Comments on: Sun Protective Clothing Review: Thoughts on Two U.S. Companies

By: Katie

Katie — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:21:34 +0000

Exhaustive, exhausting…so similar…

You’re welcome! Katie

By: Johanna

Johanna — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:07:33 +0000

Thankyou for the exhaustive review… I just don’t have the time to learn all this the hard way! I know what works for me… but for the little’ns, once I’ve figured something out, they’ve grown out of it! You RAWK Katie!

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:48:43 +0000

Back before everyone got afraid of the sun, they sold suntan oil, meant let you tan without burning too badly. It was largely coconut oil–you could tell by the smell!

By: Mary Beth in MN

Mary Beth in MN — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:13:50 +0000

My link was definitely pertaining to regular dairy, not grass fed – it was just an example of the fortification discussions I had seen. I had not seen much on naturally occurring D in dairy, except I had read about butter oil, now that you mention it. And lard is good to keep in mind! I take 2000 iu capsules, just to be sure, especially since I am getting older. But, the fermented cod liver oil might be a good option too. There is so much to learn!

By: Katie

Katie — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 02:08:39 +0000

Kathryn and Mary Beth,
I had been thinking my raw milk – grassfed, which is the key – was high in Vits A and D, although it’s really just the cream and butter. I think the article Mary Beth referenced must be speaking of feedlot cattle, right, not grassfed?

Here are some sources: Real Food by Nina Planck, p. 57, 65 “Whole milk was the trad’l source of Vits A and D and calcium.”
Nourishing Traditions: p. 39 Vitamin D is in butterfats, p. 152 “natural vitamin D in butter was found 100 times more effective as the common commercial form of Vitamin D”, and p. 222 Vitamins A & D are higher in May and June when grass is growing most rapidly.
That’s why I make butter in May and June and freeze it for the middle of the winter for a Vit D boost!

Looks like I was somewhat mistaken and should have pegged our grassfed butter (which admittedly, I don’t always have) as the best source of Vit D. But if the butter comes from the cream in the raw, grassfed milk, isn’t the D in there too?

Note: NT also states that lard is a good source of vitamin D, which makes me want to have that on hand more regularly!

And…I surely need to get some cod liver oil and do a series on that. Was it a coincidence that I stuck a reminder in my Google calendar for “contact such-and-such about a sample of cod liver oil” months ago that just happened to be for this week? It’s time to try some, Kimball family! Katie

PS – Shannon has a great list of foods that are high in Vitamin D, with milk nowhere to be seen and butter still dismally lower than the only two foods that really make an impact – cod liver oil (not fish!) and lard.

By: Katie

Katie — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:41:04 +0000

Kate,
You’re right about clothing protecting most people most of the time, although I like Laura’s comment about the lightweight properties and the quick-drying. I feel like the rash guards are just a piece of our bathing suits, and they look nicer than a soggy T-shirt. If I’d spend the $ on a bathing suit, I’d spend it on the sun wear. But I try to make them last multiple years! You are lucky to have kids that don’t burn at all… Katie

By: Katie

Katie — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:37:52 +0000

Leslie,
I have dabbled with coconut oil as a sunscreen, and you’re right – many oils have a bit of a natural SPF, between 4 and 15, depending on the source. Other than that, it’s just not a priority for me with all the other things I make homemade. One that I reviewed was hand-mixed, and with the zinc in there it was pretty gross to apply.
Have you tried it yet? Katie

By: Laura

Laura — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:13:02 +0000

I absolutely love the amount of research you put into your posts! My kids have been wearing swim shirts/shorts for the last few years and I will never turn back to full body sunblock application (especially since one of my kids has HUGE skin sensitivity to just about everything). I haven’t ever invested in incredibly expensive or high end rash guards – this year’s were purchased from Land’s End on mega sale, but we have never even had so much as a pink spot while they were wearing their protective clothing.

We chose rash guards over regular t-shirts because they are lighter and don’t get weighed down by the water they soak up. They also dry very quickly and don’t necessitate I bring a dry shirt for each kid to change into before we get into the car, which saves me space in our already full beach/pool bag.

Hubby and I will be sporting rash guards next season also. I’ll be purchasing those as soon as Land’s End puts theirs on clearance this year!

I’m also going to be looking into the hat you reviewed in this post as all 3 of my kids will need new hats next summer!

Thanks again.
.-= Laura´s last blog ..Photography =-.

By: Leslie @ crunchybetty.com

Leslie @ crunchybetty.com — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:13:05 +0000

This post really made me wonder: Have you ever tried to make your own sunblock?

I got a book last week when I was in KC called “Ageless Natural Beauty” and she gives several recipes for homemade sunblock.

It sounds like tea (and green tea, to be specific) and coconut oil both act as natural sunscreens. Just thought you might be interested.
.-= Leslie @ crunchybetty.com´s last blog ..Boost Your Shampoo with an Herbal Infusion! =-.

By: Mary Beth in MN

Mary Beth in MN — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:52:52 +0000

I was just about to post the same thing, everything I see about the D content in milk talks about it being supplemented, and this helping reduce the incidence of rickets, etc. This article says it is with D3:
http://vitamind.ucr.edu/milk.html