I wanted to highlight some of the new natural skin care products now available in
the store. As previously mentioned, all Gritman products are handmade by a locally owned business here in the Houston area. To start things off, let's take a look at
Gritman's Sun Protection. This all natural sunscreen combines calendula, shea butter, beeswax, raspberry seed oil, lavender, and peppermint to protect you from the sun's rays. Raspberry seed oil and shea butter, which contains cinnamic acid, both offer protection from UV-A and UV-B rays (source:
raspberry seed oil and
shea butter. Calendula is known for its anti-inflammatory, skin soothing, and hydrating properties (
source). Beeswax acts as a thickening agent, and also helps to keep the skin moisturized (
source). Lavender and peppermint essential oils are soothing to the skin.
Disclaimer: As with any skin care product or essential oil, it is recommended that you NOT use this product near or on open wounds or near the eyes, and should not be ingested. Skin sensitivities to essential oils can occur in some adults and children, so it is recommended that you test the product on a small area of skin first. Wait 12-24 hours and assess. If any signs of sensitivity occur (e.g., rash, redness, swelling, itching), then discontinue use of product immediately. Please consult your physician before using on children under 1, if pregnant, or currently nursing.
If you have any questions about this product, please feel free to e-mail me (button is on the sidebar...). Or, you can also contact
Gritman directly--they are great and welcome questions!
And finally, I wanted to share a testimonial from a local mama who has used Gritman Sun Protection on her 3 kiddos and agreed to share her experience (thanks, Heather!):
"I have tried to be proactive in reapplying, but I'm like that with any sunscreen. What I've found is that I have to reapply just as often, not any more often, than other sunscreens. It is water repellant - I've seen the water bead on their skin after getting in the pool with it on. A got a sunburn (a little) Sunday, but I reapplied once, and he stayed in the pool ALL DAY. It was B's birthday party and I was busy and thought Daddy would remember to reapply. I truly believe he would have gotten that same amount of burn with any sunscreen because we didn't give a third application.
B decided she did NOT want her swimsuit on at her party, and wanted to swim just in her swim diaper. I sunscreened her little tummy, back, and chest (in addition to the rest which I had already sunscreened), which have not seen the sun as she's always wearing a tankini or a swim shirt. Her white tummy, chest, and back stayed white, after swimming and playing in the yard for a couple of hours. That's pretty good protection for bare-never-seen-the-sun skin.
We have been swimming for 1.5 hours without the need to reapply.
It has also lasted with A running around the backyard sweating for a half hour BEFORE getting in the pool for 1.5 hours with no need to reapply. Oh, and we used it on L today for a little swimming (yes, it rained, but sun can still burn through those clouds!) and he's not even pink. His skin also feels GREAT!
So far, I'm finding no difference - except B's hair being greasy! But that's to be expected, and easy to wash out. It's the nature of the sunscreen. Not a deterrent in use for me by any means. Oh, and even though DH says, "It smells like hippy," I really like the smell. A has decided it smells like honey when it's made (whatever that means!). He loves honey, so that's a real compliment!"
