Product Highlight: COOLA Refreshing Water Mist

How is a water mist going to protect my skin from the sun?

The COOLA Refreshing Water Mist is a lightweight SPF spray infused with organic aloe and coconut water to help hydrate skin. Coconut water contains minerals and electrolytes that help to rehydrate you as well as a sports drink!

In addition to great hydration, this product contains Jasmine Leaf Extract. This extract is known for its healing and anti-inflammatory properties. With antioxidants infused in this product, it is great to protect the skin from environmental stressors and pollution in the air.

A complete full spectrum complex. 360-degree protection against modern skin aggressors such as blue light.

Many of you have heard of blue light protection for your eyes (blue light glasses), but Blue light has also been shown to create changes in your skin cells. It causes your skin cells to shrink, and in cases when exposed to electronic blue light for prolonged periods, the skin cells even die. This kind of cell shrinkage will speed up the aging process of this skin and, in some cases, even cause pigmentation or dark spots. So why speed up your aging process when you don’t have to?

COOLA Refreshing Water Mist is a great product for multiple reasons; full spectrum SPF with healthy skin benefits, suitable for all skin types, reef-safe SPF, and from a cruelty-free company. We love great products with skin benefits.

You can find it on our website, and for the rest of September, all COOLA products are 25% off!

Product Highlight: COOLA Hair & Scalp SPF

Does your hair really need sunscreen? Or your scalp?

Just like heat from your blow dryer or heat from your styling tools, the sun can be just as damaging to your strands! The cuticle of your hair can easily be damaged by the UV rays. 

Prolonged exposure to UV rays can cause the hair to become brittle and prone to breakage. If you already have compromised hair strands that are dry, heat damaged, or damaged from coloring and bleaching, you are going to want to protect your locks at all costs. Even the salt water and chlorine can cause severe damage to the hair strands. These elements can disrupt the natural pH balance of the hair. If left unwashed or rinsed, this can be very damaging. 

Now, your scalp is still made up of living cells. It is still part of your skin and is still susceptible to UV rays and damage. Just because you have hair on your head, does not mean that your scalp is protected by the sun. 

3.6 Million cases of Basal Cell Carcinoma are diagnosed in the US each year. The most common places this type of cancer is found are face, ears, neck and scalp. With this being the most mild form of skin cancer, this is still damage that you’re going to want to avoid. 

We recommend using the COOLA Ocean Salted Sage Scalp & Hair Mist on your locks and scalp when you go out for the day in the sunshine. If you’re an avid hair colorer or if you love your blonde strands, this is a great way to protect your hair and scalp from the UV rays. 

This product contains Monoi oil and Gotu Kola extract. 

Monoi Oil is made from soaking Tahitian Gardenias in coconut oil. It’s used widely among french polynesians as a hair and skin softener. This oil is used on hair to help restore and retain moisture. It is also used to help fight bacteria and promote healing of the strands. 
Gotu Kola extract comes from an herb used mainly in Traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. This extract can be found in many sun care products because it aids in the production of collagen and increases the levels of antioxidants in the skin.

Continual checks of your neck and scalp can be so beneficial for your health and early detection of a suspicious spot. Get your hairdresser involved! There’s no one else that’s looking at your head that closely! A 2015 study showed that melanomas on the head and neck have a faster growth rate of anywhere else on your body. Early detection is KEY. So be diligent, take precautions, and stay sun safe!

Check out the Skin Cancer Foundation’s Self examination guide on their website. It walks you through what to look for when you’re scanning your body for suspicious activities!

SunScreen 101

Let’s talk about sun protection.

Did you know there were two types of sunscreens? Before becoming a skin therapist, I had no idea of the science behind the screens (see what I did there? 😅).

Chemical and physical sunscreens make up most lotions, sprays, sticks, and gels that you see saturating the markets. There are so many to choose from!

It’s easy to gravitate towards the brand and packaging that you recognize. My family bought one kind of sunscreen growing up, and that’s what I grabbed off of the shelves every time I headed to the beach. Knowing what I know now as a skin therapist, I’ve branched out to different formulas, brands and even tried sunscreen for my hair! YES! There is “hair and scalp” sunscreen to protect your locks and scalp from the damage of UV rays. 

The two types of sunscreen are Chemical and Physical. The difference between a chemical and physical sunscreen can make or break a person’s will to wear it. As an esthetician working on clients, one phrase I hear a lot is, “It breaks me out.” I understand that. No one wants to be on vacation and dealing with a breakout in all their pictures. But, you may have just been wearing the wrong type of sunscreen! CHECK YOUR INGREDIENTS! 

Chemical Sunscreen’s active ingredients are Oxybenzone, Octinoxate, Octisalate, and Avobenzone (This form will look thinner in texture and sink into the skin like a lotion would. These chemicals absorb the UV light and emit it out of your body as heat.)

Physical Sunscreen’s active ingredients are Zinc oxide and Titanium oxide (This form sits on top of your skin and reflects the UV rays. The texture usually is thicker and more opaque.)

If you’ve used a chemical sunscreen before and you’ve had a reaction or sensitivity to that sunscreen, it will make you hesitant to try a different one. My recommendation is that people with sensitive skin look for a physical sunscreen. Physical sunscreens are usually better for sensitive skin or those who have reactive skin. 

Sun protection is vital for decreasing your risk of skin cancers as well as a great anti-aging tool. The UV rays that hit our skin can cause so much damage without us knowing or even giving it a second thought. It can take up to ten years for damage that you’ve done to your skin to make it to the surface. Make sunscreen part of your skincare and makeup routine! 

Below I’ve listed a few of my favorite sunscreens that we carry, both physical AND chemical! 

COOLA - Classic Body Sunscreen (Pina Colada scented) This is a chemical sunscreen.

COOLA - Mineral Body Sunscreen (Tropical Coconut scented) This is a physical sunscreen that also comes in “Unscented.”

COOLA - Scalp & Hair Mist - This is a chemical sunscreen for your hair! If you have color-treated hair, protecting it can help your color last longer and aid in strengthening your hair and conditioning it.

Sorella Apothecary - Tropical Topical Matte SPF - a physical sunscreen for those with oily/acne-prone skin.

Sorella Apothecary - Quench and Protect Hydrating SPF - Hydrates and protects dry/dehydrated skin. Also great as a makeup base or primer!