Scum Scum Go Away, Come Again Another Day (Or Not!)

By Bex, Supplements Buyer and The Naturalist Contributor

After an uncharacteristic drought in New England this year, the skies have parted and graced us with some splash-worthy puddles.  When you think of all of that rainfall accumulating (yes, we need more of it) hopefully you envision glistening lakes, cascading rivers and serene beaches. Mmmmmmm, water… Perhaps, if you are like me, you think of your Lifefactory Water Bottle, which you carry around with you wherever you go, like Linus with his blanket. Mmmmmmmm, blanket…

Vital for our health and oh-so refreshing, water is at its best when it’s crystal clear and pure; the murky news is that it can easily become contaminated. So if our water becomes contaminated, it makes sense that our bodies may very well also become contaminated over time. Oh no! A seemingly unlikely culprit, water can actually be quite dangerous when it isn’t properly purified.

How your skin feels about chlorine...

Over two thousand chemicals and toxins have been found lurking in our water supply here in the United States. The even scarier news is that many of the chemical culprits are more absorbable via water than they are from food! While Cambridge is known for some of the cleanest, most well-filtered water in the country, the city has also been around for a looooong time. That can mean old piping, which too often leads to corrosion and leaching into the flow from your tap.

“Showering is your meditative time to literally wash away your troubles, why add more troubles onto your skin?”

Many of you already drink filtered water, but did you know that shower filters can be as essential for supporting your overall health and well-being? If water isn’t treated by chlorine, bacteria has the opportunity to greedily proliferate in shower heads. While you don’t want germs to fester, chlorine can do its own kind of damage, binding to your skin and disrupting its healthy probiotic content, as well as stripping down the protective layers of your hair.

Some day we'd love our *filtered* showers to look like this. Photo via Pinterest

Whether it’s dry skin, incessant rashes, an itchy or scab-ridden scalp, or hair that feels like brittle stalks of burnt hay, chlorine could be the stealthy offender. Even the EPA has acknowledged that, “chlorine byproducts trigger the production of free radicals in the body, causing cell damage, and are highly carcinogenic.” Yet it’s important to let your skin steep in hydrating wetness on the regular, so removing that chlorine makes a whole lot of sense.

When our pores expand in the heat of baths and showers, our skin, which is our largest organ, pretty much drinks water; you don’t want other toxic chemicals floating around there either. Showering is your meditative time to literally wash away your troubles, why add more troubles onto your skin?

Fixed Filtered Shower Head by Clearly Filtered

Unfiltered shower water comes with with the additional risk of an increased load of airborne toxins that threaten to dance all over your house! While I encourage you to dance all over your house, let’s keep those contaminants out of the vapor you inhale when you’re shakin’ it, especially since they can contribute to congestion and other respiratory challenges. While filtered showerheads may seem like a gimmicky health fad, they can significantly limit these hazards and offer softer and healthier skin to boot. We recommend the Fixed Filtered by Clearly Filtered, which removes up to 95% of chlorine along with odors, dirt and other sediment in your water. It also has several settings so that you can get a powerful spray or a rainwater-esque rinse. Cleanse your water so that you can appropriately cleanse yourself!

Scum scum go away, come again another day! Instead, scrub-a-dub-dub with a slippery blanket of filtered water! Mmmmmmmmm.  

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This blog post is for general health information only. This Web site is not to be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any health condition or problem. Users of this Web site should not rely on information provided on this Web site for their own health problems. Any questions regarding your own health should be addressed to your own physician or other healthcare provider.

Not Just Skin Deep: Five Favorite Sunscreens For Glowing Summer Skin

By Mary, Customer Service Specialist & CN Blog Contributor

If the last heat wave was any indication, the sun remains strong even as summer’s end looms ever near. Like most health conscious consumers, we at Cambridge Naturals are especially careful what products we use on our body’s largest organ: our SKIN! I don’t think I’m alone when I say the scent of SPF-laden sunscreens I remember from my childhood has no place in my current beach bag. I guess with age comes a higher standard for skincare, among other things.

A fully stocked shelf of sunscreen can be intimidating when all you want is one bottle to get the job done. I’ve narrowed down our collection to a few favorites from skin-brightening to toddler-approved.

For Everyday Sun Soakers: Badger Rose Tint
This sunscreen gives your face the protection it needs without the white sheen! The sheer tint is just enough coverage to even out skin tone and the ingredients nourish and restore tired skin. The luxurious rose essential oil-based scent makes this an easy choice for daily use.

For Tightening & Brightening: Andalou BB Creams
Want a product that has more than one function? Andalou Naturals makes multiple BB creams that do just that. These BB creams, or Beauty Balms, blend sun protection with coverage, moisturizers, and antioxidants that nourish skin. Depending on your skins needs, whether it’s aging concerns or oil control, Andalou has multiple options so you can find your perfect match.

For All Over Protection: Thinksport Regular
This is the official staff favorite in terms of full body sun protection for long summer days spent outdoors. It absorbs almost immediately and feels like a moisturizer rather than a suit of sun armor. Bonus - it's water resistant for up to 80 minutes!

For Fussy Kids: Badger Kids
Some kids loathe sunscreen entirely based on the scent alone. Can you blame them? Luckily Badger makes a sunscreen with these kids in mind. Their Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Kids Sunscreen Cream has a clean and natural tangerine and vanilla scent that is nice and sweet. On top of that, it absorbs super well, so they won’t have any reason to complain!

For Little Ones: Thinksport Baby
Just like the all over ThinkSport Original, this one is great to have for trips to beach with a baby. Just as highly absorbing as its counterpart, your little one will be able to crawl their way through sand castles sunburn free. Confession: I’m deep into my twenties and I love this one for my own sensitive skin. Don’t let the name fool you, grown ups can use this one too!