Teresa from Arizona writes:
I am 33 years old and really wanting to protect my skin from being damaged by the sun. I hear that sunscreen is good and I wear it daily. What else can I be doing to protect my skin from aging too quickly?
Dear Teresa,
I think its great that you are using sunscreen. Our skin is technically our largest organ that we have. There are plenty of natural sunscreens available today that are powerful at keeping out the UVA and UVB rays to protect your skin. I will list a natural recipe for sunscreen at the end of this article. Along with the research done on Vitamin D3 as being a great source of nutrition that we get from direct sunlight, we do need to consider limiting our exposure.
Nutrition plays one of the greatest keys in protecting our skin from excessive oxidation and aging. Currently taking omega-3 fatty acids each day in the form of fish oil, nuts and seeds, or vegetables makes a tremendous difference in the health of our skin. Recently new studies have been proven that a powerful antioxidant called astazanthin can help protect us from some of the burning effects of the suns rays. Scientists recently at Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University have found that the extracts of ginger and turmeric may help prevent the DNA cellular damage from the UVB rays that is the leading cause of deadly melanoma and other skin cancers.
Turmeric and ginger absorb a tremendous amount of UVB rays before they can damage the skin. In fact they did studies in Phytochemistry and Photobiology that showed how these two powerful extracts protected the skin cells by way of a powerful antioxidant called thioredoxin-1.
Make a goal to eat more of ginger and turmeric in your daily meals during the spring and summer months. Also consider a natural sunscreen of at least SPF 45 or check out the natural recipe below.
Homemade Sunscreen:
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup shea butter
- 1/2 cup sesame or jojoba oil
- 3 tbsp. beeswax granules
- 2-3 tbsp. zinc oxide powder (optional)
- 1 tsp. red raspberry seed oil
- 1 tsp. carrot seed oil
