Sun Care: An Overview

Protecting ourselves from the sun is one of the most effective ways to keep our skin looking healthy. However, it's still important to get about 15 minutes of sunlight per day to at least some of the body so the body can manufacture Vitamin D.

Avoidance/Shade
If you must be outside between the hours of 10am-4pm, seek shade. If you must be in direct sunlight, a hat, clothing, and sunglasses can protect the body.

Diet
Eating a healthy diet full of antioxidants (such as vitamins C and E) aids in sun protection. If your skin has a decent supply of antioxidants, it can use them to combat free radicals that are formed when UV rays penetrate the skin. Free radicals wreak havoc on the skin and its DNA. Antioxidants are quickly depleted in the sun, so a healthy diet alone is not sufficient for extended sun exposure.

Astaxanthin is a more potent antioxidant than vitamins C and E, so it is quite effective in protecting the skin against the sun's UV rays.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2007/1108-sunscreen_in_a_pill.htm
This antioxidant is abundant in salmon, or it can be obtained by a supplement, such as this one (I am not affiliated with the following website):
http://www.astafactor.com/

Some foods, such as carrots, can make the skin more photosensitive (susceptible to UV rays).

Sunscreen
The sun's rays that damage the skin are UVA and UVB rays. Many sunscreens only protect against UVB rays. UVA rays produce effects of aging, and UVB rays cause the skin to burn.
UVB has a wavelength range (in nanometers) of:
290-320
UVA has a wavelength range (in nanometers) of:
320-400

Different sunscreens filter out rays of differing nanometers, so it's important to find a sunscreen that covers the full spectrum of UVA and UVB rays.

Sunscreens can be either chemical or physical. Chemical sunscreens absorb radiation beneath the skin's surface. Physical sunscreens prevent radiation from reaching the skin.

New research on chemical sunscreens shows that they may actually damage the skin. When most chemical sunscreens absorb too much radiation, they break down and produce free radicals which damage the skin. To prevent this, sunscreen must be reapplied often enough to keep the chemicals from breaking down.
http://newsroom.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/display.cgi?id=1399
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=17015167&ordinalpos=7&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

A few common chemical sunscreen ingredients are Oxybenzone, Avobenzone, Homosalate, Octocrylene, Octinoxate, and Octisalate.

The main physical sunscreens are Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide. Zinc Oxide covers the full UVA/UVB spectrum, while Titanium Dioxide nearly covers it. Zinc Oxide is soothing to the skin (it is even used in diaper rash creams). Both are opaque and white in their natural forms, so to be inconspicuous when applied to the skin, they must either be tinted or broken down into smaller particles (Micronized Zinc Oxide, Nano Zinc Oxide, Micronized Titanium Dioxide, and Nano Titanium Dioxide). A product may contain these smaller particles, but it may still be listed on the label as simply Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide. There is a remote chance that the smallest of the nanoparticles may enter the skin if the skin barrier is not intact (such as through a cut). Keep in mind, however, that all chemical sunscreens penetrate the skin.

No sunscreen is perfect, but my sunscreen of choice is Nano Zinc Oxide, because it covers the full UVA/UVB spectrum, is soothing to the skin, and is inconspicuous.

The Environmental Working Group's (EWG) information on sunscreen (excellent read!):
http://www.cosmeticdatabase.org/special/sunscreens2008/summary.php

The Environmental Working Group's (EWG) top 10 safe sunscreens:
http://www.cosmeticdatabase.org/special/sunscreens2008/findyoursunscreen.php

EWG's Common Recommended Brands:
http://www.cosmeticdatabase.org/special/sunscreens2008/brandranks.php

A slideshow of EWG's top 10 sunscreens:
http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/natural-sunscreens-460608

Do-It-Yourself Sunscreens
Advantages to making your own sunscreen:

• it can usually be made more cheaply than it can be bought (more natural sunscreens, especially, can be very pricey--often $15 or more for one or a few ounces)
  
• you can choose your own ingredients, leave out harmful ingredients, and leave out ingredients that may cause acne
• the satisfaction of doing it yourself

Some oils will block a small percentage of UV rays.
"Sesame oil resists 30 percent of UV rays, while coconut oil, peanut oil, olive oil, and cottonseed oil block out about 20 percent."
http://www.holistic.com/holistic/learning.nsf/Title/How+and+Why+to+Protect+Your+Skin+with+Natural+Sunscreens
http://www.environmentalhealth.ca/spring03sun.html

I have not tried either of these recipes yet, but I will give an update with the results in a few weeks. After extensive research, I created recipes that looked simple but still effective.

Non-Waterproof (good for the face, so the skin can breathe)
up to about 22% Z-Cote Zinc Oxide (Nano)
(optional) about 6% Nano Titanium Dioxide for added UVB protection (against burning)
Jojoba Oil (for the face, since it does not cause acne and absorbs easily) or Sesame oil, coconut oil, peanut oil, olive oil, or cottonseed oil for added sun protection (note that some of these oils do not absorb as easily or as quickly into the skin)

Waterproof:
up to about 22% of Z-Cote Zinc Oxide (Nano)
(optional) up to about 6% Nano Titanium Dioxide for added UVB protection (against burning)
Jojoba Oil (for the face, since it does not cause acne and absorbs easily) or Sesame oil, coconut oil, peanut oil, olive oil, or cottonseed oil for added sun protection (note that some of these oils do not absorb as easily or as quickly into the skin)
Beeswax - about 1 oz per every 8 oz of oil (melt the beeswax and mix with the oil, then the Zinc Oxide)