School is officially out for the summer and the sun is finally making a presence here in the Bay Area ... it's time to start slathering on the sunscreen for those long days spent in the sun. But which one is safe to use?
Best bet is to look for natural sunscreen products made with natural ingredients and avoid ingredients such as oxybenzone (potential hormone disruptor), retinyl palmitate (form of Vitamin A which may not be safe when exposed to sunlight), parabens, and phthalates. You should also take into consideration whether you prefer titanium dioxide or zinc oxide ... my preference is zinc oxide since some studies have classified titanium dioxide as carcinogenic. And whether you want micronization or nanoparticles - Healthy Child Healthy World has a good article on understanding micronization and nanoparticles.
You can keep the above in mind and do your own research or you can go to: SafeMama's 2011 Sunscreen Cheat Sheet or EWG's 2011 Sunscreen Report. They do all the research for you and provide you a curated list for you to choose from. Easy peasy ... now you're armed and ready for the sun.