Tag Archives: sunscreen

Environmental Working Group Recommends Few Sunscreens for Use

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It’s almost summertime and here in Jacksonville, North Carolina, it is already heating up. Most moms start stocking up on sunscreen to slather on themselves and their little ones, but you may want to know about the latest study from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) EWG has conducted a study on the safety of sunscreens for the past four years. This year, they only recommended 39 sunscreens, which make up only 8 percent of the approximately 1,400 tested. Two things in particular worried the EWG when they were conducting the study. One was that they felt many sunscreens exaggerated their … Continue reading →

Five-Month-Old Suffers Serious Sunburn

As my family prepares to fly to the southwestern part of the United States for a vacation, I’m consumed with packing and preparing for the trip. A number one thought in my mind is how to best keep our baby cool in the hot temperatures while still protecting her from the sun’s rays. As we plan to spend some of our time sightseeing outdoors in temperatures in the mid 80’s to 90’s, this is a real concern. Apparently, not every mother shares this concern. In a story that is sure to twist your stomach and cause emotions ranging from disbelief … Continue reading →

Fun in the Sun

Its spring and toddlers are out in the yard again. It is the time for sand boxes, plastic lawn mowers that resemble those their parents use and all kinds of fun activities in the sun. The sun, however, poses a major threat to toddlers. Even on cool or overcast days when the sun isn’t shining bright or heating everything to feel warm to the touch, it can still cause sunburn to the sensitive skin of toddlers. It is very important to use sunscreen. Don’t forget to reapply according to the instructions on the bottle. It does wear off and your … Continue reading →

Is Your Toddler Getting Enough Vitamin D?

Probably not… at least according to medical experts. A new study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine reveals that at least 40% of American infants and toddlers aren’t getting enough vitamin D. What’s more, the study also found that there has been an increase in the number of rickets (a vitamin D deficiency disease) cases in several states in the last few years. Doctors say millions of American children are vitamin D deficient and that number is likely to increase if parents don’t start adjusting their kids’ diet or modifying their schedules to allow toddlers to spend … Continue reading →

Green Beach Ideas

Here where I live in North Carolina, we are within reasonable driving distance of at least six beaches. But, some that I have gone to are not well taken care of by those visiting. I look around and see candy wrappers, cigarette butts, and water bottles everywhere. While you want to have fun at the beach, you can do it is a green way. What is some small things you can do to keep your beach looking beautiful? The most important thing is to keep the plastic at home. The Ocean Conservancy organized an international coastal cleanup and guess what … Continue reading →

Sneaky Ways to Remember Your Sunscreen

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Memorial Day has passed here in the States, and that means it’s semi-officially summer! Sure, you can count June 21st as the official start of summer if you like, but the pool’s open so it’s summer to me! (Back home at the Jersey shore, Memorial Day is also the official start of the summer tourist season, so that’s another good reason in my book.) In fact, I’m planning to spend a good chunk of the afternoon lounging by the pool with a book. That means it’s time for my annual nagging about wearing sunscreen! I’ll be the first to admit … Continue reading →

Skin Care Myths: More is Better

In the case of skin care products, you CAN have too much of a good thing. It’s time to bust a few myths about how much product you need! Myth #1: If you layer on more SPF products, you’ll have more protection. Alas, no. Sun protection isn’t cumulative. Your total protection is only as high as the highest SPF product you’ve used. So if you have an SPF 30 sunscreen and an SPF 15 moisturizer, you’re still only getting the protection of SPF 30. Myth #2: Blobbing on more of a product will make it work even faster. Actually, using … Continue reading →

Protect Your Skin with UPF Clothing

As I’ve been driving around lately, I keep seeing billboards advertising SPF clothing. Since the Northern Hemisphere is officially starting summer on June 21st (though it may feel differently in some parts of the country), it’s a good time to look at skin protection! Basically, sun protective clothing uses fabric to protect your skin from the sun. Sounds simple, right? Sun protective clothing was developed in Australia in the 1990s. Why Australia? That country has the highest skin cancer numbers in the whole world — two out of three Australians will be treated for skin cancer during their lifetimes according … Continue reading →

Right Summer Safety Precaution, Wrong Reason. Now What?

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“I’m glad to see you’re remembering to use sunscreen,” I told my daughter. “Oh, yes,” she replied. “I always do because, you know, I don’t really like my skin. It gets really dark in summer.” HELLO? Haven’t we been over this already? (At least I think we have. I know I had a conversation with the four-year-old last year about skin. With this older one maybe the conversations were all about hair and about wanting wallpaper of blonde Barbies and Cinderellas. I can’t remember.) I didn’t know she’d noticed that her skin got darker in the summer. I hadn’t really … Continue reading →

Skin Care in the Air

Travel can be rough on your skin. Really, it can be rough on your whole body: sitting still for hours, cramped conditions forcing weird contortions, and more. But for today, let’s focus on your skin. Despite being often surrounded by moist, fluffy clouds, the air inside an airplane is dry. Like desert dry — humidity levels can be as low as five percent. What does that mean for your skin? It means the air can strip away moisture and leave wrinkles and other imperfections more pronounced. As crummy and cranky and tired as flying makes me feel… I sure don’t … Continue reading →