The Burn… Whole Foods Market Paradise Valley {Sponsored Post}

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“The burn”…that’s how I remember my summer of ‘93 high school beach vacation. I was with a group of friends on the South Carolina coast, and in typical teenage fashion, set out for the first day with a bikini, a book, my Walkman (I did mention it was 1993, right?) and not a drop of sunscreen. By the end of the evening, I was lying on a couch on the bottom floor in our 3-story beach house, so sunburnt I couldn’t even bend my knees. A friend had to bring dinner down to me. The rest of the weekend was spent in pain and regret.

In the 21 years since that sun-scorched weekend, I’ve had my fair share of burns. Growing up with an Italian-skinned mom who was naturally bronzed within five minutes of sun exposure, I often tried to emulate her look by applying her Banana Boat Dark Tanning Oil, SPF maybe 5. But my skin kept trying to tell me it took more after my dad, who’s skin was of English/Irish descent. The antithesis of Dark Tanning Oil. I’ve done the tanning beds or chosen the pool lounge chairs with the best direct sunlight…and every year, come pool season, the same result ensues. I burn.

photo 3I now have little fair-skinned kids and live in “The Valley of the Sun”. Sun protection is definitely on the mind when packing our bags for water play dates and zoo visits. But, confession time: I was not paying attention to what was in the product. As long as it had a decent SPF and I had a coupon for it at the store, I bought it and sprayed/lathered it all over my kids. (Second confession: sometimes I forget to put it on them and they burn. Not my burn of ’93, mind you, but enough for them to say ouch. And then I accept my Mother of the Year award and we move on.)

But that’s all about to change after what I learned at the Whole Foods Market Paradise Valley Sun Care Tips & Summer Survival Store Event where some fellow bloggers and I were treated to a store tour and had the opportunity to learn more about Whole Foods’ commitment to providing quality products, many of which are local based.

The PV store is preparing for a remodel in June, and as part of the remodel will recreate the Whole Body section found in the center of the store.

So it seems fitting that they would be offering a 30% discount on their sun care products, May 23-26, making it more affordable for customers to make the move from the typical mass-produced sun care items, to sun care items that are put through a strict guidelines test before they can even hit a Whole Foods shelf. I had no idea that there are no body care standards in the United States, so it’s very easy for body care brands to stamp the word “Organic” or “Natural” on the bottle and send them (and you) out into the sun. In contrast, Whole Foods launched a program in 2010 whereby products would have to sustain extremely strict guidelines to meet the standards that Whole Foods deems to be organic. So if you see something on a Whole Foods shelf (anywhere in the store) that says “Organic”, it truly is.

photo 1One product I’ve been using since the event is DeVita Solar Body Moisturizer SPF 30. It’s mineral-based, as are all sun care items in the Whole Foods sun care line of products. This means the sunblock stays ON your skin and begins working immediately, rather than chemical-based products that are absorbed INTO your skin and can take about 20-30 minutes to fully absorb before your go into the direct sun. Chemical sunscreens “protect” the skin by seeping deep into the skin to absorb the skin’s rays, depleting broad-spectrum protection against UVA and UVB.

Physical/mineral sunscreens, on the other hand, sit on top of the skin and physically block the sun’s rays, like a mirror. This especially hit home for me when the rep from Goddess Garden Organics explained that these chemicals which are absorbed into our skin can have adverse consequences, such as transmitting those chemicals to our babies through breast milk. I’m no longer nursing, but I do care that our children are kept from any harmful second-hand chemicals that they have no control over. (Don’t even get me started on the lack of FDA regulations in food coloring, but that’s for a different post.)

The other product I’ve been waiting to use is the Goddess Garden Organics Sunny Face Natural Sunscreen. I’ve been using a popular name brand moisturizer that includes a tad of sunscreen – double duty, right?

Two for one product…money saved…. Turns out I’m just rubbing extra chemicals into my skin, every single morning. Ew. I’ve never been so glad to use up the last of a product and toss it out so I can start using the one I received from Goddess Garden. I plan to use my favorite moisturizer first, and then apply the sunscreen on top.

On the back of the tube it provides cautionary text advising to take sun protection measures, which include wearing “long-sleeved shirts, pants, hats and sunglasses.” I live in the Valley of the Sun where it remains over 100 degrees for the next 4-5 months. So those first two are out – but hats and sunglasses I can do. I’ll listen to my music (iTunes now) and I’ll read my book (Kindle now), but this time I’ll remember to apply my MINERAL-based sunscreen from Whole Foods Whole Body department, and I will join my friends for dinner. And 2014 will be the summer of the healthy glow.

To keep updated on the Whole Foods Market Paradise Valley Store remodel, or to find out more information about the Whole Body Sun Care Promotion, please Like them on Facebook and Follow them on Twitter.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post for Whole Foods Market Paradise Valley, however all opinions are my own!

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Jessica Hendricks
Network Administrator Jessica is the Network Administrator for City Moms Blog Network, providing administrative support, project management and social media management to our growing team. She is married to Josh and is mommy to Stella (July 2010) and Graham (January 2012). She serves on the Publicity Team for her local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) organization. When she’s not blog-stalking, she’s clipping coupons or scouring the web for the latest deal, and even has three, yes three!, coupon books that go everywhere with her. She’s coming “out of the fog” from having two babies under two and is getting reacquainted with her love for graphic design, photography and all things blog.

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