No one wants to see an infant sporting the raw, tender skin of a sunburn, but the fear of the sun--like many other parental fears--seems to have become maybe a little hysterical? Too Little Sun The overzealous use of sunscreen on kids has resulted in widespread vitamin D deficiencies, which are linked to cancer, depression, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and obesity. A 2009 study
sunscreen
What’s Wrong With Sunscreen?
This blog entry is part of our “What’s Wrong With” series, which profiles a different and gives you the bottom line on its safety. Think of these as cheat sheets for our more comprehensive Safe Product Guides. I've written a lot about sunscreens, including a Safe Product Guide that reviews the Good, the Bad, and the Sneaky. Here's a recap of the major points: While dermatologists
Sunscreen With Vitamin D & What Sunscreen I’m Using This Summer
With temperatures feeling distinctly summer-like in much of the country, I'm not surprised that many of you are asking about my top sunscreen recommendation, and what I put on my own children. Here's the truth: my kids don't wear sunscreen every day, even in the summer. Of course, if we are at the beach or even at the park for hours, I slather them up. But I'm convinced that some vitamin D is
Scary Stuff: Oxybenzone
In this installment of Scary Stuff, guest blogger Rebecca Stern shines a spotlight on a chemical called oxybenzone, examines why it's scary, and provides easy tips on how to avoid it. What is Oxybenzone? Oxybenzone is a chemical that is able to absorb ultraviolet (UV) light. It is the active ingredient in many sunscreens, and is also added to cosmetics to prevent degradation from UV
Sneaky Stuff Alert: BabyGanics Sunscreen
We just got back from a week in the Caribbean, before which I unknowingly made the rookie parenting mistake of not packing enough sunscreen (isn't it amazing how MUCH you go through every day when at the beach?). Halfway through the trip, we were out of the Good Stuff (which for us is either Kabana Green Screen or Babo Botanicals Clear Zinc Sunscreen), so I headed to the resort's sundries shop
Two Cool Things About White Sunblocks
Whenever possible, I keep Felix in the shade. When we switched from chemical sunscreens to mineral-based sunblocks, I hated the way we all looked like geishas. (Be suspicious if your "all natural" or mineral sunscreen does NOT leave a white sheen on your skin--it probably contains nanoparticles). Now I'm a convert, and when it comes to using a non-nano, all natural sunblock on Felix, there are two
Natural Mineral-Based Sunblocks Linked to Melanoma
Choosing a sunscreen that is truly safe has become an increasingly confusing endeavor. And now, a new study shows that the type of sunscreen often touted as the safest may raise the risk of melanoma! Zinc oxide=free radicals=DNA damage=melanoma? According to this study, zinc oxide--an ingredient commonly used in natural sunscreens--undergoes a chemical reaction when exposed to ultraviolet