Smart Sun Time: A Balanced Approach to Vitamin D & Skin Health
Safe Sun Exposure
How can you avoid sunburn and unwanted UV damage while still getting the vitamin D your body needs to thrive? Let’s dive into both the how and the why of safe sun exposure—because it’s about more than just avoiding a sunburn. Sunlight is one of our most essential, yet super underrated, wellness tools. We can hyperfocus on diet and exercise and easily neglect the rest of our body’s needs. Humans need sunlight to help regulate blood pressure and circadian rhythm and support hormone health, immune health and mental health!
I added a little update (6/22/25) on what sunscreen I use and a free resource to test your sunscreen’s safety rating!
Why We Need Sunlight
You’ve likely heard that your body needs more vitamin D and that the sun is one of the best sources. Maybe you’ve even taken a vitamin D supplement. I remember wondering as a kid how sunshine could be encapsulated into a little golden pill.
Let’s start at the beginning: what is vitamin D, really? (Spoiler: it’s not sundrops.)
What is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is actually a prohormone, meaning it helps stimulate the body’s production of hormones. Once synthesized through the skin (thanks to sun exposure), it goes through a conversion process in the kidneys and liver, eventually becoming an active hormone. It’s then secreted by the endocrine glands directly into the bloodstream. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s one of the coolest things our body does–all on its own!
What Happens When You're Deficient?
Vitamin D influences your entire endocrine system, which includes the thyroid, adrenals, ovaries, and even your brain. You’ve probably heard of the link between vitamin D and bone health. However, our body systems are intricately interwoven. Insufficient vitamin D can also disrupt:
Immunity
Thyroid and adrenal function
Nerve and muscle function
Hormone balance
Fertility and reproductive health
Mood and cognitive function
Natural Sources of Vitamin D
So now we know why we need it, but how do we get enough? There are two types of vitamin D: D2 and D3. D2 is derived from plants and fungi, which are chemically synthesized (fancy for artificially creating a chemical reaction). D3 is made in our bodies and is found in some food sources. While sunlight is the most efficient way to get D3, you can also incorporate these nutrient-packed foods into your diet:
Fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines)
Egg yolks
Beef liver
If you’re like me and can’t stomach liver, there are great beef liver and beef organ complex supplements available. Get creative with how you cook your eggs to avoid the “egg ick”--omelets, boiled eggs, fried on avocado toast, scrambled with veggies. (Can you tell I’m hungry right now?)
farm fresh eggs from my mom’s chickens—yes I went and scrambled some after I wrote this
Should You Supplement?
Over 40% of US adults are deficient in vitamin D. It’s important to give thought to supplementing with synthetic vitamins. If you’re considering supplements, quality, origin, and dosage matter. Get your levels tested first, and work with a functional doctor or naturopath to determine your body’s specific needs. It’s not a one-size-fits-all.
The Truth About Sunscreen and Vitamin D
We’ve been taught to fear the sun–slathering on sunscreen every hour to protect ourselves from cancer, wrinkles, and leathery skin. But here's the thing: your body can’t synthesize vitamin D if your skin is completely covered.
When your skin is exposed to the sun, UVB radiation signals cells in the skin to make vitamin D. (This is called cutaneous synthesis–yeah, it’s as cool as it sounds.)
How Much Sun is Safe?
How much sun you need depends on your skin tone, location, and time of day. Aim for 10–30 minutes of sun on bare skin (no sunscreen) during peak UVB hours—typically between 10am and 3pm. Adjust based on your comfort and skin type.
What You Wear Matters
Keep in mind, what you put on your skin is absorbed into the bloodstream. Practice reading the ingredient label of what you’re putting on your body, not just in it. Many popular sunscreen brands contain hormone-disrupting chemicals and marine life toxins.
If it’s not safe for coral reefs, it’s probably not safe for you. Your body holds onto the chemicals, toxins and heavy metals it can’t break down or metabolize and turns them into fat cells to protect you from further damage.
Choose Mineral-Based Sunscreens
Look for sunscreens with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide as the active ingredients. These offer physical protection (rather than chemical absorption) and will be labeled reef-safe. Pair them with protective clothing like straw hats and rash shirts when extended exposure is unavoidable.
Nano vs. Non-Nano Zinc Oxide: What’s the Difference?
Nano Zinc Oxide
Tiny particles (less than 100 nanometers)
Designed to be less visible on the skin—goes on clear instead of white
Because of their small size, there are concerns they may penetrate the skin or be inhaled (especially in sprays)
Environmental concerns about potential harm to marine life
Non-Nano Zinc Oxide
Particles are larger than 100 nanometers
Too large to be absorbed into your skin, which makes it a safer option, especially for babies, sensitive skin, and long-term use
May leave a white coating (because it provides a physical barrier), but it provides reliable, stable protection from both UVA and UVB rays
Considered reef-safe and better for the environment
Sync with Your Circadian Rhythm
Watching the sunrise and sunset helps regulate your circadian rhythm–your body’s internal clock that controls sleep, body temp, digestion, metabolism, and hormone release. Consistent natural light exposure supports homeostasis, improves your metabolism, mood, and energy levels, and can even help reduce dependence on sleep aids.
Let the Sunlight In
Safe sun exposure is a free, powerful way to nourish your body and support long-term health. Like any wellness practice, it’s about balance—enjoying the sun while honoring your body’s needs. It’s incredible how our body works with nature.
Let the light in.
Soak up the healing.
And remember: it’s not selfish to care for your health—it’s essential.
Caring for your health should be personal, attainable, sustainable
It was brought to my attention recently there’s a trend going around for homemade tallow sunscreen. I love making my own selfcare products but I don’t have time/resources to make tallow sunscreen right now (also not a priority).
Yes, even as a health coach I can’t keep up with all the holistic trends. I’m a human and I’m trying to simplify. And that’s A-OK. This won’t be surprising, but I don’t spend a lot of time on social media. It’s next on my list to build social media into my work schedule so you can find out about articles like this and hopefully be encouraged that you can easily achieve better health.
Health care should be personal—meaning it fits you, your lifestyle, and your needs/goals. It should be attainable—meaning you don’t need to have a degree or certification to take care of yourself in a way that feels good and nourishing. And it should be sustainable—you can keep doing it without draining yourself, your bank account, or your time.
As in all things, please don’t compare yourself to anyone else. If making tallow sunscreen would bring you joy, I love that for you and fully support. So I’ll share what I do for sun care. Not to infer this is what you should be doing too, but help you feel informed and prepared to make a decision when standing in an isle of 379 different sunscreen options.
Free resource
Use EWG ‘s (Environmental Working Group) website to type in the sunscreen you use here to check its safety rating!
What I use
I went to New Zealand for three months during their summer this year and the sun is intense. I’m talking 10min burn time is normal (that’s UV of 8-10). Students aren’t allowed on the school playground without their hat. I don’t typically wear sunscreen unless I know I’m going to be laying in the sun or swimming/paddle boarding in the afternoon with the sun reflecting off the water. But in NZ I wore a hat whenever I was outside (even at 9am). And if I knew I was going to a long hike or swimming I’d better plaster myself with sunscreen.
I grabbed a Badger brand sunscreen off the shelf at Whole Foods and did a quick search—it hit the big things I was looking for:
Breaking it down
reef safe—designed to minimize damage to coral reefs (they don’t like all the junky ingredients either)
sport—designed to be more water-resistant than normal sunscreen
mineral—look at the back of the sunscreen
unscented and hypoallergenic—no synthetic perfumes, unlikely to cause an allergic reaction (due to chemical ingredients)
SPF 40—sun protectant factor. SPF is a measure of how long it takes for your skin to burn when using the sunscreen compared to no sunscreen. Note the jump to SPF 50 only offers .5% more protection, so you’re not getting much more when you go past SPF 40-50.
98% Organic—Badger is USDA certified organic. A brand can call themselves organic but check to make sure they are certified organic. Sunscreens using carbon-based compounds to absorb UV radiation (oxybenzone and octinoxateI) can call themselves organic. I know, cheeky.
water resistant zinc—won’t melt off your body in the water. Sunscreens labeled "water-resistant" have been tested to prove they’ll provide a certain level of protection after swimming/sweating for a specific duration—you should still reapply about every 2hrs regardless if you’re in the water or playing beach volleyball or just sweating excessively.
Interpreting the ingredient label
Zinc Oxide (Non-Nano)
A natural mineral that sits on top of your skin to physically block and scatter UVA and UVB rays, offering broad-spectrum sun protection. Unlike chemical sunscreens, it starts working immediately and is gentle on sensitive or reactive skin.
Organic Sunflower Oil
Rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, this nourishing oil helps to moisturize the skin while providing antioxidant support. It’s lightweight, non-comedogenic (meaning it won’t block your pores—super important!), and helps create a smooth application for the sunscreen.
Organic Beeswax
Acts as a natural thickener and protective barrier. It helps the sunscreen stick to your skin—especially useful for water resistance—and locks in moisture without clogging pores.
Sunflower-Derived Vitamin E (Tocopherol)
A powerful antioxidant that helps protect skin cells from UV-related damage, supports skin healing, and extends the shelf life of the natural oils in the formula.
My review:
“Badger Sport Mineral Sunscreen Cream 40” (linked if you want to check it out)
Had to work hard to rub it in, it’s thick. They mean it when they say cream. And you need a lot (but I still had some leftover after 3mo of daily use).
It didn’t stay pasty white and it didn’t feel greasy (I’m plastered in it in the pic)!
I could put the 2.9oz tube in my carry-on.
If I sat down in the sand right after applying the sand stuck everywhere. I looked sugar-coated, except the sand on the west coast of NZ is black. Even after swimming the sand stayed on because it’s super water-resistant and wouldn’t wash off. So that’s a pro. If I walked around for like 10min and let it soak in I was good, minimal sand-stickage.
Swam a ton and hiked every day and the only time I burned was when I took a nap on the beach and didn’t reapply sunscreen after few hours. Rookie.
Tip: remember to check the expiration date before you hit the beach. The zinc won’t degrade but other ingredients can, affecting the smell, texture and effectiveness.
Let’s level
Yes, the Badger sunscreen contains sunflower oil. It is a seed oil. If you haven’t heard the hype, it isn’t positive. If you want to learn more you can do a quick Google search. I’d caution you to set aside a time to do that and not go into a black hole and open another 29 tabs. I don’t have a particular go-to resource on seed oils so I won’t pretend to be an expert here. That’s a whole other post.
Here was my thinking in the moment I stood in the isle deciding what sunscreen to buy—Badger uses organic sunflower oil. I feel ok about that. I did a 2min Google search on the ingredients. I made the best decision I could in that moment.
You have to choose your battles, you can’t be 100% perfect but you can do your best with what you know. I still use Badger, and as long as it’s not expired I’m not personally fussed about it oxidating on my skin. I don’t think it’s getting hot enough to be unstable (104+ degrees). But please do your own research.
If you want to invest more—
Money: Option to Buy
I like Primally Pure as a company. Their products are tallow-based and I’ve tried their face plumping cream and switched to the baby balm for my face in winter (cheaper, similar ingredients, and I tend to have dry skin). My sister uses a ton of their products, I’ve recommended it to friends, and I probably won’t use anything else for my face now.
I appreciate their ethics, their wisdom, the quality of their ingredients, the research behind what they do and the way the do it. Their article they on how to choose a truly non-toxic sunscreen has some great info and you can explore their blog for a bunch of other holistic articles. They also talk about industrial seed oils vs cold-pressed (yes like the juice).
I’m not sure I could ever justify $81 for 3.4oz of sunscreen. They do have a smaller sunscreen stick that my sister loves and it’s much cheaper. It’s all about what’s important to you. Maybe the sunscreen is an investment you want and are able to make.
Time: Option to Make
Making your own would be a great alternative if you like their ingredients and believe in the product but don’t have the money. The ingredients are super simple and relatively easy to source. It will require a little research on the front end to find quality ingredients and you’ll likely have to buy in bulk. If this is something you’re interested in you can just do a quick Pinterest search for “tallow-based sunscreen recipe” and if one day I try a recipe for tallow sunscreen that I love I’ll include it here. Or even better—if you try a recipe or already have one you like please message me at liv@livnourished.com or comment on the blog! I’d love to hear about it and share with the LNC community!
Focus on what you can do and don’t let what you’re not able to do right now steal your joy. Enjoy the sun today, even if just for 5 minutes.
