{"id":654,"date":"2026-05-13T12:03:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T17:03:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innersoulreflections.com\/?p=654"},"modified":"2026-05-13T12:07:38","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T17:07:38","slug":"wisdom-wednesday-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innersoulreflections.com\/?p=654","title":{"rendered":"~Wisdom Wednesday~"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Necessities For Catching Some UV Rays<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since I was vacationing in the Sunshine State and summer here in the midwest is almost here, I figured today’s wisdom wednesday topic I’d talk about taking care of ourselves in the sunshine. From wearing sunscreen, to ointments that help with sunburns, to other necessities that aid in wellness for enjoying the sunshine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Enjoying some fresh air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Absorbing some vitamin D.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warmth fills my body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will start by chatting about UV rays and how they are different in the upper midwest compared to states like Florida. Let’s get started on our first topic! States like FLorida have a higher UV index level. It’s levels can reach up to 10 or higher, this is because it’s longitude is lower and closer to the equator than the upper midwest. In the midwest the highest UV index sometimes only reaches 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In order to understand this a little better, it might be best to talk about how light travels through the atmosphere of the earth. Near the equator the sun is closer, so it takes less time to travel the atmosphere. In addition the angle of the sun and the equator is at nearly a 90 angle all year long, it may shift very slightly but not enough to make it get cold. In the upper midwest the sun is farther away and shifts it’s distance from time to time. Because the earth is round, the angle of the sun here, compared to the equator, is greater which in turn takes the sun longer to travel through the atmosphere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long story short the UV rays of the sun have more atmosphere to travel through to warm us up here, than it does in comparison to the equator. When the UV index is higher the more you will want to use sunscreen, because you have a higher chance of getting burned(which obviously makes sense. Haha!). Now let’s start talking about sunscreen and other I necessities I like to have when I know I’m going to be in warmer weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunscreen<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My go to sunscreen protection are more natural brands that usually have less added ingredients or chemicals to them, and they are usually mineral based without parabens because I like to be able to read words that I can pronounce. Haha. In all seriousness though, some of the chemicals and parabens used in other sunscreens can cause skin irritations or reactions. Parabens and also mess with our hormones, so I like to stay away from those if I can. My skin is pretty sensitive to certain chemicals, so I like to be safe than sorry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mineral based sunscreens usually contain zinc oxide and titanium oxide. Both protect against UVB rays but the zinc also covers UVA as well. What’s the A and B mean in the acronym you ask? Well, that’s a good question and I had to look it up myself. From what I’ve gathered they are different wavelengths and the UVA is the long wave which can penetrate the skin on a more deeper level. It can cause wrinkles, premature aging, sun spots, and fine lines. UVB is a shorter wavelength and can cause the skin to burn as well as causing DNA mutation which is prone to causing cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The picture above is the one that I was using in Florida. It sprays on because while my husband was in his work training, I wanted something that I could put on my back without needing someone else to put the sunscreen on for me. The first time I used it, I got burned and couldn’t figure out why. It’s 30 spf and I thought that would have been enough. I told my husband about it and showed him my unique burn pattern on my legs. He laughed and then took the spray, looked at the bottle and asked me, “Did you shake the bottle before you used it?” I laughed and said no. I felt like an idiot. Long story short again, if you use mineral based organic sunscreen, make sure you shake it well before you use it. Haha! This is because the minerals separate and need to be mixed together again. I shook it every time after that when I used it, and it did work much better!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Sun Care And Healing Burns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next on my list of outside in the sunshine necessities is aloe! Aloe is a great plant\/herb that helps sooth sunburns! I use this a lot because sometimes I am not always smart when I am out in the sunshine when the weather is warm. I want a nice tan, so I don’t think I need sunscreen right away sometimes. Another thing I started using in unison with aloe for burns, is arnica. Sometimes those burns hurt and can look like a bruise if we are not careful. I use it more for the pain than bruising when it comes to sunburns though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These are the brands for the aloe and arnica that I use and they work really well, almost like magic! I use these ones in particular because I can get them at Swanson Health Products where work part-time, so it’s a little more cost effective for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Side note: Aloe is not only good for sunburns, but there are other forms of it where it can be safely ingested for digestive health. It’s a good laxative for many people. The same brand as the one in the picture above, has some really good ones for internal use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Essentials For Being In The Sun Or On The Beach<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some other things that I like to bring to the beach include but are not limited to are sunglasses for when it’s really bright outside, a nice beach hat for protecting your scalp as well as adding extra shade for your face, a couple of good books to read if you choose just to sunbathe on the beach, and finally applying some coconut oil for after being in the sun. Why coconut oil you may ask? Well, coconut oil has anti-inflammatory properties which can help with mild or healed sunburns. So, if your out in the sun and happen to not get burned to bad, apply some coconut oil for healing purposes. Do not apply it to hot or fresh sunburns within at least the first 48 hours, because it can trap heat and make the burns feel worse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately that concludes today’s Wisdom Wednesday, more or less my brain has ran out of information to talk about on this topic and I hope you enjoyed it. Haha. I will be back on another Wednesday in the future, just not sure when or what it will be about yet. Usually my inspiration comes from day to day things going on currently in my life and sometimes the inspiration to write doesn’t usually hit until Tuesday sometime. Not sure why it hits on a Tuesday but that seems to be the pattern as of now. Haha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope everyone enjoys their summer this year and be sure to make sure you have all your necessary sun protection essentials with you!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Necessities For Catching Some UV Rays Since I was vacationing in the Sunshine State and summer here in the midwest is almost here, I figured today’s wisdom wednesday topic I’d talk about taking care of ourselves in the sunshine. From wearing sunscreen, to ointments that help with sunburns, to other necessities that aid in wellness […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[66,97,98,65],"tags":[102,100,86,43,101,99,103,42],"class_list":["post-654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-skin-wellness","category-skincare","category-wellness","tag-aloe","tag-beach-essentials","tag-outdoors","tag-relaxation","tag-sunscreen","tag-sunshine","tag-uv-protection","tag-wellness"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innersoulreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innersoulreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innersoulreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innersoulreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innersoulreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=654"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.innersoulreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":669,"href":"https:\/\/www.innersoulreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654\/revisions\/669"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innersoulreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innersoulreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innersoulreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innersoulreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}