Australia’s only Naturopathically Formulated and Certified Organic Skincare
Australia’s only Naturopathically Formulated and Certified Organic Skincare
Sunscreen is something that we all know we're supposed to wear on a daily basis and it gets especially drummed into us from a beauty perspective as the best way to maintain the youthfulness of our skin. The thing that bothers me is that there is a lot of misinformation about the level of SPF required and the benefit to skin. I'm here to bust those myths!
The first thing to talk about is SPF numbers. Now you may well know that sunscreens generally provide protection from 2 types of rays: UVA an UVB. SPF numbers relate purely to UVB rays. These are the rays that burn our skin. Here is a quick breakdown on the level of UVB protection provided by the different SPF numbers:
So as you can see the difference in protection between SPF 15 and 50 is only 5%. This is most likely why the World Health Organisation only recommends a broad spectrum sunscreen of SPF15. Please note the words 'broad spectrum' here. Broad spectrum relates to the sunscreen offering protection from both UVA and UVB rays. So let's talk about UVA rays now.
As mentioned above, SPF ratings have no impact on protection from UVA radiation. In fact, often higher SPF sunscreens provide less UVA protection. The interesting thing here is that UVA rays are the primary cause of what the beauty industry wants you to worry about: skin aging and wrinkles. It's also the type of ray that causes certain types of cancer. The thing about UVA rays is that they are very clever things and can pass through clouds and glass, and get to your skin when you don't even realise it. This is why it's very important to ensure your sunscreen protects you from UVA rays.
Another fact I want to share is that the SPF number has no impact on how long it lasts on the skin. High SPF Sunscreens do not last or remain effective on the skin any longer than a lower SPF sunscreen, and must be reapplied as directed with the same frequency as even the lowest SPF sunscreen.
In terms of application frequency, with chemical sunscreens, this is determined by how long it takes for the skin to absorb the chemicals. With mineral sunscreens, it's the amount of time it takes for movement, sweat and other factors to remove the sunscreen.
The moral of the story here is that it’s important to wear a broad spectrum sunscreen of minimum SPF 15 daily and reapply as needed. This is why I made our Protect + Clarify Daily Face Lotion which offers SPF15 protection and protection from those sneaky UVA rays. It also contains other natural ingredients which help to keep your skin looking as youthful and healthy for as long as possible. I hope you love it!
As much as I would love everyone to just empty the contents of their beauty cabinet and start fresh, it’s not practical or affordable for many. So given that one of the most common questions I get asked is ‘where should I start when transitioning to organic skincare’, I wanted to lay out my recommendations.
When going organic, I think it’s good to know not only what to start buying but why. That way you can make informed decisions and know that you’re heading in the right direction.
Lying in bed at 3am, desperate for sleep for come over me, is not how I expected to be spending my Thursday nights. But this is how it seems to be at 45. I’m hot, I’ve taken Panadol about 3 hours earlier to no avail, and I’m hearing every animal noise outside my window (which on other nights I would have slept through). I hate this.
When my skin looks and feels good, I feel amazing. But this is not as easily achieved as I get older. The decrease of hormones available in my body in my current state of perimenopause plays a huge factor in how well my skin stays hydrated and how it looks. Progesterone and oestrogen play many roles in the skin’s health, in particular the stimulation of skin sebum (the skin’s natural oils), the production of collagen and hyaluronic acid (which keeps skin thick and plump), and the stability of the skin’s barrier (which affects skin sensitivity, amongst other things).
