Natural/Organic Sunscreen?

Hey Ladies, Does anyone have a good recommendation for a natural sunscreen for body and face? I know there are a ton out there, but I was hoping to find one off a recommendation. Especially one for the face that won't break you out. The only one I've used on occasion that's not organic is Aveeno, but I think it makes me break out a bit. So any recs would be great. Thanks!

You may want to try the Burt's Bees Chemical Free Sunblock. I haven't tried it yet but a friend of mine that is super pale and really sensitive SWEARS by it.

FemmeFox wrote:You may want to try the Burt's Bees Chemical Free Sunblock. I haven't tried it yet but a friend of mine that is super pale and really sensitive SWEARS by it.

Thanks for the reccommendation. I'm allergic to sunscreen (even baby sunscreen; I guess my skin is way sensitive), but I don't want to get skin cancer lol.

I've been using natural sunscreens for 21 years (since age 13), long before they were common. Sad teen years for me! I too get allergic reactions to even baby sunscreens, so you really just need to try each one out because there's no telling what exactly is irritating your skin. The good thing is now we have plenty of variety in natural sunscreens to choose from, though some are shinier, some are ashier, and some smell better - but they all work well at screening the sun. You just have to try them out to see what works for you.

All this said, I *highly* recommend Soléo Organics All Natural Sunscreen SPF 30+. Since I have highly sensitive and acne-prone skin and moving to Australia has forced me to use sunscreen much more frequently, I prefer something that I can use on both my body and face (sometimes mixed with makeup or moisturizer) to make life easier. Soléo has a very mild, even neutral fragrance. It has the lowest ashey effect of all I've tried. I haven't had an increase in pimples (hence it doesn't cause or cure acne ) And the ingredients list is awesome: Grapeseed oil, macadamia oil, green tea extract, roman chamomile extract, sunflower oil, capric/caprylic triglycerides (plant oil derived), beeswax, theobroma butter, candelilla wax, lecithin, vegetable oils, cucumber extract, tocopheryl acetate (Vitamin E). Active ingredient: Zinc oxide 22.3%

I also recommend EcoLani Suncare Products, which I used for years from head to toe before finding Soléo. The fragrance is so gorgeous (a mild sweet floral scent of something like jasmine and frangipani!) and it is very moisturizing, but the shine and ashey factor for my face is what made me start using Soléo more. I do, however, still buy this and use it on my body when I'm in places with low humidity.

I've recently tried Live-Live Sunscreen with MSM SPF 30, but that gave me a rash within a couple of hours. But you might not have the same reaction, and the smell is unique - orange!

Other products I've not tried but have heard great things about are:
- Mexitan
- Badger
- UV Natural
- The Daily Green's Top 14 Natural Sunscreens of 2009 (Cosmetics Database's Top 10 plus DG's 4 additions)
I'd encourage looking up reviews for these and any others you want to try on Makeup Alley and Skin Deep's Cosmetics Database for feedback on ingredients (Skin Deep) and firsthand user reviews from people with skin like yours (Makeup Alley).

Whole Foods and local natural food stores are great retailers of natural sunscreens, so you can do patch tests on your inner elbow and jawline before spending any money. Once you find one you like (and that likes you!) I encourage buying multiple tubes/bottles online to save money, since natural sunscreens are often more expensive. LuckyVitamin.com is one site, but there are many.

Good luck!

ChrsLvsBks - how did you determine that Shea Butter and Aloe Vera gels are natural sunscreens?

I use Avalon Organics Moisturizer with SPF 18 (Active ingredient: Zinc Oxide).

I have to highly recommend Devita Solar Body Block 30. It has no whitecast at all despite having only Zinc Oxide in it. It has a nice light almond scent to it and really feels more like moisturizer.

I'm actually using their Devita Ultra Solar 50 since it has a higher percentage of zinc oxide. Both are great products.

Some Whole Foods carry it, if not I know iherb.com carries it among others.

I'll be watching this thread. Thanks!

swoodward wrote:I'll be watching this thread. Thanks!

same here (*waits patiently)

Quite a useful thread....just looking for some more information....thanks..

There are a foods/vitamins that are supposed to provide sun protection or reverse damage in the skin.

I am thinking Vitamin A & D, and certain veggies. I need to do more research on that though.