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| Feeding the ducks in Florida :) |
During a brief visit to Florida this weekend, I knew I had the perfect opportunity to try unrefined virgin coconut oil as a sunscreen. The first day I tried it we went to the pool for an hour. I lathered up myself, my Daughter, and my wonderfully open-minded Husband. Surprisingly, it seemed to work! My Husband and Daughter looked bronzed, but no sunburn...I, on the other hand, had some interesting results. It took me about 5 seconds of looking in the mirror to realize I had forgotten to spread the oil on my chest. You could literally see exactly where I had had stopped rubbing the oil in, somewhere around the bottom of the neck. Although I looked like a weirdo with a random sunburn only on my chest, it was kind of neat to see how the coconut oil worked!
The second experiment took place before we went to the beach. Again, I lathered up my little crew (this time remembering to do my chest) and we stayed for an hour. I forgot about one little thing though: moderation. Regardless of what you're using as a sun protector, moderation is still your best friend and key to success. An hour may not seem long, but when you haven't been in the sun for over half a year, an hour on the beach is an eternity. Needless to say, my experiment was not so flawless the second time. My Daughter (who spent half the time under an umbrella) just got even more beautifully bronzed, my Husband got a hint of red, and I... well, I looked like a naked lobster. Luckily it wasn't tooooo bad, no blistering, peeling, etc. but I definitely got a burn.
So my take on it overall would be that unrefined coconut oil is a good companion to moderation. Depending on your skin tone and how much sun exposure you already have, it definitely works. Remember, this is NOT A SUNBLOCK. The purpose of it is not to block the sun's rays or all that delicious vitamin D, it is merely an accompaniment to smart sunbathing. I had a flawless healing process, which I think I owe to the moisturizing and healing affects of the CO... but needless to say, it was a good reminder that no products can match common sense :)
Will you be trying CO this summer?
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Don't worry, I think this will be my last experiment with Coconut Oil for awhile = you all wont have to hear about it so much :) Just remember, although I have gone over a few ways to use it topically, it's a great kitchen friend also (I used it just the other night to saute shrimp in for a scampi). It can also be added to smoothies!
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