Chemical Free Sunscreen?

Good luck finding a chemical free sunscreen. I rep with a company that makes all natural, chemical free products and asked about making a sunscreen. I was told that the highest that could be made using natural products is possibly an 8. Anyway, I've heard from other moms in swim class that have thier kids wearing the sunscreen shirts that they all love them. My oldest gets rash and welts with so many sunscreens, we've only found 2 that don't seem to bother him. Arbonne and Solbar 50. They seem to have the most natural and least amount of chemicals.

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Hi H.! I too have kids with sensitive skin, but also very whiny about being soooo hot with those shirts on. As the weather gets extremely hot, those shirts do get uncomfortable. That was the only downfall. I also have used the Arbonne products, for myself and my children- and they seem to be the best out there. I loved them so much, I became a consultant. So, if you would like to at least test the sunscreen on your children before you go out and purchase the shirts, I would be more than happy to help you. = )

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Hi H.. I was very curious about "UV Skinz" because of the story behind the company, so I checked out their website. I called with a question about sizing and the operator I spoke with was very helpful. They just finished a pre-season sale, but she let me know that they are always running promotions and their next big one is for the month of May (which is skin cancer awareness month). They will be giving away one free shirt per order placed on the website until they have given away 3000 shirts! I thought I would share this information with you and the other moms out there. I'm marking my calendar!

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I have used the sunshirts plus Arbonne's ABC sunscreen and their Before Sun sunscreen. All of their products are herbally and botanically based and vegan certified. The sunscreen won't burn the eyes when it gets wet and drips in the eyes. If you don't know of anyone who is an Arbonne consultant you can respond to me and I can help you out or go to www.arbonne.com to find a consultant near you and check out the product. Good luck to you!

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I haven't heard of the company, but you can also get protective swim suites that protect from 50% of the UV ways at CWDKids. Also, you may be interesetd in checking out Arbonne International's Baby Sunscreen. Arbonne has botanically based products, with no added fragrance and less than 1% perservatives. It is one of the safest on the market. I sell this and can get you a nice discount. The sunscreen actually forms a shield rather than penetrating the skin. If you need any more information feel free to e-mail me.

Hello H.,

Just wanted to respond to your question about the UV shirts. I have seem them from several companies and they see to help protect the UV. Although if you are wanting a Chemical Free Sunscreen. I have a product you might want to try. I am a Independent Consultant for Arbonne International and our Baby/Kid Sunscreen is the BEST and great for sensitive skin. If you want to check out my website at www.myacorn.myarbonne.com or email me and I can mail u a sample :)

Take Care,
J.

Hi H.-
Yes, I love the "UV Skinz" shirts and have been using them for several years for my now 4 year old son. He has very fair skin and we are in the outdoors and sun a lot (we live in sunny Santa Rosa California). They really work and I like the ones that come up on his neck.

Also I use the Arbonne Baby Care sunscreen for areas that the shirt does not cover. I love it because it is botanically based (no added chemicals or fragrances) and it really works. It is water resistent and I feel good about putting it on his skin. If you would like to try some FREE samples, send me your address and I can put some in the mail for you--(I love the Arbonne products so much, I decided to become an Independant Consultant for Arbonne). My email address is ____@____.com.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
D.

Hey H., you are smart to protect your kid from the sun. I also use swim shirts with my fair-skinned kids. I ordered them from Coolibar, which is another good company for sun-protective clothing. I have noticed that now regular stores like Target and Old Navy are carrying them, and they are relatively cheap. If you just want a short-sleeve top, one of those stores would be fine, but if you want a full suit or a long-sleeved one, you'll probably need to order one.

Hi H.,
My daugther has had a few of those shirts (I actually have sewn a few for her) I've seen them at Target and Costco recently. They are shirts sewn out of swimsuit material so don't think you have to buy some that are higher priced. Check that they are lined though if the color is light. As far as chemical free sunscreen I agree with April C and have heard the same thing (no such thing as chemical free sunscreen yet). I've used Arbonne and liked it because my daughter and I have sensitive skin and the other ingredients like shea butter and aloe vera soothe our skin, but it did have the chemicals in it that makes it a sunscreen (Octinoxate). There is a website that can help you make the best choice for you though. It is:
http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/
There you will find ratings for cosmetics and sunscreen based on how harmful they were for you skin, and how much sunprotection they provide. I ended up choosing Blue Lizard this year and I use a separate sunscreen/lotion Isagenix a.m. lotion) for my face and have used in a pinch all over. I'd use Arbonne again. Hoperully research by companies such as Arbonne, Blue Lizard and Isagenix (too name a few) will bring us better and more natural choices!
I forgot to add, My daughter has a "Sunday Afternoon" hat. You can see what they look like at their website.
http://www.sundayafternoons.com/index.cgi
Anyway between that, the sun shirt or rash suit as I've seen them called and sunscreen we've checked out at the website above, we're doing the best we can to avoid over exposure to the sun.
Take care, T.

We live by our swim shirts -- wouldn't go to the pool, beach or running through sprinklers without them. Our kids started wearing them in Australia (where they were pioneered, I believe, and often called "rashies")when they were young and now it is just expected. There is a good website about chemical free personal care products (www.safecosmetics.org) where you can find good alternatives for sunscreen and other products.

Also, in case you or other folks are interested -- there is going to be a talk in Palo Alto on how everyday chemicals impact fertility and the developing fetus (April 24, 7:00-8:30 pm at the Palo Alto Art Center).

I use a brand of sun clothes called Coolibar. I started wearing them after a bad case of shingles per recommendations from a doctor. I absolutely love them. I put SPF 50 on my hands and wear the long sleeve water jacket and large brim sun hat.

Since I switched over I no longer have the skin breakouts and even with the sunscreen on my hands, they are always darker than the skin under the jacket/hat that do not have any sunscreen. Another plus is the lighter colored items keep you cooler.

V.

A friend of mine has very fair skinned children, and she only uses those. She loves them. I was at Target yesterday and saw they now carry swim shirts.

My daughter has worn a swin shirt all of her life...we actually finally had to just get her a new one...if you buy it one size too big they last longer! My daughter wont even get into the indoor pool with out it half the time too because it keeps her warmer! I haven't heard of a certain company though....I just buy the ones at Mervyns....what is the company's name?

Go with a physical blocker (titanium dioxide) which works immediately and washes off instead of a chemical blocker which needs to soak in (hence the 20min advance application). Both my boys have eczema and Aveeno Baby is the only one that doesn't aggravate their skin:

http://www.aveeno.com/productDetail.do?prodid=4301

Hi,
My name is J. Hellmer and I represent Arbonne International. ALL of our products are pure safe and benficial to your body both inside and out. The sunscreen product we have has been FDA approved to be SPF 15 or 30. The sunscreen for your one year old is an SPF of 30 and many moms report LOVING this product as well as all the Baby line. Furthermore it is pediatrician approved!! It is also botanically based, so there should not be any irritation. Furthermore, it is formulated to be biodegradable so it will not harm the ecosystem!!! If you are interested in knowing more or ordering the sunscreen or the Baby Care kit look for my coupon under member perks. My hope would be that I can be the solution to your daughter's problem. F.Y.I. there is a 45 day guarantee!!
Skincerely,
J. Hellmer
Independent Consultant
Arbonne International

Hi H.,
I haven't used this brand before, but here at the beach it is common to use uv protective clothing. I get my girls shirts from O'Neill. You may want to check your local surf shop. I have had several skin cancers removed and want to make very certain my kids don't have to go through that. The shirts work very well. We'll spend hours at the beach or pool and no burns.

UV Swim shirts are great and I have used them for the last 5 years for my daughters who spend the summer in our pool. You can also buy them from Land's End and LL Bean. Another source is CWear (an Australian co you can find on line). Their sizes run very small and I would recommend you order 2 sizes up. My daughters have also worn swimsuits from CWear which look like short wet suits but of UV fabric.
-A.

I have not heard of this company but I have used swimshirts before. When I was in Hawaii I took a surf lesson with a friend. We had sunscreen all over, but they gave us long sleeve surf/swim shirts to wear to make us easy to spot. After 2 hours on the water we felt great. However, we soon noticed that the backs of our legs were incredibly sunburned. BUT, nothing that was under the shirt was burned at all. The shirts worked well! There are lots of clothes and things with UV protection these days. I always buy my girls bathing suits where the top is essentially a t-shirt and then just regular bottoms. It is a very modest 2-piece, makes it easier for the bathroom, and protects their shoulders, chest, and back from getting burned. You can buy those kind sof swimsuits at Gymboree, Target, Old Navy, and children's boutiques. You can also find some UV suits and clothes at Onestepahead.com

I have used "swim shirts" since my son was born. I didn't want to put so much sunscreen on him (chemicals). I also use them myself. They are fantastic. They really work. They are a bit pricy but well worth it. I get my son 2 each summer. They do wear thin if you use them daily so I recommend you get a back up. They are hard to find once summer gets here. Most stores now sell many different brands of the swim shirts and they even have long one piece suits I used on my son when he was little. The other suggestion I have is to use a zinc based sunblock. They last a lot longer when the children are in the water and they don't wipe off as easily. Good luck.

Hi H.,

I don't know anything about UV Skinz, but I do buy rashguard swim shirts at Old Navy for my son and they block out the sun just fine. I imagine they're less expensive than UV Skinz. Here's an example for baby girls:
http://www.oldnavy.com/browse/product.do?cid=40111&pi...

-A.

I love swimshirts, both my kids wear them (3,5). I researched them 4 years ago and went with a company created by a Mom in Australia. I have been very happy. Check out www.cwear.com.au I purchase C-Wear from a dealer in the US www.solartex.com

Also don't forget to still lather with sunscreen any body part showing, espcially the face. And with that said, research has led me to only use sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide in it.

Both the boys I nanny for wear them. Their older sister does not - she's 14, so that wouldn't be "cool."
But the boys love them and I love not having to worry so much about sunscreen.

Yes, they are wonderful. My son, now 14, has used one for the past 5 years. He got a burn when he went to the beach with his youth group from church and didn't pay attention to the champerones who told him and all the other kids that they could get burned in the "haze" even though they couldn't see the sun. That cured him and since then he has worn it even in our pool. He might be lily white, but he is going to love that he did that the rest of his life. He also uses 50+ sunscreen on his face, neck, ears, feet and legs. My son might be translucent, but he is probably not going to have to deal with wrinkles and skin cancers ... good luck to you!

HI-
We actually got our little one a UV one-piece suit last year since she was only 4 months and we were going to San Diego ({plus we live on a lake). anyway, it covers her from neck through her thighs and is super easy to change diapers too. I got it on ebay by looking up UV swim suits. If you want, I can look up the seller for you but there are a few. I was very pleased and will get her another one if that one doesn't fit this year. We also got ehr a matching UV hat and used that even when she wasn't in her suit. We went to Hawaii in November and she didn't ever get burned. Great for our little ones....
:-)

My 4 kids live in UVSkinz brand shirts. We are all very fair (red hair & freckles) and have tried other brands, but my kids usually say they are "too thick", "too thin", "boring colors" or "uncomfortable". They love picking out their new UVSkinz on the website each year. Because they hold up so well, I can pass them down to the next kid, but I still let them get a new one they they get to choose.
Just be careful with some of the off-brands. I was at Gymboree with a friend Saturday and she inquired and they told her if it doesn't say, it may not have SPF in it. A lot of them are not tested at all, that's why I feel my kids are safe in the UVSkinz ones.
-K.

Hi!
You can find great UV clothes at Target for 9 dollars! Go for it, much better than sun screen. And, if you need sun screen try the ones without "paba", less allergic stuff in that one. Good luck!

Both my boys use swim shirts and they love them. My youngest has really sensitive skin and he has no problems with them. You can buy them at any sporting goods store and I can't remember the brand names but there are 2 that we have used and both work. We first got introduced to them when on vacation 2 years ago in Maryland and on the beach every day. The tourist stores were full of them and it was great as it is hard to get sunscreen everywhere. I would definitely give it a try.

I have two kids who live in their 50 UPF sunscreened shirts all summer long. I go to Lands End for them as they are the only ones who seem to carry long sleeve for girls. They have a great selection too. There is also a laundry detergent that has sunscreen protection in it as well.

www.landsend.com
www.sunguardsunprotection.com

Good luck and always protect their precious skin!

K. S.

I've used swimshirts on my 8 year old son since he was an infant. They've gotten more and more popular. My son has never complained about them being hot - he's used to wearing them. In fact, he feels "naked" without one. They look "cool" because they're like the wetsuits that surfers wear. It's nice to have something 'sensible' that doesn't look nerdy!

We have long sleeve and short sleeve and both his dad and I have them too. I've never heard of UV Skins, but there are a lot of companies that make them now, including Lands End (available at Sears), LLBean and even Costco. You can do a search for "Rash Shirt" or "Rash Guard" which is what they are called - from surfers who don't want to get 'road rash' when they wipe out. sunprecautions.com and coolibar.com have a lot of other sun protective clothing besides swimshirts.

Although I have not used that brand, I have used swim shirts for my son since he was in infant. We LOVE them. He has pale skin and burns easy, which I was not used to with my daughters olive complexion. (she has my coloring and he has daddy's) They really do cut down on the sun screen and the time! My son is used to wearing them because he always has. He's almost 4 now and he knows no different. Always helps him get in the pool faster and you don't have to worry about constantly reapplying. Good Luck!!

They sell the shirts at target and Costco. We love them.

We have been using sunshirts for years now. They are great. My boys love them - they hate to put on sunscreen and this helps me a lot. I only have to apply it to their faces and legs.

FYI - you can buy for them for a lot less money at at Old Navy.

One Step Ahead and Leaps and Bounds have a great selection of swim clothes. Target also has swim shirts with uv in their swimsuit areas.

I have an 8 year old and and 18 month old and they both use swimshirts. They may not be that speciffic brand I usually go to target or somewhere like that but my kids love them because they hate putting the sunscreen on too. And now I have noticed that girls (and boys too) swim suits come in the bottoms and shirt combos as well as the regular swim shirts. My kids look forward to getting new ones every year.

We had never used swim shirts until we went to Hawaii last year and even my boys, who tan easily were beginning to burn after the first day no matter how much lotion I lathered on. They both love the water and were in it from sun up to sundown most days.

We did not buy a particular brand of swimshirt (bought them at WalMart because they were less expensive than the gift shops), but they were a savior! I did not constatnly have to call them out of the pool and make them dry off for sunscreen then wait to get back in the water. For the remainder of our week long vacation, I only had to worry about faces and forearms and the backs of my 3 yo daughter's legs since she was swimming on her belly with a noodle. My younger boy got a long sleeved shirt and wore that one as much as the short sleeved one!

Their VERY fair, freckled, strawberry blond uncle wears both the synthetic and the cotton UnderArmor brand long sleeve shirts. Those work just as well and serve a dual purpose since they are also like long johns. He wears them year round as he lives on the coast.

I am convinced and will be buying them new swim shirts annually!

I have not seen that company before, but Land's End also sells many bathing suits, some with long sleves that are UPF 50. They look really neat, I was thinking of getting one for my 19 month old daughter to wear this summer.
Land's End is mail order, you can go to their web site, I think they also sell it at Sears.

My son is very light skinned and we use UV shirts on him. Last summer when he was too young for sunscreen we only used UV shirts on him when we took him in our pool and he never burned.My husband and I also have Skinz that we wear down in Mexico. I have never gotten burned when we've used them and love them. Quality products.

I have heard of these but you still need to be careful of any exposed areas such as the face. That being said... the chemicals in suncreen themselves are also known to cause cancer so I am always trying to figure out which is more dangerous, the sun itself or the chemicals I'm rubbing into my child's skin. There are more natural suncreens by more natural brands. I believe California Baby has one. My rule is that I'm not going to let my child gt a painful burn. She does fine with nothing on normal days when we go to the park, recess etc. but if I know we're going to be out for hours and hours I'll be put sunscreen on her face etc. It's a tough call.

Many companies make swim shirts now. They are easy to find. I just got one at Sams club. My daughter is allergic to sunscreen and it was torture to take her to the pool and only let her swim in shady areas. Not to mention the suns reflection cut her time down anyway. With swim shirts and a hat, she can now stay in the pool almost as long as her brother(though now he wears one too). Different companies have different ratings on the shirts for how long they can stay in the sun(just like sunscreen). Just be sure to rinse them out well after use because clorine causes them to loose elasticity and many brands cannot be put in the dryer.
Hope this helps,
M.