move myself in the sunlight
May. 2nd, 2007 09:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brightlotusmoonWhat I really enjoy most about this sort of weather is that I feel free to walk as much as I like. I find it more difficult to be outdoors and moving in the colder months, not just because of the Raynaud's Disease and sensitivity to cold weather; but because I don't feel free, no sun warming my skin, no realization that I can walk as far as I wish without shivering.
On Monday while riding the bus home, I decided to get off at the stop across the street from the Redmill shopping center and just walk home from there. It was a vigorous twenty minutes, and the muscles in my legs were happy to be "challenged" (yes, a twenty minute brisk walk can be somewhat of a challege when I have chronic pain from CP).
Yesterday, on the bus, I developed a craving for Haagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream. Across the street from where I work, there is a Haagen-Dazs shop, but a small cup of chocolate ice cream, containing two or three scoops, costs over four dollars. At the local grocery store, a pint costs just under five dollars, and a quart costs just over six dollars. I rode the bus past my usual stop across from my townhouse community, to the stop near the grocery store. I picked up a quart of ice cream, three chocolate bars, and a box of trash bags to keep in the hallway closet that would be used for the cans in the bathroom and bedroom (I clean the litter box in the bathroom every day, so I go through trash bags fairly quickly).
Then, I decided not to take a bus back, since waiting for the bus would mean sitting at the stop for twenty minutes. I decided to walk home, since that would probably be a good twenty-five to thirty minutes. The walk was enjoyable, and in ten minutes I was more than halfway home. I saw a white truck that had pulled over to the side of the road just ahead of me. The driver leaned out of the window and waved at me. I recognized Michelle, who is one of my neighbors. She offered me a ride, and then informed me that if I really wanted to walk home from the grocery store, there was a shortcut. I thanked her; but I privately realized that I would rather take the longer way. More exercise that way. I don't go outside in the sun for very long anyway, and I never seek to tan or sunbathe. So getting out there and walking, letting my skin soak up the sunlight (with sun protection of course) makes me feel beautifully alive and connected with nature.
I also discovered in my research that Sea Buckthorn Oil is a very effective non-chemical sunscreen. I have spoken to people from all over the country who say that when they apply sea buckthorn to their skin they don't burn at all. They get regular check-ups at their doctors' and have no signs of skin cancers. One woman I spoke to lives in the heart of Arizona. She runs a skin care company that specializes in sea buckthorn products. She has been using sea buckthorn as a moisturizer for several decades and has not had a sunburn once, she says. She says that many of her customers use sea buckthorn products as sunscreen -- one man in Australia has a testimonial on her website about it.
I am currently talking with an aesthetician and helping her research various oils, butters and extracts, to see which ones have effective sun protection and UVA/UVB filtering properties. So far the winners include sea buckthorn oil, green tea oil, avocado oil, shea butter, mango butter, emu oil, raspberry seed oil, cranberry seed oil, and jojoba oil. However, because there is no FDA regulation or lab testing, we can't say that these oils and butters can be used as sunscreens, and we can't label them with SPF ratings. We also can't tell people that they are sunscreens, we can just say that they can "offer some sun protection and help heal sun-damaged skin" and "help boost sunscreen properties." We don't want to be held liable if someone does use the oils and gets sunburned. We just go with personal experience. Although combining them with zinc oxide is my favorite way to go, since zinc oxide is more than just a sunblock and does have an actual SPF rating. I know several people -- myself included -- who have had bad skin reactions to most chemical sunscreens. It's also fun to rub the sea buckthorn all over. It makes my skin so soft and smooth. It's good research.
On Monday while riding the bus home, I decided to get off at the stop across the street from the Redmill shopping center and just walk home from there. It was a vigorous twenty minutes, and the muscles in my legs were happy to be "challenged" (yes, a twenty minute brisk walk can be somewhat of a challege when I have chronic pain from CP).
Yesterday, on the bus, I developed a craving for Haagen-Dazs chocolate ice cream. Across the street from where I work, there is a Haagen-Dazs shop, but a small cup of chocolate ice cream, containing two or three scoops, costs over four dollars. At the local grocery store, a pint costs just under five dollars, and a quart costs just over six dollars. I rode the bus past my usual stop across from my townhouse community, to the stop near the grocery store. I picked up a quart of ice cream, three chocolate bars, and a box of trash bags to keep in the hallway closet that would be used for the cans in the bathroom and bedroom (I clean the litter box in the bathroom every day, so I go through trash bags fairly quickly).
Then, I decided not to take a bus back, since waiting for the bus would mean sitting at the stop for twenty minutes. I decided to walk home, since that would probably be a good twenty-five to thirty minutes. The walk was enjoyable, and in ten minutes I was more than halfway home. I saw a white truck that had pulled over to the side of the road just ahead of me. The driver leaned out of the window and waved at me. I recognized Michelle, who is one of my neighbors. She offered me a ride, and then informed me that if I really wanted to walk home from the grocery store, there was a shortcut. I thanked her; but I privately realized that I would rather take the longer way. More exercise that way. I don't go outside in the sun for very long anyway, and I never seek to tan or sunbathe. So getting out there and walking, letting my skin soak up the sunlight (with sun protection of course) makes me feel beautifully alive and connected with nature.
I also discovered in my research that Sea Buckthorn Oil is a very effective non-chemical sunscreen. I have spoken to people from all over the country who say that when they apply sea buckthorn to their skin they don't burn at all. They get regular check-ups at their doctors' and have no signs of skin cancers. One woman I spoke to lives in the heart of Arizona. She runs a skin care company that specializes in sea buckthorn products. She has been using sea buckthorn as a moisturizer for several decades and has not had a sunburn once, she says. She says that many of her customers use sea buckthorn products as sunscreen -- one man in Australia has a testimonial on her website about it.
I am currently talking with an aesthetician and helping her research various oils, butters and extracts, to see which ones have effective sun protection and UVA/UVB filtering properties. So far the winners include sea buckthorn oil, green tea oil, avocado oil, shea butter, mango butter, emu oil, raspberry seed oil, cranberry seed oil, and jojoba oil. However, because there is no FDA regulation or lab testing, we can't say that these oils and butters can be used as sunscreens, and we can't label them with SPF ratings. We also can't tell people that they are sunscreens, we can just say that they can "offer some sun protection and help heal sun-damaged skin" and "help boost sunscreen properties." We don't want to be held liable if someone does use the oils and gets sunburned. We just go with personal experience. Although combining them with zinc oxide is my favorite way to go, since zinc oxide is more than just a sunblock and does have an actual SPF rating. I know several people -- myself included -- who have had bad skin reactions to most chemical sunscreens. It's also fun to rub the sea buckthorn all over. It makes my skin so soft and smooth. It's good research.
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no subject
Date: 2007-05-02 05:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-02 05:56 pm (UTC)The person I am working with is Lyn, the owner of http://www.bunnysbath.com -- she makes a Face Cream that contains Sea Buckthorn, Raspberry, Cranberry, and Green Tea oils. I've convinced her to make a body lotion with those same ingredients. I use her Hand Balm, although I get it customized to include sea buckthorn and tamanu -- it'll be one of the things I use for my tests. She says that she'll be reformulating the Hand Balm and Face Cream to include a high concentration of sea buckthorn and tamanu oils.
I think the overseas stuff is Mexoryl or something like that. I've seen it at pharmacies around here, but because it is in a lotion that contains a lot of chemicals and preservatives, I'm staying away.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-02 06:58 pm (UTC)Thank you so much. I'm almost tempted to pick up some of that oil and add it to a natural moisturizer myself for the time being. I'm so worried about getting skin cancer due to my ultra sensitivity to the sun that I just resort to becoming a hermit during spring and summer. I believe it's after you've been blistered 3 times your chances of getting skin cancer are much higher. =/ The idea of that happening freaks me out. If I do this I'll let you know how it works on skin that's very prone to burning.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-02 07:12 pm (UTC)So far, the only oil I know that has actually been tested for true SPF is Raspberry Seed Oil, at an SPF of between 28 and 50 depending on how much you use. Green Tea, aka Camellia Oil, is also currently being tested for SPF, and it's about the same. The other moisturizers I have that I am testing out are these:
http://www.aftertherayne.com/eveningrayne.htm
http://www.sthollowfarm.com/ibddeepmoisturedaycream.html
http://telbari.com/store/nfoscomm/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=47&osCsid=f83afe41327f2606043852b79150a559
The il Bella Dea Deep Moisture Cream (the second link) is quickly proving to be my favorite face cream. It contains all sorts of anti-aging ingredients: ingredients that will prevent collagen/elastin breakdown and that will encourage collagen growth -- which, basically, is what happens when the skin is damaged by UV rays. If you can keep collagen growth at an optimal rate, the skin is less likely to show signs of physical aging. Also, several of the ingredients have shown promise in helping the body fight free radicals and potential skin cancer causes -- especially Pau D'arco, which is in the Telbari Andrea Baby Lotion.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-03 05:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-03 05:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-04 01:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-04 12:45 pm (UTC)This morning I slathered myself with a sea buckthorn body cream, even though it's only in the 50's right now. I'm going to continue doing this straight through September and see if all those online testimonials and reviews were onto something. I found one where a woman applied a sea buckthorn based cream to her face, neck, chest, and arms and then went to the beach. Hours later, she was badly sunburned except where she had applied the cream; where she had applied the skin had not even been touched by sunburn. It was fascinating!
no subject
Date: 2007-05-05 02:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-05 02:39 am (UTC)Telbari.com: Andrea Baby Lotion and Eve Body Lotion Cream
BunnysBath.com: Emollient Face Cream
FlutterbyeAromatics.com: Avocado Skin Saver
You can also buy the oil as it is; it makes a fantastic massage oil. However, I would recommend both the seed oil and the berry oil, blended with another carrier oil -- the berry oil is a deep orange color and will stain skin and clothes. The seed oil is pale yellow and won't stain, so it will balance it out. Blending it with other oils helps dilute the color.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-06 03:31 am (UTC)It occured to me that olive oil might be a good carrier - I know some people use it as a tanning oil and say that it prevents sunburns.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-06 03:33 am (UTC)