Face Sunscreen

[Sunny]

I've got to get another face sunscreen, ive been being a tight ass and trying to use what ive got which is Banana Boat Faces but its just so horrible, it really dries my skin out. I do have a fondness for natural stuff but does anyone have any good face ones that dont dry you out?

[Naomi]

I'm slack, I either use just nivea moisturiser with sunscreen (just normal use) in it or if I'm going to be in the sun for long I'll use regular sunscreen on my face.

[Perfectly Precious]

Any of the face moisturizers that feature uv protection are the best bet as they are designed as moisturizers first - the oil of olay one feels really nice!

[miss kiki]

what about something that babies use?

[CathyOne]

I'm not condoning anything for anyone else here, but I haven't used sunscreen for 5 or 6 years now. I believe it causes cancer, I had one cut out on my face 6 or 7 years ago. They say emu & coconut oil have some natural sunscreens so I use them.

I am very anti chemical products & I really don't trust doctors after many bad experiences (with my kids & myself), all I can suggest is to be well read on the subject, and then make a decision. I think you can affect your skin more from the inside than outside.

[Di Nana]

I never use sun screen, I am never without make up on my face and that has SS in it so guess that's enough for me,

[jenr]

I always use sunscreen I use it on my face as well especially at golf.
I have several spots on my face that will need attention down the track,I am getting old hands as well.
I put sunscreen on my right arm and hand when driving at work as I get burnt easily.

[Heather]

I'm shockingly slack.

[miss kiki]

i rarely use sun screen either.

[jenr]

A lot of people dont realise that Sunscreen has an expiry date:yes:

[Heather]

I found out the hard way LMAO

[Sunny]

I'm not condoning anything for anyone else here, but I haven't used sunscreen for 5 or 6 years now. I believe it causes cancer, I had one cut out on my face 6 or 7 years ago. They say emu & coconut oil have some natural sunscreens so I use them.

I am very anti chemical products & I really don't trust doctors after many bad experiences (with my kids & myself), all I can suggest is to be well read on the subject, and then make a decision. I think you can affect your skin more from the inside than outside.

Cathy - i'm on your page with that sort of stuff!!!!!!! ...BUT i'm kinda stuck to do it because i get a bit of melasma on my face. I did see some sunscreens in the health food shop that ive been meaning to check out but havent got around to it yet. I know the melasma is harmless but still....im too vein to be able to just let the sun have its way with my face and walk around with brown patches :hehe:

[Di Nana]

A lot of people dont realise that Sunscreen has an expiry date:yes:

So have I and I :hehe:

[CathyOne]

Sunny,

Start off by trying emu oil (or coconut oil) on your face overnight, & see if there's any difference after a couple of weeks. I have had a couple of scaly brown patches disappear. It's gone up a lot in price recently, (about $30), but it goes a long way & is still cheaper than most cosmetic brands of moisturiser.

[Melinda]

my foundation always has sunscreen in it, theres no way i would be without it.

[Sunny]

Sunny,

Start off by trying emu oil (or coconut oil) on your face overnight, & see if there's any difference after a couple of weeks. I have had a couple of scaly brown patches disappear. It's gone up a lot in price recently, (about $30), but it goes a long way & is still cheaper than most cosmetic brands of moisturiser.

I havent tried Emu Oil but i have used coconut oil, i've got some of that nui organic stuff at the mo, its good but it makes me tan more in the sun (Off topic but i just bought some nui choc coconut spread its like nutella but made with coconut oil instead of milk, it'll do just fine as chocolate replacement! ) I'll have a look for some emu oil (i wonder how they get it out of the emu's is it out of their feather glands?) to try but the melasma is under the skin not surface, it just tans faster in those spots to do with pigment and hormones or whatever, but yeah using sunscreen on it stops it tanning faster but just makes it dry and blah.

Melinda i've got that mineral makeup which is good and has some protection but i dont think that high for spf

[lucyloo]

I use oil of olay, which I think has a suncreen of 30.

My foundation also has a sunscreen in it, I think 15, although I rarely wear it, only when I am going out, mainly at night....saves me from moon burn :hehe:

[Shade]

I'm amazed that someone professes to declare that sunscreen causes cancer and then uses emu oil, a substance that has been proven to be totally ineffective as a sun protection agent (as well as everything else).

Emu oil (for the person that asked) is extracted from the back fat of the emu and while many health companies have touted it as being a uniquely therapeutic substance, there is no substantial proof gained from clinical trials to support this. Emu oil is also known as snake oil. And with good reason.

Jenr, you're spot on: it does have an expiry date. Not many people also realise there's a difference between sunscreen and sunblock either or that you can't add SPF to get maximum time in the sun.

Sunscreens only reduce the amount of sunburn. Sunblocks deflect sunlight from the skin.

Coconut oil offers an SPF of about 2. And that's only if it's unrefined, natural coconut oil that has been allowed to be absorbed by the skin (ie no shiny surface). It's only good for short, periodic exposure and is nowhere near as effective as pharmaceutical grade sunscreen. You simply cannot compare the two.

[Sunny]

On snake oil did you know that it is still used traditionally through China, its only considered a fake scam thing in the west where salesmen had tried to use any old snake that didnt have the same properties as they one that was traditionally used. Snakes are suppose to be really high in essential fatty acids and are good to eat too not that i'd eat one any time soon (shudders).

I think theres a big difference between the emu oil being totally disproved and it having not been tested yet, and to be fair to the oil they should test it how ever it was traditionally prepared by indigenous people.

I just thought id put that out there, i think the health food industry is FULL of sharlatans trying to make a quick buck and they give the whole thing a bad name. There are still lots of great natural things though that can be better or as good as conventional products.....just think of the good old banana peel for warts, it might be gross to use but its always worked better for me than the doctor trying to burn them off or the crap ive bought in the chemists for them! Hmmm i wonder if theyll ever make a HPV treatment with banana peel extracts lol

[CathyOne]

I'm amazed that someone professes to declare that sunscreen causes cancer and then uses emu oil, a substance that has been proven to be totally ineffective as a sun protection agent (as well as everything else).

Emu oil (for the person that asked) is extracted from the back fat of the emu and while many health companies have touted it as being a uniquely therapeutic substance, there is no substantial proof gained from clinical trials to support this. Emu oil is also known as snake oil. And with good reason.

Jenr, you're spot on: it does have an expiry date. Not many people also realise there's a difference between sunscreen and sunblock either or that you can't add SPF to get maximum time in the sun.

Sunscreens only reduce the amount of sunburn. Sunblocks deflect sunlight from the skin.

Coconut oil offers an SPF of about 2. And that's only if it's unrefined, natural coconut oil that has been allowed to be absorbed by the skin (ie no shiny surface). It's only good for short, periodic exposure and is nowhere near as effective as pharmaceutical grade sunscreen. You simply cannot compare the two.

I am amazed that someone thinks Emu Oil is Snake Oil, http://www.emushop.com.au/emuoil2.html (There are also many other studies available on the net.) Sure not everything "natural' is good, but I would much rather put on my face & body something that is not full of chemicals (read the labels) & something that is actually proven to get into your skin (as is coconut oil). 99% of moisturisers do nothing except make your skin FEEL smoother & softer, they sit on top of your skin.

I would not advise anyone to stop using sunscreen, I don't use it, & I never will again. My son is an organic chemist & he doesn't think I'm doing anything harmful. I also only use Manuka honey on cuts & scrapes, it heals without killing off good skin cells. Each to his own. All I said was read up on it, extensively!

[Shade]

Look, I have no problem with people making their own choices in life. I do, however, have a bugbear with people who declare that sunscreen causes cancer and then cite that other substances are what they aren't and then use a shop website to support their claim.

Anyone can read extensively on a subject. What I question is whether what they read is accurate or relevant. Personally, I take more stock in medical journals, clinical trials and chemical analyses than what a shopkeeper or beauty company has to say.

Like Sunny says, there are heaps of shysters in the health and beauty industry so the more questions there are, the better! :) ('Snake' oil and goanna oil have a long history in Australia too).

In the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (December 1998, pages 2404–2407), it was reported that emu oil actually impedes wound healing and although it exhibited anti-inflammatory properties, it did so equally to olive oil and flaxseed.

I'm not saying emu oil is crap. But what I am saying is that the vast claims that are being made about it by sellers are unproven. Emu oil's reputation is driven mostly by claims made by companies selling products that contain it, and not by any real proof that it is an essential requirement for skin.


Resources to check out:

University of Massachusetts (http://www.uml.edu/Media/News%20Articles/article178.html)

Wright University (http://www.wright.edu/admin/fredwhite/pharmacy/popular_nremedies13.html)

[CathyOne]

Firstly, I did not declare sunscreen causes cancer, it is my belief that it does. I also stated that I don't said others should not go down that path unless they study it themselves.

Shade, there are plenty of studies does by lots of medical researchers on the benefits of emu oil. I don't have to catalogue them for everyone. The reason, I believe some natural products do not go mainstream is because there isn't a buck in it for the doctors or drug companies.

I have (and my kids) been misdiagnosed so much over the past 20 years by doctors who don't care, that I read & study everything now, very thoroughly. If I was to believe a rheumatologist, (a very prominent one) who was recommended by my GP 3 years ago, I would be in trouble now. He said I had rheumatoid arthritis & prescribed Methotrexate. A cancer treatment drug. I still have the prescription, unfilled. I traipsed from doctor to doctor to specialist for 5 years with my problem. I have had bone scans, full body cat scans, mri's, x rays, the lot. One doctor actually sent me to a psychiatrist, cause he said it was all in my head.

My son was diagnosed with Hepatitis 2 years ago, when he actually had Glandular Fever. Yes the doctor had the blood test, he just couldn't read it properly. Countless other events.
I have Post Polio Syndrome. Took them 5 years to figure it out.

So no, I have no faith in Doctors or there diagnosing. I try & live as natural as possible to stay healthy. With food & my home as well.

[Sunny]

Cathy me too and i'm only 26!!!!!!! I've quite the little list and run around of misdiagnosed or just brushed off stuff. I'm sure there are capable Doctors out there .... i just havent met any yet :hehe: but then again i havent met any truly capable naturopaths either! Best to keep yourself healthy and out of the Doctors office i reckon!