In the last two articles we have covered the types of UV damage, and looked at the current range of common ingredients. With that out of the way, it is time to cover botanical sun care.

The simple truth is that, with the issues surrounding some of the chemical UV protection ingredients, you may not always want to lather up. When it comes to those days that you will spend hours out in the sun, the benefits outweigh the risks, and you should protect yourself from the suns damage.

For the days that you won't be in the sun for long periods of time, though, it is better to use botanical products. Many botanical ingredients provide anti-oxidant protection, have anti-inflammatory properties, and have been shown to be able to repair the sun's effects.

The advantage to using botanical sun products is that you aren't covering your body in harmful chemicals. For the times that you are using the chemical products, a good botanical antioxidant can also provide protection against the damaging effects of the sunscreen itself.

Botanical Sun Care Ingredients
Studies are currently being done into botanical ingredients that provide UV protection. Some of the ingredients do provide mild UVB protection, but they aren't adequate for long term exposure. What you really want when you start to make a sun care product, from botanicals, are ingredients that provide antioxidant protection, and ingredients that help to repair the suns damage.

With that let's look at some botanical ingredients that work well for sun care. The idea that some ingredients are better than others does hold true here, and I have tried to indicate the best ingredients for the job.

Botanical Antioxidants and Sun Care Ingredients

Ingredient	Properties Useful for Sun Care	Notes
Ginkgo Biloba	Mild UVB Protection, Powerful Antioxidant, Cancer Preventative, Repairs Damage Already Done	Along with mild UVB inhibition, Ginkgo Biloba is one of the better ingredients for sun care. It works to prevent the formation of cancer-causing free radicals. It is also effective in reducing the damage done by oxidization.
Grape Seed	Antioxidant, Prevent Free Radical Formation, Healing Effects, Promotes Cells Natural Defenses, Inhibits Tumor Formation, Anti-Aging Properties	Grape seed is an ingredient that not only works to prevent and repair sun damage, it also promotes healing, and increases skin elasticity. When all of its properties are combined is becomes an excellent choice for sun care.
Green Tea	Antioxidant, Broad Spectrum UV Repair, Anti-Inflammatory, Mild UVB Protection, Tumor Prevention	Green tea is an excellent ingredient choice for skin products that will be applied before exposure to UV. It provides mild UVB protection, and prevents free radical formation, and oxidization by both UVB and UVA rays. In other words it helps to stop the damage before it occurs.
Gynostemma extract	Poweful Antioxidant, Aptogenic (increases the bodies resistance to stress).	Gystoemma is an antioxidant that may be used for sun care.
Liquid Lecithin	Prevents UV Induced Collagen Reduction, Increases the skins resistance to UV damage.	Lecithin is actually an emulsifying ingredient. Since it has advantages for sun care, it should be the emulsifier of choice for sun care products.
Yeast Beta 1-3 Glucan	Anti-Inflammatory, Healing Properties	For after sun exposure, Yeast Beta Glucan can help to promote healing and to reduce inflammation from sunburns. It is more often used in anti-aging formulations, but sun damage and anti-aging products often go hand in hand (since UV promotes aging).
Pine Bark	Antioxidant, Healing, Reduces Free Radical Production, Reduces Pigmentation caused by UV, Promotes Healing Overall, Reduces signs of aging caused by UV exposure	Pine bark can also be an excellent antioxidant. With its other qualities is another great choice for sun care formulations. There is also research being done that suggests pine bark may be a good UVB and UVA filter.
Pomegranate extract	Powerful Antioxidant, Anti-Tumor Properties, Promotes Healing, Helps to prevent cancerous changes	Pomegrante is another ingredient that can be a good choice for both before and after UV exposure. It has powerful antioxidant properties, and has been shown to reduce cancerous changes after over exposure to the sun.
Quercetin	Antioxidant, Prevents Free Radical Formation	Quercetin is used as an antioxidant in sun care products.
Milk Thistle extract (silymarin)	Powerful Antioxidant, Prevents Free Radical Formation, Promotes Healing After UV Exposure, Signifigantly Reduces DNA Damage	Silymarin is one of the best antioxidants for sun care. Along with properties that help to prevent sun damage, it has even been shown to reduce, and even reverse tumor growth in mice.
Soy Isoflavones	Antioxidant, Reduces Sunspots Promotes Healing of UV Induced Damage.	Since soy isoflavone has color corrective properties, along with antioxidant properties, it is a good choice for after UV exposure.

Conclusion - Protect Yourself
With the last three article we have covered UV damage, and how to protect yourself. You should now have a good knowledge of ingredients that can be harmful, and those that work for you. With this last article you also have a good guide to ingredients to use in your botanical sun care products.  When it comes to sun protection and to DIY skin care, choosing the right ingredients for the job is important to ensuring your skin's health!