Comments on: The good news about nature’s SPF protection – by Joel Le Blanc

By: Susan

Mon, 12 Oct 2015 22:04:44 +0000

I have noticed that ingesting 1 tsp of turmeric paste every day (in tea or added to soup) has made me sunburn proof. I also take 1 cup spinach and Kale every day and I supplement with spirulina and chorella. I tan much faster and resist burning. I keep looking for any published information that can validate my personal discovery. I believe it is the turmeric because I was taking the other supplements and foods first. It was when I added the turmeric that I noticed the ability to discontinue sunscreen.

]]>

By: Stefanie

Mon, 27 Apr 2015 14:13:38 +0000

Hi Joel, I’m late to the party on this one, but I just got some carrot seed oil to give this a try. I have a dilution of essential oils I use for my skin that I added some carrot seed oil to for it’s SPF. The smell was very strong and gave my boyfriend a headache. Even hours later, he was repulsed by it. I was only mildly bothered. I wonder if it’s just something he is sensitive too or I didn’t dilute it enough? It did seem to keep me from burning in the sun though so I’m not quite ready to give it up! What do you recommend for dilution to maintain the SPF benefits, but not stink so much? Thanks!

]]>

By: Katie

Thu, 19 Sep 2013 10:51:21 +0000

This information is fantastic. Thank you. I was just wondering whether the SPF of these oils change as they age, so that if, for example, some wheatgerm oil reaches the ‘best before’ date, will it still have an SPF of 20 or will it have degenerated by then?

]]>

By: Joel

Sun, 26 May 2013 03:29:59 +0000

@Lisa: Sorry for the late reply! I don’t make a habit of checking back with this article often enough. Yes, ascorbic acid is one of the most unstable vitamins that exist, with a tendency to degrade with heat, light, and oxygen. For this reason I don’t often recommend using it in skin products. Sometimes you can find ascorbic acid cream in pharmacies, but I have no idea how they ensure the stability of the ascorbic acid. When they say “carrot oil” I assume it is a misnomer, and are simply referring to “carrot seed essential oil”. Why do I assume this? Simply because carrot roots do not contain fat, oil or essential oil, where as carrot seed essential oil is very commonly used in aromatherapy and herbal medicine. It simply isn’t possible for them to source oil from the carrot roots themselves.

@Carol Happy to help! Good luck with the manufacturing of your products. Just know that when you combine ingredients with different SPF factors, it may be hard to predict the end result. Sometimes 1+1=5, and sometimes not.

]]>

By: Carol

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 17:33:47 +0000

I simply love this information. It’s hard to find info like this the educate others that commercial products are not the only thing that has SPF. I make lip balm and one of the first things I was asked is how much spf is there and now I have something to print to show them natural products have spf and why they are so great. Thank You for publishing this info.

]]>

By: lisa

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 16:10:20 +0000

Thanks joel for all the info and the other web links. I was surprised none of the studies mentioned carrot seed oil or raspberry oil which have the highest spf. Why do you think these were not included? Also is it “Carrot seed oil” or just “carrot oil” from the flesh of the carrots that have the SPF….I have seen more references to “carrot oil”. I have read that L-ascorbic acid is not stable in sunlight…please explain.

thanks
lisa

]]>

By: Joel Le Blanc

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 05:30:19 +0000

@Mia R: That’s true! it might be a somewhat questionable coloring on the skin — unless of course you are looking for a natural fake-suntan ingredient. Might require some tweaking to get it to match your skin type though!

@Christine: Glad that this article was useful. I would recommend a carrier with carrot seed oil, as it may be a bit harsher on the skin than the other oils.

@Amanda: Sure thing Amanda, I have several links you can follow up if you are interested. It took several hours to find all of the information when researching the article, and as well as the book “Oils of Nature” by Anthony J. O’Lenick, Jr (2008) I found these academic articles:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12789176

http://www.phcog.com/article.asp?issn=0973-1296;year=2009;volume=5;issue=19;spage=238;epage=248;aulast=Kapoor#ref14

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6346236.html

http://carcin.oxfordjournals.org/content/21/11/2085.abstract

http://www.phcogres.com/article.asp?issn=0974-8490;year=2010;volume=2;issue=1;spage=22;epage=25;aulast=Kaur

http://www.academicjournals.org/ajb/PDF/Pdf2005/Jan/Athar and Nasir.pdf

]]>

By: Amanda

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 18:54:41 +0000

Dear Joel, I am curious to the process of determining the SPF ratings as specified in your article.I guess what I am asking is where might I find the credentials for those who are responsible for such findings. I am interested in this because I am wanting to make my own products at home and am extremely interested in the suggestions you make in your article.

Thanks!

]]>

By: Christina

Thu, 31 May 2012 00:07:13 +0000

This is fantastic info. I am planning on trying it out, now that summer is upon us here in NYC. Can I apply carrot seed oil to the skin by itself or would you recommend mixing it with something else? A carrier, perhaps, that wouldn’t affect its efficacy? I would really appreciate your thoughts. Thanks!

]]>

By: Mia R

Mon, 28 May 2012 05:05:49 +0000

Thanks for this info. It will be fun to experiment with all this. I have to say, though, that I wouldn’t recommend using turmeric on your skin unless you want to dye yourself yellow. Though who knows? You could start a trend.

]]>

By: Joel Le Blanc

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:28:24 +0000

Glad you found it interesting, Lynsey!

Nick: in answer to your question, it has a lot to do with the quality of the oil. Mineral oil or baby oil is not a natural oil — it is a cheap byproduct of the petroleum industry and, while it may have benefits for cosmetics such as softening the skin, it has no SPF protection that I am aware of. Vegetable and plant oils contain phytochemicals and vitamins that are designed to protect plants from sun damage, oxidation and disease — and many of these are damaged in the cooking process. Oil that has not been damaged by heat should retain its beneficial properties — because it’s not just about the oil itself, it’s about what is IN the oil. SPF may fluctuate in vegetable oils depending on geographical area the plant is grown in, the season it’s harvested, and fluctuations of plant biochemistry between batches, but natural oils do offer a much wider range of benefit than anything the petroleum industry has or can produce.

]]>

By: Nicky O

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:22:44 +0000

Hi Joel, thanks for the info. I had heard this once before but wondered how come when I was at college and we used baby oil on our legs in the lunch hour that we fried? Was that because of the different properties of mineral oil? Also, if we cook in oil it seems a little illogical to put it on our bodies in the hot sun. Thanks a lot.

]]>

By: Lynsey Ferrari

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:29:28 +0000

Thanks for all that info Joel. Fascinating!

]]>