Make Your Own Sunscreen This Summer For Natural UV Protection

Growing up in the middle of the southern New Hampshire woods, I became fond of star-gazing. In the summer, my high school boyfriend and I would bring our CD players outside, listening to Weezer, while we gazing up at that infinite dark world, full of endless possibilities and beauty. As the hours passed, the stars would slowly disappear, only to be replaced with a single 600 billion year old star that was out for vengeance, making us quickly recoil into the shade. To my knowledge, as a teen, the sun was as evil and dangerous as Charles Manson. The threat of wrinkles, skin damage, and skin cancer was enough to make me shun this beautiful star for the rest of my life.

It was no surprise that in my twenties, I became vitamin D deficient, due to years of avoiding the sun and a long-term, strict, vegetarian diet. My first thought? Are you #$%*& kidding me!? They were not. Turns out lack of vitamin D has been found more common in society than over-exposure to sunlight. I would lather on the thickest SPFs I could find, convinced that it would give me timeless skin, having no idea how important vitamin D was for my health. Interestingly enough, the pigment melonin makes it harder to produce vitamin D in sunlight exposure — according to Web MD, studies show this is more likely in darker skin. The only thing more effective than taking vitamin D supplements, or any supplements for that matter, is getting your nutrients directly from the source: In this case, the sun.

Today, I still consider the sun to be a frenemy. The UVA rays age us while its UVB rays burn us. There is a plethora of scientific data out there to prove that overexposure to sun causes premature aging, eye damage, and skin cancers, which means it’s super important to keep our skin protected. Still, there are ways to do so while still drinking in the healthy aspects of the sun (like all that delicious vitamin D) and avoid ingredients that are found in sunscreens that can also promote skin cancer and free-radical production. For some of us, wearing over-the-counter sun-screen is a medical no-no. Whether you are on an all-natural diet that requires you to forgo all topical chemicals or have allergies, there are cost-effective and easy ways to make your own sunscreen. Many articles discourage the use of sunscreen altogether, and while some have merit, science is constantly evolving — we still do not understand everything about the sun and how it can effect our bodies.

Here is the great news! If you absolutely can’t stand the chemicals or if you have been asked not to use the chemicals in sunscreens by your doctor, there is a healthy all-natural way you can have the same protection as drugstore sunscreen. Whatever you do, just don’t go out there without any armor at all! Your skin will thank me in 10 years.

Homemade Sunscreen

Here are some essential ingredients you will need for your homemade sunscreen — please play with the portions to get the right recipe for your skin. If you are looking for more UVA or UVB protection then you’ll want to adjust the ratio accordingly.

1/4 cup of beeswax (this will give you a nice texture and make it waterproof)

2 tablespoons of zinc oxide powder (this will protect you from UVA rays that are known for skin aging)

1 ounce of shea butter (for moisture and extra vitamin D)

1/2 cup of essential oil (this will be your SPF and protect against UVB rays which are known to cause burning)

My choice oil to protect my skin from UVB rays is coconut oil because it has natural SPF just under 10. If you are looking for extra protection from UVB rays or have an auto-immune disease (the sun is known to flare up symptoms), my fair skinned bestie uses raspberry seed oil which has a natural SPF of about 50. This is a great choice if you burn easily in the sun. Looking for something right in the middle? Carrot seed oil will be your jam, with an SPF of 38-40.

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Must-have accessory this ball season: lots of cash

Ball season has arrived - and so have the costs, which can approach $2000 once the dress, shoes, spray tan, hair, makeup, nails and tickets have been paid for.

As school balls have become more extravagant - with elaborate props and decorations - so too has the preparation.

Jacqueline Recchia will fork out about $1800 to send her daughter Montana, 17, to the ball this year.

That cost covers the dress, alterations, shoes, hair, make-up, nails, spray-tan and tickets to the pre-ball and ball.

The Westlake Girls' High student picked up a dress for $1200 during a trip to Brisbane.

Ms Recchia said although it was a lot of money, she was happy to pay.

"She's only going to one ... they just have one in their final year now, which in hindsight is a good decision because it makes life cheaper.

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"The cost of the ticket - $100 - that's the cheapest part of the whole thing."

Many students have booked beauty treatments months in advance to secure an appointment at their favourite salon.

Ashley Kellett, owner of Beauty on Demand, said her 18 stylists would be flat-out over ball season. They could treat up to 15 clients on school ball days, and also did spray tans and manicures in the lead-up.

"We have a saying that the ball girls are just as important as the brides-to-be, it's nearly like an example of walking down the aisle, but it's their red carpet."

Girls were picking up dresses from shops including Zambesi and Moochi, and then adding expensive accessories.

Epsom Girls Grammar student Bianca Mangakahia will be getting her hair and makeup done through Beauty on Demand for her school's ball on Friday. That would cost about $130. She said all-up the event would cost her about $400, and she was paying some of that herself.

The Year-13 student had ordered her dress from the United States and said buying online was common to avoid wearing the same thing as others, and it was cheaper.

Lorde look now hot trend

Her songs will likely be on the playlist but Lorde's influence will also be seen in the hair and make-up of many at their school ball this year.

The straightening irons are being put away for those with naturally curly hair like Lorde's.

Ashley Kellett of Beauty on Demand said Lorde's style - including trademark dark lipstick - was a trend this year.

"Lorde has brought back quite a bit of a natural beauty aspect ... I think it's helping younger girls accept themselves a little bit more."

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These Apple Cider Vinegar Hair And Skin Recipes Are Your New Natural Beauty Must-Haves For Summer

Warm weather has arrived, albeit begrudgingly, and as excited as I am to wear short shorts and crop tops? I am not looking forward to the oily complexion that summer brings to my beloved face. The humidity melts off any concealer I apply, making me even more conscious about how I look au naturel. No one wants their face to be confused with the greasy grill at a BBQ — it is just not a good look.

To start problem-solving, I needed to understand why my skin hates summer heat. I was pretty shocked to read on Eucerin’s website that summer weather brings loads of summer skin blues: With high humidity, the skin’s natural moisture is actually stripped, thus causing overproduction of oil and dryness at the same time. Not only that, but the high air-conditioning indoors verses the high heat outdoors effects our skin’s natural ability to act as a barrier between the outer elements and our healthy bods.

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There are great natural astringents out there that can even skin tones and absorb excess oil, but for the past couple of years, my summer love has been apple cider vinegar (ACV). It honestly keeps my skin luminous all day, everyday!

Plus, for those of you that love a dual face and hair routine, get ready for the best news ever: Apple cider vinegar can be used to keep a shiny mane as well. Because hair is naturally acidic (and this is especially true for my kinky cousins out there!), apple cider vinegar can neutralize your hair daily. This delicious condiment is not only great on fries, it’s a natural detangler and cleaning agent. ACV closes the cuticles around your hair, so you get a brilliant shine to otherwise dreary locks.

Wary of the smell? You’ll notice once you rinse this super ingredient off skin or hair the odor is basically eliminated. Plus, want to lock in moisture at the same time, any of your fave oils will mask unwanted scents with its own. Check out some key ways to work ACV into your beauty routine this summer.

Vinegar Hair Rinse

This rinse is amazing to add shine to your hair and keep the frizz at minimum. Some recipes vary depending on hair type, but I use equal parts of water and apple cider vinegar. I also use this rinse to remove harmful build-up from styling agents and shampoos or, if you’re in NYC, that dank city air! If you are itchin’ for more vinegar hair remedies, check out Black Girl Long Hair’s site for additional recipes that are specific to your hair type.

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Facial Toner

I can’t tell you enough how pumped I was to find apple cider vinegar. It really keeps my skin healthy and clean throughout the summer, but this toner can also be used as a nightly treatment on a freshly washed face through all four seasons. I simply use a travel size bottle and squeeze a dime-size amount onto a cotton ball, lather up my face and go to bed. The downside to using this twice a day is the smell, but a few drops of a yummy smelling oil completely masks the scent. Feeling doubtful? Scarlett Johansson is just one celebrity who’s boasted about using ACV on her face and, I mean, c’mon. She’s got some seriously flawless skin.

Bad Breath

Plagued with bad breath after you doused your eggs with hot sauce and onions? Sources say a teaspoon of ACV can be your warrior against foul breath, so go ahead and drink a teaspoon after smoking or eating food smothered in garlic. It’s an awesome, natural alternative to mouthwash.

Creativity Without Commercial Restraints at SCAD’s Annual Student Fashion Show

The Savannah College of Art and Design has acquired some eighty buildings since its inception in 1978—many of which are historic, and so spread out that a campus tour requires a car—and the development is showing no signs of slowing down. The facilities are even more impressive. Fashion students are trained on state-of-the-art laser cutters, 3-D printers, and every type of textile and fiber contraption the mind can imagine. All of that has made SCAD a hot spot of emerging fashion talent, which the school proudly displayed at Saturday night’s annual student fashion show.

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Beverly Sung’s pleated, asymmetrical dresses (above, left) were a respectable nod to Issey Miyake. Sculptural, digital printed dresses from Wenxia Wang and Zenobia Duncan (below, left) were equally impressive. Elaine Lui, a former Alexander Wang intern, drew creativity from her native Hong Kong, with mesh-overlaid streetwear covered with prints of electric wiring and light-up LCD details built into the clothes (above, right). Across the board, fabric innovation was the big story here—burned Lycra, hand-plisséd skirts, digitally printed boiled wool. Dean of Fashion Michael Fink told us, “What sets this year apart is that there is so much textile and fiber development. The fashion students are actually making their own textiles in collaboration with our Fibers students.”

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One-on-ones with the designers after the show afforded an opportunity to hear their stories and inspirations. Michael Mann’s conceptual menswear referenced football, a comment on the offense and defense he struggled between while being bullied as a teen. Wesley Berryman’s parents drove eight hours from rural Tennessee to come see him show androgynous creations that might feel at home on a rack beside Rick Owens and Gareth Pugh (above, right). Berryman’s mother told us, “I don’t know where he got his fashion sense—definitely not from me! When we used to go to Walmart [to buy clothes], I was always worried he would put up a fight! But really, I just want to support my son.”

The real joy in seeing a student fashion show like SCAD’s is the opportunity to witness creativity without the commercial restraints many professional designers face. Free from the pressure of having to “sell” anything, and enabled by a supportive faculty and cutting-edge facilities, SCAD’s runway served as a rare, unfettered fashion moment.

Dean Brough: If it's white it's right in the shirt fashion world

The classic white dress shirt is familiar and omnipresent in men's fashion. As a result, we tend to not realise that for more than 200 years, this singular item of apparel has been able to define and represent status, wealth and fashion norms.

The history of this garment is rich and, in the main part, untold.

The influence of the men's white dress shirt can be traced back to the Victorian era, where it was an important symbol of wealth and class distinction and a powerful emblem of sobriety and uniformity - despite it being usually hidden by outer garments.

The pure white colour of the cloth fulfilled masculine ideals of resolute austerity, and only those of substantial prosperity could afford to have their shirts washed frequently and to own enough of them to wear.

The link between social distinction and colour of the cloth was a marker for affluence, and the terms "white collar" and "blue collar" evolved from this delineation.

The collar was also used as a symbol of status, with high-standing armour-like detachable collars preventing a downward gaze. High, rigid, starched collars distinguished the elite from clerks, who wore low collars for ease of movement - the idiom "to look down one's nose" was, in part, connected to this consequential upright facial stance.

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Arguably, by the late 19th century, the unadorned white dress shirt was intrinsically linked to appropriate moral masculine behaviour and this austerity of dress indicated that a man could be trusted and was soberly business-like.

By the close of the 19th century, the use of the white dress shirt to define status had diminished.

Increasing affordability and availability of the white dress shirt enabled a man to wear it for church, the "high street" and for employment in clerical roles.

The defining factor for class separation was no longer the whiteness, but the fit, quality of the cloth and discreet style variations.

After the end of World War I, a societal shift occurred and a new, softer and more fluid look was developed for less formal clothing.

One of the main influences was the Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII), who was a leader of fashion at the time. His rejection of the white shirt, with its severe lines, in favour of soft, floppy, coloured shirts created a major shift in menswear fashion.

Nevertheless, in the early 1920s the white dress shirt was still associated with moral respectability.

In 1924, the founding father of IBM, Thomas J. Watson, insisted on a dress code, demanding that his office employees wear a classic white shirt.

The next significant change for the white dress shirt was the introduction of synthetic fabrics - with questionable benefits for comfort - in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s an escalation of floridity occurred, in particular, frontal flounces and ruffles, as well as increased collar widths.

But the white dress shirt was still seen as a "proper" garment amid the vast array of highly coloured and printed casual shirts on the market.

For a brief period in the early 1980s, an innovative romantic style of dressing with loosely styled foppish and frilled white dress shirts was the height of fashion.

Then, through the 1980s, "power dressing" was fashionable in urban business contexts - and the white dress shirt regained the association with power and prestige that it still holds.

Jennifer Lawrence Makes Her Red-Carpet Return at 'X-Men' Premiere

I don’t care if she’s a walking, talking GIF whose endlessly chattering interviews and endearing awards-show trips and falls are the result of a hyperactive personality and a few too many drinks (which she basically admitted to in the her latest Marie Claire interview): To me, Jennifer Lawrence is, and always will be, perfection. Not only is she hilarious and insanely talented (hello, the 23-year-old already has an Oscar), but she’s also absolutely gorgeous and has a super-sexy sense of style both on the red carpet and off — a truth that’s only been cemented over the last several years as Lawrence has been the (well-paid) face of Christian Dior, appearing in the brands’ ads and making practically every red-carpet appearance in a couture gown designed by the legendary Parisian label.

But after staying off of the red carpet since the 2014 Academy Awards in March, the Hunger Games actress finally made her return on Saturday at the X-Men: Days of Future Past premiere in New York City. And as if the excitement of spotting Lawrence on the red carpet for the first time in months wasn’t enough, something even more exciting went down at film’s first premiere of the press tour: The actress didn’t wear Dior.

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Sporting a steely blue, liquid velvet Jason Wu slip gown that practically melted over Lawrence’s envious curves, the actress looked sultry, seductive, and undeniably like her X-Men character Mystique as the star of the film’s premiere red carpet.

Styling the look with simple strappy sandals, statement earrings, a subtly smoky eye, and beautiful berry lip, Lawrence looked nothing less than sophisticated in her non-Dior ensemble. She also showed off her slowly-growing-out hair, which she styled with a dramatic, sleek, and side-swept bob.

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While Lawrence was undoubtedly the main attraction of the evening’s red carpet, she wasn’t the only star who dressed to impress. Actress Emma Roberts — who’s starring alongside James Franco in a new flick, Palo Alto — hit the event in a perfect pink satin sheath dress from designer Katie Ermilio. With its strapless, bustier top and midi-length pencil skirt, the ensemble was a classic pick in a shade made for a spring event.

Girls star Zosia Mamet also took to the red carpet, looking far sunnier than usual in her crisp white crop top and baby pink, pleated maxi skirt, paired with a casual bob and cuff bracelets. While Roberts and Mamet certainly looked pretty in their pastels, I think we can all agree that Lawrence’s crushed velvet, non-Dior gown was the only thing that really mattered at the X-Men premiere — and was a label change we could certainly get used to in the future.

What Radio Hosts Really Wear

Whether responding to breaking news, hosting a musical performance or interviewing heads of state, employees at NPR aim to dress appropriately for their roles. For the roughly 750 employees at the media organization’s Washington headquarters, that can mean anything from shorts and sandals in the summer to tailored suits.

“You’re going to dress differently if you’re a White House correspondent than if you are shooting video or editing tape on the overnight,” said Margaret Low Smith, senior vice president of news.

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Scott Simon, host of “Weekend Edition Saturday,” said he often gets teased by his colleagues for dressing up, whether it’s because of his pocket squares or red socks, or for wearing a particularly voluminous coat in Afghanistan. “You can’t let your standards slip just because you’re in a war zone,” he quipped.

The Dress Code: There is none, although employees have to be prepared for surprise visitors. “It could be the Secretary of State, it could be Wyclef Jean—which all happened,” said Michel Martin, host of “Tell Me More.”

Nina Totenberg, veteran correspondent on legal affairs, requires that people working for her dress up at the Supreme Court. At minimum, they must wear presentable dark slacks and a white shirt. “My view of that is, that is so boring, why would anybody do that?” she said. “Why wouldn’t you have some fun with your clothes?”

Dressing for Radio: Visitors are often surprised by the way people at NPR look. “You have this vision in your mind of this very wise, older, bearded sage, and you can see that every time somebody comes in, they’re deflated,” said Guy Raz, host of “TED Radio Hour.”

“You kind of feel bad,” he said. “I wish there was something I could do to fulfill that.”

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How you comb your hair also matters

Dull hair, dandruff and excessive hair fall - summer brings a whole lot of hair problems. Experts say one can ward off hair woes by focussing on cleanliness and hygiene and following the correct combing technique to keep the scalp and hair healthy in the scorching heat.

Pustular eruptions and hair root and fungal infections are also common during summer.

For lustrous tresses, Chiranjiv Chhabra, dermatologist, Skin Alive Clinic in the capital, says cleanliness and hygiene should be on the top of the to-do list.

"If the hair is not washed often and the scalp is not kept clean, the constant presence of moisture on the scalp causes weakening of the roots, which further causes itching and irritation on the scalp, worsening the condition and hence hair fall," Chhabra told agencies.

One of the major causes of scruffy hair is lack of maintenance.

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Anyone can have beautiful and healthy hair through proper care and using the right products, says Apoorva Shah, trichologist and founder of Richfeel Health and Beauty Pvt. ltd.

For the hair expert, combing with right brushes and following correct brushing techniques are vital.

"Use a wide-tooth wooden base comb or a tortoise shell comb. Never go for rubber or iron combs. Make sure the ends of the comb are not pointed. Start combing the hair carefully from the ends in a downward direction only. Comb your hair only when dry. Hair is weakest when it is wet.

"One should never comb when the hair is wet; else it can damage the hair. One can just gently finger-comb wet hair," said Shah.

The basic hair care starts with clean hair, but too much cleansing can be damaging.

The scalp produces an oily substance, which is called sebum. It is important to choose a shampoo that removes the right amount of oil. Daily shampooing is not a problem as long as the shampoo is mild and formulated for daily use.

Most of the shampoos are not meant for daily use.

Chhabra said: "Due to excess washing and wrong selection of hair care products, problems like dandruff, pustular eruptions and fungal infections aggravate. Scruffiness makes the hair look dull even after a wash and split-ends make the hair look thinner at the bottom, slowly leading to breakage."

If possible, avoid using a blow dryer. Rather, gently squeeze out excess water from the hair and blot it with a towel.

Shah told us: "One of the main reasons of hair loss is the use of hair dryers. The skin pores of the scalp open up while blow drying, which allows the dirt to enter the pores and that leads to hair loss."

Also, regular use of hair dryers dulls the hair.

Styling products that contain alcohol or other harsh chemicals too can spell hair trouble.

Have your hair trimmed on a regular basis, at least once every two-three months. It is important for growing out layers.

Oil the scalp once a week. It stimulates blood flow and relieves stress, said Shah.

If the techniques and daily rituals have to be correct, one should also use the right products.

An expert from skin and hair care cosmetic brand The Body Shop suggested that those who complain of oily hair can try Rainforest shampoo. It soaks the oil and sweat from the scalp.

Then there are therapies to tackle hair-related problems.

Chhabra suggested that one may opt for scalp rejuvenating medical therapies like Stem Cell Therapy, Peptide Therapy Laser, LED Therapy and Rejuvenating Orange Light Therapy as these help stimulate hair growth and keep dandruff and other hair problems in check.

Diet, too, plays an important role.

One should consume a balanced diet to ensure that one gets the essential nutrients. Hair reflects one's health and the lack of balanced diet can affect the texture.

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