Taking Care of Your Skin in the Sun

Sun Care & Safety

• Use Janesce Suncare Lotion every day, as a progressive treatment to protect your skin from the damaging effects of the sun. EVERY DAY – even in winter, and even when it’s not sunny. Your SPF will go on top of this when necessary.
• Generously apply a water-resistant sunscreen with minimum SPF 15 and UVA/UVB broad-spectrum protection to any parts of your body that are exposed to the sun each day. Reapply every 2 hours if you’re in direct sun, or after swimming. A sufficient amount for your entire body is 1 ounce, or about 2 tablespoons.
• Don’t forget those kissable lips, be sure to use a lip balm that’s SPF 15 or higher.
• Cover up! Use a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, long sleeved shirt or pants. Don’t be shy, fashion comes second here.
• Seek shade between 10AM and 4PM, when the sun’s burning rays are strongest. And don’t worry, no one will think you’re a wimp.
• Use extra caution near the water, sand and snow as they can reflect and strengthen the sun’s rays. Can you say double ouch?
• You may claim the Vitamin D defense when sunbathing. But you can still get Vitamin D safely through diet and supplements without putting your skin at risk.
• Keep newborns out of the sun. Sunscreens should only be used on babies over the age of 6 months.
• Examine your skin from head to toe every month and see your physician annually for a professional skin exam. Early detection is best.

Sun Tanning

Ultimately, there really is no safe way to tan. When the skin feels direct sun exposure, it screams “HELP!”

In scientific terms, this means ultraviolet light is penetrating the epidermis causing the skin to react by producing melanin, aka your suntan. In your mind, a tan may give you that young, healthy glow, but over time it causes just the opposite: a change in skin texture, wrinkling, age spots or worse – the big C. The melanin produced (and other new skin cells being produced in the same place) takes around two weeks to reach the top/outside of the skin. This is why you don’t tan overnight. A common misconception is the thought that lying out in the direct sun for 90min yesterday didn’t product a tan by the morning – so we need to do it again. And again. And again.

Again, there is really no way to tan safely. But if you are going to do it regardless, 10-15min increments more frequently will give you a longer lasting tan, rather then a long one-off or once-a-week bake off. And during those 10-15minutes you have your SPF sun care products ON! We’ve done our research and we’d like to give you a little sun science lesson. This is important stuff that could save your life, or at the least keep you looking younger longer – and who wouldn’t love that?

UVA + UVB

The sunlight that reaches us is made up of two types of harmful rays: long wave ultraviolet A (UVA) and short wave ultraviolet B (UVB). Basically, UVA rays can age us and UVB rays can burn us. Overexposure to either can damage the skin. There’s also a third type of ray, UVC – these are the shortest and strongest, but thankfully they’re absorbed by the ozone layer and don’t typically reach the Earth.

UVA rays penetrate deep into the dermis, the skin’s thickest layer. Unprotected exposure can lead to premature skin aging and suppression of the immune system. And when your skin’s defenses are down, you’re at risk for skin cancer.

UVB rays will usually burn the superficial layers of your skin. The intensity of UVB rays vary by season, location and time of day, with 10AM to 4PM being the peak hours. Sunburned skin doesn’t just feel awful, it can cause permanent damage over time.

This is why keeping your skin protected is imperative.

The SPF Scoop

SPF stands for sun protection factor. Sunscreens are classified by an SPF number which refers to their ability to deflect UVB rays.

SPF rating is calculated by comparing the amount of time needed to burn sunscreen-protected skin vs. unprotected skin. So if a person who might typically burn after 10 minutes in the sun puts on SPF 2, they have double that time before a sunburn, so 20 minutes. Skin protected with SPF 15 would take 15 times longer, or 150 minutes for a sunburn to occur.

Keep in mind though, the increase from 20 to 45 level SPF provides only 2.8% more UV protection.

Janesce Suncare Lotion - Natural Sunscreen

No SPF Rating? How does it work?

The Janesce Suncare Lotion is an amazing product and would have to be one of my favorites in this beautiful skincare range.

UV is a source of free radicals that damage our skin, prematurely ageing it and causing all sorts of imperfections. However, like all free radicals they are able to be neutralized by antioxidants and this is how the Janesce Suncare Lotion works. Rich in beta-carotene and vitamin C, this product saturates the upper layers of our skin with these powerful antioxidants, a process that takes 7 to 10 days. Over this time the antioxidants it contains are stored in the tiny spaces between the layers of the skin cells in the outer most stratum of the skin. The stratum contains between 20 to 30 layers of cells and each layer becomes an antioxidant-filled barrier, capable of reducing the negative effects of the sun and greatly improving our skin’s ability to cope.

All this activity is cumulative and it takes 7 to 10 days for the skin to be fully prepared. Because the SPF rating used in other chemical barriers must offer immediate protections, the SPF rating system does not work well for the Janesce Suncare Lotion. However, recent testing shows that even with only one applications of the Janesce Suncare Lotion, you are afforded a protection of SPF15. Because of its cumulative effect, we can only assume that level increases with every application over the following 10 days but we don’t have any testing to prove this, just anecdotal evidence. With the Suncare Lotion your skin is in a constant state of protection provided it is used daily.

Another thing I love about this product is that, unlike conventional sunscreens, it does not interfere with the natural protective mechanisms your skin already has in place to protect itself. One of these mechanisms is the production of melanin; a dark pigment that forms a tan, the Janesce Suncare Lotion won’t suppress this process because it is an important part of your natural sun resilience. The Janesce Suncare Lotion also allows our skin to keep producing vitamin D unlike many sun blocks available on the market.

I believe the Janesce Suncare Lotion is a ‘must have’ product all year round as it offers a completely different, non-chemical approach to sun protection that also allows the skin to carry on it’s normal functioning. If you are going to be exposed to high levels of UV radiation, by all means boost your protection by adding a chemical sun block but for most days of normal sun exposure, the Suncare Lotion is enough. But remember, it must be used everyday to be effective because everyday you skip will have repercussions 7 to 10 days later.

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COOLA Organic Suncare

COOLA is an eco-conscious, cruelty-free suncare product range using natural ingredients. As good at nourishing your skin as it is at protecting it.

Our Mineral Sunscreens use mineral (physical) active ingredients like Titanium Dioxide and/or Zinc Oxide to scatter and reflect UVA/UVB rays. We formulate our Mineral Sunscreens uniquely, providing not only the most transparent application but also the best protection, as the active particles evenly reflect UV rays.

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My Sunshine Natural Suncare Lotion

My Sunshine Natural Suncare is another one of our faves!

My Sunshine is a mineral Zinc based sunscreen; enriched with natures natural sunscreens Red Raspberry Seed Oil and Sea Buckthorn Oil, to further protect your skin from the sun. To nourish your skin it is loaded with Organic Aloe Vera, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Shea Butter and Chamomile. Also, with mega antioxidants Green Tea, Vitamin E and Olive Oil to fight free radicals and help repair your skin. Best of all, it’s made with love here in New Zealand!

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