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  • The mean daily sun exposure time to maintain healthy skin until 80 years of age in the summer was calculated to be 2.54 min (0.14 MED) for unprotected skin and 127 min with the use of a sunscreen of SPF (sun protection factor) of 50. (Exp Dermatol. 2014 Oct;23 Suppl 1:43-6. doi: 10.1111/exd.12393).

    Coconut oil will give you maybe spf 2-4.  

    Invest in a big floppy hat and long sleeved shirts that do not let light through (you can test this by holding the cloth up to a lamp).  

    If you think effective sunscreens are poison then you will have to make your own with big particles of ZnO or TiO2, your fat of choice, and an appropriate emulsifier along with a preservative.  

    Or maybe you could try some flesh-tinted powders with SPF ratings in the makeup department. Be beware, you need to apply a great deal to achieve the labeled SPF rating.

    I use commercial sunscreens with high UVB and UVA ratings. They are made in France where they do a better job of regulating these things (compared to FDA).

    The way I see it, I will not be a good ad for veganism if I am all wrinkled and decrepit looking. 

    • Teehee Carol :) That last sentence made me laugh. I like wrinkles...I think they give a person character and are signs of a well-lived, interesting past. I don't trust sunscreen - I suspect the chemicals react on your skin with the sun and cause cancers in years to come. We have all been well taught that the sun is our enemy and yet without it there would be no life!! It isn't the sun we should fear...it is the bad food we put in our bodies that cause cancer. I know I will cop flak for that comment but that's how I see it. The sun isn't evil...we have been conditioned to fear it. The sun is my friend and without it I feel sickly and depressed. 

      • The sun is your friend in small doses.  Without the sun, life would be impossible. We need it to exist. It does make people happy.

        But too much is not only damaging in general but also carcinogenic.  

        http://enhs.umn.edu/current/5103/uv/molelcularmech.html

        Everyone would get skin cancer if (s)he lives long enough and didn't die of something else first. Your (cute) picture suggests a phototype of II. This means you are sensitive. Take care of your skin, too! It's your largest organ. I would say at very least protect your face, neck, and hands. 

  • Raspberry seed oil provides one of the best sources of natural spf 

  • Proceed with a LOT of caution with using coconut oil as sunscreen.  It has minimal SPF.  Also, if you know how SPF numbers are calculated, you know that it takes a very thick layer of product to actually provide the SPF listed on products.  You could never actually apply a thick layer of coconut oil, it would just run off.  If you want to try it, do so with short intervals in the sun first.

  • My sister used Organic raw virgin coconut oil all summer and that is all i have used in the last year of which both of us have been in the sun for long extended periods of time without burning at all but i also put this down to be on a high fruit raw diet. I also make a sunscreen on request with shea butter, lavender oil and coconut oil which provides around 16 SPF in total.

    PS Extra virgin is a gimmick to charge you more money.. For example if a woman is a virgin how could she possible be an extra virgin?

  • It has minimal SPF so I would not trust it for any protection.

    But the bigger picture is that sunscreen is almost never necessary anyway.  Just get at least a half hour or so a day of direct sun on as much skin as you can safely (and legally) manage.  

    Never stay out so long that you burn, and applying goop to allow longer than your body wants is overriding its safety signals.  If you must be out longterm, then full clothing and a large hat is a better option.  

    • I'm worried not about sun burn because I don't ever stay out that long. But I do want to eliminate all sun exposure to the face to prevent aging. This is not possible even in the winter when you drive for long periods of time and you can't block the sun coming in through the windows. Other parts of the body can take the sun for vitamin D but taking the sunlight with the face comes with the side effect of aging.

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