Sunscreen
- Look for mineral rather than chemical sunscreen ingredients: zinc and titanium dioxide over avobenzone and octinoxate. Why? Because avobenzone and octinoxate break down as they absorb UV rays, releasing free radicals! Free radicals may lead to aging...On the other hand, the mineral ingredients lay on top of the skin (rather than being soaked into your skin) and provide a protective layer!
- It doesn't matter if the sunscreen has antioxidants! The antioxidants don't work well if "drowned" in SPF ingredients! Rather use an antioxidant serum first and then apply a layer of sunscreen after the serum has been absorbed. The antioxidants can help prevent the breakdown of elastin, but doesn't help reverse the process of aging. Look for a serum containing Vitamin C and E and ferulic acid. Vitamin E can help extend shelf life if combined with C, and ferulic acid helps increase the UV protective properties of Vitamin C.
- Avoid retinol in sunscreen. Retinol lessens appearances of fine lines and speeds up cell turnover rate. It is best used at night, because the sun lessens its effectiveness, so using such an expensive ingredient is wasteful during the day...
