Safely protect yourself from bugs and sun exposure this season!
Summer! Fun in the sun, long days and easy living!
Memorial Day is upon us…the unofficial start to summer and it is going to be a gorgeous long weekend enjoying time spent outdoors with friends and family. Which brings up the question what are the safest options to protect your family from sun and bugs? It seems guidance is always changing on this subject.
We know that sun exposure and sun burns are linked to skin cancer and skin aging, however, after a long winter spending some time chilling by the pool or beach is non negotiable. Plus It is important to get 15 minutes of sunlight daily to direct skin to keep our Vitamin D levels boosted to help with mood, reduce inflammation and keep bones strong.
The best way to protect yourself and your family while outdoors:
Find some shade
Make sure your beach umbrella is made of high quality material that blocks both UVA and UVB rays.
Spend time in the sun earlier or later in the day to avoid the hottest rays
Wear a wide brimmed hat
Use sun protective clothing for swimming
Don’t forget to protect your lips
Check out these links to some of my favorite sun protection products:
It is not necessary to use an SPF higher that 50 as this provides only marginally better sun protection, higher exposure to chemicals and a false sense of security when out in sun. Meaning you think you are covered so you don't reapply and end up burned!
However there are going to be times when you will absolutely need sunscreen. Here are all the details on the safest and most effective options:
Barrier sunblocks reflect the rays and contain Zinc Oxide or Titanium Dioxide. They are safe for people and aquatic life and are your best choice.
Chemical sunscreens which absorb the sun's rays and are also absorbed through our skin and stay in our systems for weeks after a single application. So if you are using sunblock everyday all summer that is a lot of exposure.
Common chemical ingredients include: Oxybenzone, octinoxate, homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene and avobenzene. Many contribute to hormone disruption, skin allergies and most negatively affect coral reefs and aquatic life. (1)
Oxybenzone is specifically problematic and is not considered safe by the American Academy of Pediatricians. The FDA still allows up to 6% in our sunscreens and has called for more research on oxybenzone. They agree that preliminary studies show that this chemical is in fact absorbed into at much higher levels than previously thought. It is linked to hormone disruption, reproduction and development concerns.
Avobenzene is considered a safer organic chemical alternative, but it must be combined with other chemicals usually octisalate, octocrylene or mexoryl. This combination is considered the best option if using a non mineral formula.
Sun Block Do’s and Dont’s:
CHOOSE creams that are water resistant
AVOID spray sunblock as they contain the cancer causing chemical Benzene
AVOID the ingredient Oxybenzone
AVOID other harmful ingredients like parabens and fragrance
CHECK OUT how your sunblock rates at the EWG Skin Deep Tool
My favorite sunblock options:
Best Mineral Options: All Good Mineral Sport and Badger Kid’s Mineral Sunscreen
Best Chemical: SunBum Sunscreen Oil
Best for Babies: Think Baby Clear Sunscreen
Bst for Faces: Elta MD UV Restore
Bugs!! An unfortunate reality of outdoor activities in the summer are the insects! Ticks and mosquitos can be annoying and potentially dangerous as they may expose us (and our pets) to diseases such as Lyme disease from ticks or West Nile or Zika from mosquitos. So it is VERY important to protect yourself and your children from being bitten.
Wear long pants/long sleeve shirts and only apply repellents to exposed skin
Do not apply bug repellent directly on your face and avoid getting it near your eyes, nose and mouth. You can put it on your hands and apply to cheeks/forehead and neck.
Apply carefully behind ears (not in them)
Be careful not to put repellent on young children's hands as they often out them in their mouths
Do not use a combined sun and bug spray/lotion and apply bug repellent after sun lotion
Make sure to wash off the bug repellents from your body after returning indoors
Avoid sprays and opt for lotions/oils so you can prevent inhaling the product
Always follow product instructions. Do not use products containing OLE or PMD on children under 3 years old.
If the bugs aren't bad and your risk area low, consider going without repellent.
Insect repellents containing chemicals are the still the standard in protection. Botanical formulas are proven not as effective.
Use a product with the lowest concentration of active ingredient that is still effective. Choosing the strength of your repellent will depend on your activity (ie. hiking in grassy trails versus hanging in the back yard), length of time outdoors and the current risk in your area for insect born illness.
You can check out the EPA’s Bug Repellent tool to help you pick the best one to meet your needs.
One note of caution: Some botanical repellents may be worth trying, but be aware that many contain highly concentrated allergens and natural lemon eucalyptus oil is not the same as Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus. My favorite botanical choice is NANTUCKET SPIDER.
The safest and most effective repellents contain DEET, Picaridin or IR3535. To adequately protect yourself if you are in an area with high risk of bug bite illness you will need one of these. DEET has been found to be very effective with minimal safety concerns (3) DEET should not be applied to children under 6 months. However, if you have an allergy to these or are not in area with high risk of insect bite illness you can use oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), paramenthane-diol (PMD), 2-undecanone. My pick for tick protection while hiking is DEEP WOODS OFF WIPES . For kids try OFF FAMILY CARE (unscented)
What about non repellent options?
Citronella candles/torches have been shown not to be effective and can be a fire hazard, skin irritant, eye irritant and very dangerous to pets if they ingest the oil. So most likely a waste of money.
A more effective option is portable repellent fans/lanterns like the Thermacell repellent device. The Thermacell does work to keep a bug free zone. It is EPA approved and uses allethrin (a synthetic version of a substance found in Chrysanthemums). Warnings include keeping the lantern away from uncovered food during operation and avoiding directly inhaling the vapor. Allethrin is also highly toxic to fish, bees and cats - so that is a problem. In addition, because there is heat involved, it's important to keep the lantern away from little ones.
The safest alternative is to sit in a netting/screen enclosure or use an oscillating fan to keep the bugs out of your personal space, plus you will stay cooler! A final note wrist band repellents have been shown to not be effective so don’t waste your money!
(1 ) Source: EWG Sunscreen Report: https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/executive-summary/
Article Healthline: https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/best-sunscreen-ingredients
(3) Source: EWG 2018 Guide to Bug Repellents
