, gloves, shoelaces and tools that came in touch with poison ivy, as the urushiol compound that is so toxic in the plant can remain potent for years.

11) Bandage booboos. If you get scraped up, don’t wait to clean out the dirt. Wash the wound well with warm water and soap, and bandage if warranted. There’s no need to use something like hydrogen peroxide or iodine for most minor injuries. On the other hand, ignoring them could lead to a serious infection and potentially scars. If you can’t use an adhesive strip or butterfly tape to hold a minor cut together, see your doctor as soon as possible. The sooner you get stitches, the faster the wound will heal, and you’ll increase the likelihood that any scarring will be less noticeable.

The post The Best 11 Non-Toxic Ways to Get Healthy Skin appeared first on Big Green Purse.

The best way to protect yourself from skin cancer is to avoid getting a sun burn. That means NOT laying out in the sun with no shade, unlike this person.

But after you’ve taken all the right steps – stayed out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., worn a hat and long sleeves, put on sunglasses to protect your eyes from the UV exposure that causes cataracts, shaded yourself on the beach or at the pool – you’ll still need sunscreen. When you do, what’s the best, most environmentally friendly non toxic sunscreen you can use?

The scientists at Environmental Working Group have done the research, and have identified the “greenest” sunscreens you should buy. But just in case you can’t remember product names, here are the qualities you should look for:

#1) Choose sunscreens that contain zinc, titanium dioxide, avobenzone or mexoryl SX. Avoid oxybenzone, Retinyl palmitate/Vitamin A, and added insect repellent. FYI, oxybenzone is a synthetic hormone that can penetrate the skin. Retinyl palmitate can make your skin more susceptible to tumors and lesions. Not good.

#2) Creams you can rub on are more protective than sprays and powders.

#3) Broad-spectrum protection that is water-resistant for the beach or pool as well as exercise is optimal.

#4) Choose an SPF of at least 30 when you’re at the beach or pool, but you don’t need an SPF higher than 50.

What sunscreens does EWG recommend? For your convenience, we’re selling several of the safest, most protective sunscreens in our store. Brands include Aubrey, Aveeno, and California Baby. You can also ask for these brands the next time you go shopping.

Want more info? See our related posts:

Is your sunscreen giving you a false sense of security?

Sun-Smart Skin Care

DEET-Free Mosquito Repellents that Work

Have any other suggestions? Please leave a comment below.

The post Eco-Friendly, Non-Toxic Sunscreens: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on Big Green Purse.

One reader worried that many sunscreens rely on nanotechnology, which manipulates particles that are smaller than 100 nanometers (nm); for comparison, a human hair is about 80,000 nm in diameter. Some research indicates that nanoparticles of titanium dioxide, which makes it easier for sun screen to soak into the skin, are small enough to bypass the body’s defensive “blood-brain barrier,” enter the brain and damage brain cells. (Larger particles are blocked by that barrier and don’t pose this problem). Environmental Working Group notes that, while several studies have found that nanotechnology does not penetrate healthy skin, they can still pose a danger to consumers or the workers who manufacture them. It is possible to find sunscreens that do not contain nanoparticles – but they may contain other undesirable chemicals. You can address the conundrum in part by staying out of the sun between the intense solar hours of 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and wearing protective clothing.

Speaking of which, another reader noted that clothing specifically manufactured to resist the UV rays that cause sunburn and skin cancer may be coated with nano-based chemicals. It is difficult to determine which clothing relies on nanotechnology and which doesn’t. Question the manufacturer if you’re concerned. Or follow recommendations on ehow.com and chose tightly woven, dark garments when you’re out in the sun. Tightly woven cotton, wool and polyester offer better protection than linen, acetate, rayon and other thin fabrics. Rule of thumb: if you can see your skin through the clothes you’re wearing, they’re probably not blocking UV rays very effectively. While you’re at it, protect your eyes with sunglasses that specifically offer UV protection. Look for photochromic lenses, which reduce glare, sun and UV radiation without reducing visibility.

Finally, a doctor wrote to say that the skin needs some sunlight, since that is how the body restores its supply of Vitamin D. While this is true, most health professionals agree that the body can get enough Vitamin D supply from about 15 minutes of sun exposure in a day. You’ll get that walking back and forth to your car, walking in and out of work, or taking the dog for a stroll. You certainly don’t need to expose your skin to 15 minutes of blazing sun in the middle of the day.

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According to the latest analysis from scientists at Environmental Working Group (EWG), only 16% of sunscreen products  are both safe and effective (i.e., they’ll protect you from sunburn and skin cancer, remain stable in sunlight, and contain few if any ingredients with significant known or suspected health hazards).

Among the chief concerns:

* Sunscreens break down in the sun. Parodoxically, says EWG, many sunscreen ingredients break down in a matter of minutes or hours, and then let UV radiation through to the skin.

* Questionable product claims are widespread. At least 48% of products on the market bear claims that are considered “unacceptable” or misleading under the Food and Drug Administration’s draft sunscreen safety standards. Claims like “all day protection,” “mild as water,” and “blocks all harmful rays” are not true, yet are found on bottles.

* Many sunscreens contain nano-scale ingredients that raise potential concerns. Though micronized and nano-scale zinc oxide and titanium dioxide in sunscreen provide strong UVA protection, studies on nanotechnology question their unique, toxic properties. Options available in Europe could replace nano-scale ingredients here in the U.S., but the Food and Drug Administration has been slow to approve them.

Thumbs UP: Despite these issues, you have at least 128 safe options, according to EWG, including Blue Lizard Australian Suncream SPF 30/Baby, California Baby Water-Resistant Hypo-Allergenic Sunscreen SPF 30-plus and Aveeno Baby Sunblock Lotion Continuous Protection SPF 55.

Thumbs DOWN: Sunscreens on EWG’s “Avoid” list? There are 37, including Coppertone Sport Sunblock Lotion SPF 15 and Neutrogena Healthy Skin Face Lotion SPF 15.

See the entire database of recommendations at Environmental Working Group.

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