09/11/2025
Spot on thank you Barbara
๐๐จ๐ฅ, ๐๐ฎ๐ง ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐, ๐๐ค๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ค, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง!
Itโs that time of year again, itโs warming up and the sun is out - making sunburn a real risk.
This is the time to start using the remedy ๐๐จ๐ฅ. Sol is made from sunlight- and while there is a Northern Hemisphere version, Sol Britannica, we use ๐๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ, from Australia, Southern hemisphere, which is much more intense than the Northern Hemisphere version.
I recommend using Sol for exposure to the sun, either as a preventative, or (if needed) a treatment for the adverse effects of too much sun.
In my family we try to avoid the hottest part of the day and therefore not need to use sunscreen, but if we will be out all day Sol is an important part of our routine and we will repeat several times through the day. How often you need to take it will vary between people- someone who is very fair will need to take it more frequently than someone with olive toned or darker skin.
I use a 30c before exposure and repeat every couple of hours- but Homeopathy is individual and you may need more or less frequent dosing depending on your skin and susceptibility to the sun. If very fair a higher potency like 200c for less frequent dosing may be appropriate. If you make your own sunscreen you could consider adding a few drops of liquid Sol to your cream โ make sure to do so at the end and not to heat the remedy.
Sol is also useful if you do slip up and end up red, hot and sunburnt. Belladonna can also be useful here for redness, heat, or throbbing feelings with the sunburn, and if needed you can alternate the Belladonna and Sol to treat the sunburn.
With all of the sun safety, avoidance and sunscreen talk, it is essential to remember that safe ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ง ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ!
We need sun exposure to form vitamin D in the body. It is essential for so many processes in the body. These include (1):
* Calcium and phosphorus absorption balance, keeping our bones healthy
* Supporting immunity, including the defences against pathogens, and reducing allergic reaction
* Reducing the risk of developing autoimmunity, (very well published for Multiple Sclerosis risk
* May increase muscle strength, particularly in the lower limbs in the elderly
* Supporting those with type II Diabetes, with insulin regulation and cell functions.
While some of those effects can be utilised with vitamin D supplementation, there are also non-vitamin D positive effects from sun exposure. Sun exposure reduces all-cause mortality (2). There has not been a lot of research into this area, however sunlight supports the release of nitric oxide, which reduces cardiac risk (2). People with high blood pressure have low vitamin D levels, but supplementation makes no difference, and a non-vitamin D mechanism - such as the mobilisation of nitric oxide from stores in the skin - is likely responsible (2). There is also a reduction in inflammation, and potential changes for eyesight (myopia) from time indoors (2). Blue light into the eye (not shielded by sunglasses), also helps set the circadian rhythm, including the production of melatonin which not only helps sleep but also has other actions with low levels of melatonin increasing chronic disease and cancer risk (3).
It is also important to note that it takes time for the body to make vitamin D, and this depends on how fair your skin is. One theory is that the skin became more pale as humans moved to areas with less UV radiation or colder climates requiring us to cover up more, in order to increase the production of vitamin D (2). The NZ Ministry of Health consensus guideline suggests avoiding the sun between 10am and 4pm from September to April, and recommends sun exposure around noon from May to August (4). However there is also a calculation to figure out how much sun exposure you need in minutes at different times of the year in different parts of the world! (5) This publication even has a supplementary table at the end that suggests the length of time needed for maintenance of vitamin D levels at midday with 35% of the skin exposed - for people with fair skin that is 1-2 minutes for November to February, however with darker skin this could be 5 minutes or for black skin 8 minutes (using an average of 40ยฐ latitude for the whole of New Zealand)(5). However, earlier or later in the day, or with less skin exposed more time would be required.
What about ๐ฌ๐ค๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ค?
One of the major concerns with skin cancer is sun burn - repeated incidences of sun burn over your lifetime increase your risk of melanoma(6). I want to be clear here than I am advocating for safe sun exposure, which includes time without sunscreen early or late in the summer day to allow the conversion of vitamin D, but I am NOT recommending doing nothing and allowing yourself or your children to burnt to a crisp.
In terms of ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ง๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง, there are two options: physical and chemical blockers.
Physical blockers, usually zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, provide a barrier on the skin that reflects the sunโs rays. Many physical blockers can have a whitening effect, and they are often in a thick, natural base so that they stay on the skin, however there are nano versions that will absorb into the skin and are usually as effective as the more waxy version.
Chemical blockers feel more like a moisturiser and sink into the skin. The active ingredients can include avobenzone, octinoxate, octocrylene, or oxybenzone, or other chemicals. However there are some serious concerns with chemical sunscreens. The environmental working group discusses how some of them are not safe at the amounts used, that they are absorbed and found in the blood stream (and other parts of the body, and how some sunscreens are endocrine disruptors, affecting hormones (7). They state that out of 16 sunscreens tested the FDA only recognised zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as โgenerally recognised safe and effectiveโ (7). Some chemical sunscreens are implicated in the destruction of coral reefs, leaching nutrients and damaging the marine ecosystem, and oxybenzone and octinoxate are now banned in some places (like Hawaii) (8). However, our physical blockers are not necessarily safe either, with Zinc Oxide being implicated for chemical reactions causing hydroxyl radicals (9). Selecting a โreef friendlyโ sunscreen is not necessarily safe for marine life, as there is no regulation overseeing that as a claim (8), and now with the increasing research shown zinc oxide is unsafe for marine life many of those products considered reef friendly may no longer be (9). The research for what is and isnโt safe is still developing, so hopefully in the future there will be more clarity about what is and isnโt going to damage our ecosystem.
My recommendation, when you need to use a sunscreen on land, is find a physical blocker that contains titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. If you donโt like the residue on your skin, look for a nano version. If you are going to be in the water, covering up with long sleeve rash vests and shorts, and for sunscreen choice balance the personal effect with the effect on marine life. Personally we are currently using a sunscreen brand called Earthโs Kitchen, but I will also get an Invisible Zinc option for my older kids who dislike the whitening effect, and Iโm considering Skinnies for marine use (but more research required).
If you would like to buy some Sol for your family, or you would like a link to order Earths Kitchen sunscreen, please email me at barbara@homeopathbarbara.nz
I hope you have a fantastic summer and enjoy the sun without consequences!
References:
1. Rebelos, E., Tentolouris, N., & Jude, E. (2023). The Role of Vitamin D in Health and Disease: A Narrative Review on the Mechanisms Linking Vitamin D with Disease and the Effects of Supplementation. Drugs, 83(8), 665โ685. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40265-023-01875-8
2. Sunlight: Time for a Rethink? - ScienceDirect. (n.d.). Retrieved November 8, 2025, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022202X2400280X
3. Wahl, S., Engelhardt, M., Schaupp, P., Lappe, C., & Ivanov, I. V. (2019). The inner clockโBlue light sets the human rhythm. Journal of Biophotonics, 12(12), e201900102. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbio.201900102
4. Consensus statement on vitamin D and sun exposure in New Zealand. (2012). Ministry of Health.https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/2012-03/vitamind-sun-exposure.pdf
5. Globally Estimated UVB Exposure Times Required to Maintain Sufficiency in Vitamin D Levels. (n.d.). Retrieved November 8, 2025, from https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/10/1489
6. Dennis, L. K., VanBeek, M. J., Beane Freeman, L. E., Smith, B. J., Dawson, D. V., & Coughlin, J. A. (2008). Sunburns and risk of cutaneous melanoma, does age matter: A comprehensive meta-analysis. Annals of Epidemiology, 18(8), 614โ627. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2008.04.006
7. Sunscreens, E. G. to. (n.d.). The trouble with sunscreen ingredients | EWGโs Guide to Sunscreens. Retrieved November 8, 2025, from https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/the-trouble-with-sunscreen-chemicals/
8. Miller, I. B., Pawlowski, S., Kellermann, M. Y., Petersen-Thiery, M., Moeller, M., Nietzer, S., & Schupp, P. J. (2021). Toxic effects of UV filters from sunscreens on coral reefs revisited: Regulatory aspects for โreef safeโ products. Environmental Sciences Europe, 33(1), 74. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12302-021-00515-w
9. Battistin, M., Pascalicchio, P., Tabaro, B., Hasa, D., Bonetto, A., Manfredini, S., Baldisserotto, A., Scarso, A., Ziosi, P., Brunetta, A., Brunetta, F., & Vertuani, S. (2022). A Safe-by-Design Approach to โReef Safeโ Sunscreens Based on ZnO and Organic UV Filters. Antioxidants, 11(11), 2209. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox11112209
Image credit: Megapulse on Pixabay
