#sunscree

The other day I was at the poolside and smeared on my coconut oil as a sun protectant. My friend was confused that this oil would protect me from the sun, but in fact coconut oil has an SPF of about 10 (which blocks about 90 % of incoming UVA rays).

I did some biking in Tepoztlan, Mexico over the holidays. If you haven't been there it's at an altitude of about 700ft (that's nearing the height of some Colorado Rocky Mt people). While it's a beautiful place, at those heights one has to be careful of the sunshine and skin protection! I would love to tell you about the places we rode but this is a beauty product blog after all ; )

I brought some TOCCA Stella Sunscreen towelettes with me and they did just the trick. It's the first time I've used them, but I would rate them 9/10.

They're 30 SPF, so you get plenty of protection. They are both water and sweat resistant, so you don't have to worry about it rubbing off, sweating off, or re-applying multiple times. They smell great, they have the Stella traditional scent, so if you're like me and want to be a hard-core bike rider (or any sports-goer) whilst smelling pretty you can do so (of course I got made fun of for my huge-Hollywood sunglasses, and smell-good-sunscreen while being a bad ass biker)...but I think I rocked it. And, no worries, they're hypoallergenic, so people with scent-allergies wont be overwhelmed.

I these travel size towelettes a 9/10 because 1 towel doesn't cover your whole body, but then again, it's a small enough package that you can put it in your bike pouch and two towels does the trick.

Might want to try them if you're out there in the sun skiing, biking, swimming or hiking this year! They're $28 for a package, can be found in Sephora, Amazon, and some drug stores.

It's always a good time to take care of your skin!

The sun was hazy, hot and dangerously hidden on the day the outbreak arrived. Not at all bright and shining as many assumed it would be. Just like a million times before – with no radiant rays to be seen – men, women and children moved about the world uncovered and unprotected. We had so many opportunities to rewrite destiny, if only we had properly protected ourselves. Instead here we stand, allowing this disease to claim a victim every hour (fact) – without ever learning a lesson.

  An epidemic such as this escalates slowly, building a solid base in order to achieve pandemic ranking some day. One catalyst was all this disease needed. Perhaps it was the decision to deregulate the air industry, causing a boom in available commercial flights to tropical destinations (1978); or was it a new product on the market that created a radiant look without ever stepping outdoors (1980). Maybe it was a combination of factors that brought one in five Americans to battle this scarring illness (New cases spiked beginning in 1986 to present).

  Burning clues appear on the infected. Unfortunately, only those in tune with themselves noticed the damage in time. Most did not inspect their bodies for changes. The signs were there for those who looked, and reward was found in discovering them early.

  The cure lied within a few behavioral changes, but this deceitful silent killer fooled so many. The symptoms grew silently under golden skin. The body fought off invasion, sometimes for years, while not feeling ill or even any pain – until it was too late.

  Often the signs began as simple dry or red patches of skin; other times an existing imperfection on the body slowly mutated. Some marks were raised, some lowered; some were symmetrical, some lopsided. You couldn’t look for a certain color because so many could be dangerous – red, black, blue, purple, brown and tan to name some common culprits. The real concern was in the body’s marks that had been around for ages. Although on the surface most never changed, dangerous battles played out below the skin.

  This epidemic seems unfair because it comes from a trusted source; transferred to us through the sun’s ultraviolet glow. The same source that feeds us, cradles us and warms us: has the power to destroy our body’s largest and most important organ – the human skin – by scrambling DNA on the surface.

  Skin Cancer, specifically Melanoma, is a gateway cancer, feeding on our skin for strength along its path of destruction. Caught early you may end up with only a chunk of skin removed. Left to progress, you will be surprised by how quickly this cancer spreads, eventually growing beyond control.

  The moral at the end of this heavy tale is that this fate is avoidable. You can live a healthy life in the sun by limiting daily sun exposure, using sunscreen with both UVA and UVB protection, and consistently monitoring skin for changes.

  The battle against Skin Cancer rages on every day, so protect your armor.  

Under the new rules:

-- The FDA will prohibit sunscreen marketing claims like "waterproof" and "sweatproof," which the agency said "are exaggerations of performance."

-- The FDA also proposes capping the highest SPF value at 50, unless companies can provide results of further testing that support a higher number.

-- FDA says manufacturers must phase out a four-star system currently used by some companies to rate UVA protection.