4 Sunscreen Ingredients to Avoid & Our Top Natural Picks!

With my fair skin, painful sunburns happen very, very easily. Aside from the standard discomfort, peeling, itching, and stinging, extended sun damage can result in sun poisoning and even worse – skin cancer. So, naturally, I do what I can to protect my skin from the sun’s rays.

But I’ve found that it’s a double-edged sword, because it turns out that slathering on the highest SPF could be just as harmful as baking protection-free. Most chemical-based sunscreens contain unsafe ingredients that are quickly absorbed through our pores and can be damaging to our bodies.

Fortunately, it’s possible to find natural sunscreens that don’t contain these ingredients, as long as you know what to look out for. So next time you’re at the drugstore stocking up on your favorite skincare products, make sure to check the labels and avoid any brand of sunscreen that contain these four toxic ingredients.

Avoid These Sunscreen Ingredients:

• Oxybenzone: This is public enemy number one in most chemical-based sunscreens. Oxybenzone actually blocks the good stuff we can get from the sun, like UVB rays that provide much-needed vitamin D, while allowing in harmful UVA rays. Not to mention the fact that when it’s absorbed into the skin it can cause the kind of cell damage that leads to skin cancer (which is what we’re all trying to prevent in the first place!).

• Parabens: You’re probably already mindful of the harmful parabens in deodorant, shampoo, and most other cosmetics, but make sure to look for them in your sunscreen too. Propylparaben, ethylparaben, mythylparaben, and butylparaben are used as preservatives to lengthen the shelf life of these products, but can end up causing allergic reactions and hormone deficiencies. Some studies even link parabens to an increased risk of breast cancer.

• Octinoxate: Not only can octinoxate impair hormone production, but it also allows other damaging chemicals, like the ones mentioned in this article, to be more easily absorbed by the body. This can lead to a host of side effects including the production of skin-damaging free radicals and premature aging.

• Retinyl palmitate: While the jury is still out on whether retinyl palmitate, a form of vitamin A, increases our risk of cancer when applied to skin that’s exposed to sunlight, government studies show that it can produce free radicals and tumors in mice. I don’t know about you, but that’s enough for me to stay away from it.

Luckily, there are alternatives! The Environmental Working Group is a fantastic consumer resource that reviews thousands of sunscreen products for their safety and effectiveness. We rounded up a list of our favorite mineral sunscreens that all ranked the highest. Slather them on before you head out to enjoy some fun in the sun!

Loving Naturals Clear Body Sunscreen - SPF 30. This unique formula is clear and rubs in easily. Water resistant up to 40 minutes.

Badger Lightly Scented Lavender Sunscreen - SPF 30. Works for both face and body and has a mild natural lavender scent.

The Honest Company Sunscreen – SPF 30. Safe for the whole family, including babies under 6 months. Unscented and non-greasy formula.

TruKid Sunny Days – SPF 30. Light texture rubs in smoothly and has a pleasant scent. Contains soothing aloe and cucumber extract.

Coola Suncare Total Body – SPF 30. This antioxidant-rich formula has the added benefit of promoting skin cell regeneration and improving appearance.

California Baby Sunscreen Stick – SPF 30. This easy-to-use stick glides on smoothly and smells like lemongrass. Works for the whole family.

Burnout Ocean Tested Physical Sunscreen – SPF 30. Very water resistant – great for the beach or the pool. Enriched with aloe and antioxidants.

Lavanila The Healthy Sun Screen – SPF 30. Infused with green tea, shea butter, cucumber, and vanilla for a luxurious and hydrating experience.

What’s your favorite brand of mineral-based sunscreen? Tell us in the comments section below!

4 Natural Acne Remedies You Can Make At Home!

Acne is a pesky and troublesome skin condition. Whether you are prone to acne or just get the occasional break out, chances are you’ve tried several over-the-counter or prescription treatments.  These medications are full of chemicals that can strip your skin of natural oils, dry out your pores and disrupt your pH balance – not to mention they don’t always work to treat the problem.

Luckily, there are a few natural remedies that can treat acne, and all of them can be cooked up right in your own kitchen! 

Raw honey mask - Using raw honey as a facemask can reduce acne and moisturize your skin. The sugar in honey pulls the moisture out of the air into your skin, and the alpha hydroxy acid helps remove dead skin cells and encourages collagen production.  Simply warm the honey in your hands and apply to your face, letting it sit for 15 minutes before rinsing off. This is a great mask to do a couple of time a week, especially in the colder months, to keep your skin healthy and glowing. 

Castor oil cleanser - Castor oil has a very strong cleansing property, and works well to pull the dirt and oil out of your pores. To use castor oil as a cleanser, mix 3 parts castor oil with 2 parts sunflower oil and massage all over your face. (If you are prone to dry skin, you should increase the sunflower oil.) Place a hot washcloth over your face for 30 seconds to create steam, and then use the cloth to scrub the excess oil from your face. 

Apple cider vinegar toner - It may be starting to sound like apple cider vinegar is natures cure all, but for good reason! It has both antibacterial and antiseptic traits, which is why it works so well as an acne fighting toner. Combine one part apple cider vinegar with four parts water, and dab on your face with a cotton ball. Follow up with your favorite moisturizer or coconut oil. 

Tea tree oil spot treatment – This topical acne treatment is believed to have the same restorative effects as benzoyl peroxide but without the chemicals. Just dab a little bit onto affected area before bed. The acne should be greatly reduced by morning! 

What are some of your favorite acne home remedies?

How to Let Loose and Be Bad for a Change

Amid all the arrangements, obligations, and pressures for perfection this holiday season, do you ever find yourself fantasizing about a blissful escape from responsibility? Wouldn’t it be nice to skip the shopping and treat yourself to a massage instead? Go ahead, be naughty – we won’t tell!

If you’re someone who’s been good to yourself and others all year, then why not indulge in a little fun before your usual composed self takes over again in the New Year? Primary food doesn’t only include positive relationships, spiritual practice, and a fulfilling career; it also means letting go of the constraints of life and being free to make decisions that enliven your spirit.

Here are a few ways to break your usual hectic holiday rhythms:

Buy yourself a present. Trying to resist the temptation to get a little something for yourself while you’re out and about shopping for loved ones? Don’t! You totally deserve it.

Skip the fitness routine.  Would it mean the end of your beautiful figure to ditch the gym once in a while and pamper yourself with a hot bath and a good book instead? Absolutely not! Relaxation is just as important for your health as fitness, and besides, even small amounts of exercise provide immense health benefits. Just take a walk around the block later and call it a day.

Say no to something. If you’re prone to putting the needs of others ahead of your own, then it might be time to exercise a little self-assertion and just say no to something that you don’t really want to do. No one will judge you; they’ll understand.

Do something unexpected. Honored traditions, family values, and conventional ways of doing things certainly have their place in the world, but why not shake things up a bit? Set up a juice bar for your guests instead of serving alcohol, create a totally different menu than you normally serve, or pull a gentle prank on your family. The possibilities are endless for how you can surprise your loved ones this year.

Get away from it all. If another year of listening to Great Aunt Hilda’s story about the time the airline lost her luggage has you dreading the usual holiday fare, it’s not too late to skip the drama and unwind by taking a trip somewhere exotic. Maybe you’ll have an adventure of your own to share around the holiday meal next year!

How are you going to let loose this holiday season?

4 Essential Ways to Stop Adrenal Fatigue

You can barely drag yourself out of bed each morning, yet you have trouble going to sleep at night. Maybe you need coffee in the morning and crave sweets around 3pm for a pick me up. And you feel like you are on a treadmill, running from school to work to errands to home, never getting a break.

Sound familiar? You may be burning out your adrenals.

Adrenal fatigue is a collection of symptoms that arise when the adrenals are unable to produce enough of these stress-coping hormones. You might be suffering from adrenal fatigue if you have trouble waking up in the morning, rely on caffeine and sugar to keep you going, and generally feel unwell.

Why are adrenals important?

The adrenals help regulate stress, whether physical, emotional, or psychological. Adrenals release hormones that regulate energy production and storage, immune function and inflammatory response, heart rate, muscle tone, and other processes that enable you to cope with stress.

When your adrenals burn out, you’re more susceptible to headaches, overall weakness, colds, allergies, and respiratory infections, weight gain, lower sex drive, reduced concentration, and difficulties in relationships at work or at home. Adrenal fatigue has also been linked to autoimmune disorders, diabetes, post traumatic stress disorder, alcoholism and drug abuse.

How can you heal your adrenal functioning? Here are 4 essential ways to stop adrenal fatigue:

5 Ways to Enjoy Your Work

Beyond being an unofficial end of summer celebration, Labor Day is also the time when we reflect upon the contributions we’ve made to the world via our professional endeavors.

So how are you feeling about your work? Are you fulfilled and enthusiastic about being back at the office tomorrow, or considering a change to something more enjoyable? Either way, we’ve got some great tips to help you thrive in the workplace. Don’t let another year go by without taking the next step in creating the career of your dreams!

Here are 5 ways to enjoy your work:

1. Appreciate. Having gratitude for the elements of your job that you like can help create an abundant mindset, which increases your productivity and satisfaction. Consciously appreciating the good parts can also help naturally attract more positivity into your life.

2. Create goals. If there’s anything in your career that you’d like to change or improve, set a clear goal and take action to materialize it. Your circumstances are more likely to shift if you become proactive in creating what you want.

3. Communicate. Whether it’s speaking up to ask for a promotion, practicing the art of listening, or developing your unique creative style, communication is vital to success. Consider an area of your work that could use finer articulation, and make a point to strengthen this skill.

4. Personalize your environment. Since you spend a great deal of time in your workspace, it’s important to make it comfortable. Having a plant, a photo of a loved one, or an assortment of your favorite teas can go a long way in reducing stress and making you feel more at home.

5. Grow. It is beneficial to see every experience as an opportunity to learn and expand your knowledge. How can this apply to you? Does it involve taking a weekend course to learn a new skill, making a change in your approach to certain projects, or reaching out for support? Even if this means leaving a career you invested a lot of time in and starting something newinstead, be continually open to the possibility to further growth.

How do you celebrate your work?

Mike's 80 Pound Weight Loss!

    by guest writer: Michael Grajeda

All my life I have been large. They would call it large, heavy, husky and any one of a number of other names. The fact was that I was fat. My parents were raised in a generation that called for a meat and a starch and plenty of it. I was never denied anything I wanted to eat and as much as I wanted to eat it. It was not their fault they simply did not know better.

Over the years I got bigger and bigger until one day in 2011 I weighed myself and I tipped the scales at 422 pounds! How did I let it get this bad? I had always been semi active. I enjoyed sports and played football in high school and liked to work out. But my diet was horrible. I was eating out of convenience and drive-thru's were my quick fix when I was hungry. I made a decision that day to do something that would change my life.

I am no expert on weight loss, I have good days and I have not so good days. I do not let a number define me - I let my lifestyle define me. I am not bound by a ridgid diet plan but a plan that has helped me change my eating habits and encourage more excersise. To date with the help of my wife, Jessica, teaching me how to eat healthier and encouraging me to never give up I have lost 80 pounds! Slow and steady is the focus, tweaking small things in my life and seeing the rewards long term. 

Through my lifestyle changes I am not only continually improving my health, but the lives of my wife and daughter. My daughter will never be made fun of for being overweight, she will be healthy inside and out. She will escape the risk factors and destruction that obesity brings. And my time as her father will not be cut short by my weight or the diseases it would have brought. My weight no longer defines me, who I am as a person and the choices I make define me now.

How Much Vitamin D Do I Need and When?

Here is a great infographic about Vitamin D, it's uses and 

dosage recommendations by NaturalNews.com

For the larger version, click here!

How much Vitamin D do you take?

Lemon Facial Refresher

Lemon Facial Refresher

juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2c witch hazel

In a glass bowl or bottle, mix ingredients well.  Wash face as usual.  Using a cotton pad, apply refresher to face.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.

Astringent & Ph Restorer

Astringent & Ph Restorer

2c distilled water
1/4c apple cider vinegar (I use BRAGGS brand)
10 drops orange or eucalyptus essential oils

Combine all ingredients in a plastic or glass container.  Shake and mix well.  Store in an airtight container for up to 1 year.  Apply to face as you would a toner with a cotton pad.

Oatmeal Mask

Oatmeal Mask

4 tsp ground oatmeal
5 tsp buttermilk (I have also used almond milk, but reduce to 3 tsp)

Mix ingredients into a paste. Apple mask to face in a thin layer, massaging as you apply.  Allow to dry 20-30 minutes.  One time use only, do not store.

Gentle Facial Exfoliant

Gentle Facial Exfoliant

1/2c ground oatmeal
1/4c powdered milk
1 tsp cornmeal
purified water

Mix all dry ingredients together.  Combine 1 tblsp with purified water to make a paste.  Allow to thicken 1 minute.  Massage mixture into face and rinse.  Dry Ingredients can be stored in an airtight container for 6 months.

Natural Suntan Oil

Natural Suntan Oil

1/2c coconut oil
1/2c jojoba
2 tblsp cocoa butter
2 drops coconut fragrance oil (optional)

In a glass bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.  Using a funnel, pour the mixture into a glass or plastic bottle.  Pour oil into hand and massage into a thin layer on the skin.  Reapply as necessary when tanning outdoors.

**Overexposure to the sun resulting in apparent redness or burning may cause skin damage or cancer.  Vitamin D is an important vitamin for the body which can be obtained through natural sunlight exposure, but must be done in a responsible way.