Hotlanta has been living up to its name the last two or so months so protection from the merciless sun is a Big Deal around here. Our guest author today talks about hos to keep ourselves safe from the sun.
Everyone aspires to have smooth, natural skin yet the environment makes it difficult to turn this dream into a reality. The sun can be our best friend and our worst enemy. You might be wondering what exactly about the sun is so bad? The sun emits ultraviolet radiation (UV), which is a form of energy emitted by the sun that is not visible to the human eye. It is a great source for the necessary vitamin D, which is important for strong bones. At the same time, overexposure to the sun can have several negative consequences including sunburn and skin cancer.
While the effects of overexposure to the sun can be harmful, this does not mean that you should hide indoors all day and be scared of the sun. Instead, you should be knowledgeable about the effects of UV rays and how to protect yourself. The first thing to do is be aware of the UV Index for the day. The UV Index was developed by the National Weather Service and EPA and is based on a scale of 1-11, with one being low and 11 being extremely high. One can use the UV index to take appropriate sun safety actions.
With this knowledge in hand, there are several ways to protect yourself from the sun, so you can enjoy the beautiful, sunny weather while maintaining smooth, natural skin. The first recommendation is to always wear sunscreen that has an SPF of 15 or higher. While there are a handful of sunscreens out in the market that contain chemicals, there are several all natural sunscreens available from Badger and Soleo. These still provide protection from UV rays without the chemicals that you would see in ordinary sunscreen.
Wearing a hat will give an added layer of protection to your face and neck.
It’s also important to remember to protect your eyes. The UV rays can have harmful impacts on your eyes, with the most serious leading to blindness. Wearing polarized sunglasses that block 99-100% of UV rays will ensure that your eyes remain safe, along with the skin around your eyes, when outdoors in the sun for extended periods of time.
You might be wondering where UV rays might be the strongest. The closer you are to the sun, the more powerful the rays are. If you are at a higher altitude, you need to take extra precautions to protect yourself from the sun.
For example, hiking and camping in the mountains will leave you exposed to more powerful rays for an extended period of time, and you should make sure to pack extra natural sunscreen to reapply per the bottle’s directions.
Additionally, if you are going to be out on the beach, the sun reflects off the ocean and sand. It is important to be aware of this, and a stronger SPF may be more appropriate for these occasions.
Simply being aware of the power of the sun and the harm it can cause is the first step to protecting yourself. Being aware of the UV Index and protecting your skin accordingly will help keep you looking younger and beautiful!
Leave a Reply