Being safe in the water isn’t just about avoiding dangerous situations, albeit very important when enjoying watersports. It’s also about keeping the water-filled environment you’re on or in safe whilst at the same time maintaining healthy skin with skincare that’s good for you. You may be asking what we mean by keeping the environment safe. What harm can you possibly be doing when swimming, surfing or sailing? But if you’re doing what you’re supposed to by wearing sunscreen when out in the sun or other skin care products, you may inadvertently be allowing chemicals or microbeads to seep into the water from the products you use. So, with that in mind, Balmy Fox has put together some insightful information about how to continue to enjoy the watersports you love in a safe, environmentally-friendly way that’s marine safe and also good for you. And, just in case you need reminding, we’ve added some handy tips to avoid those dangerous situations we were talking about earlier!
Most of us have either used them in the past or perhaps continue to use them, assuming the ingredients contained in our lotions and creams are all safe for us to use. Why wouldn’t you? We trust beauty and skincare brands to use skin-friendly components that aren’t harmful to us, and whilst these ingredients may pass muster with the relevant government department, why use chemicals on your skin if you don’t have to. Similarly, ask yourself why a skincare product contains ingredients you can’t pronounce when there are great natural alternatives that work just as well, if not better; the answer is company profits. Chemicals and other synthetic ingredients are generally cheaper to produce and supply. So the companies behind those traditional creams, lotions and balms that you usually trust are blatantly putting profit before you and the planet!
Each time we slather on body moisturisers, sun creams, and other skincare lotions, chemicals and tiny plastic microbeads these products may contain leach into our waterways—every time we bathe, shower, or enjoy our time in or on our rivers, seas and oceans. So, by taking a moment to consider what goes into our skincare items and making small changes by choosing environmentally friendly, ethical brands, we can all begin to make our marine life that little bit safer. For example, choosing marine safe mineral-based sunscreens such as our vegan-friendly On the Water high factor, water-resistant sunscreen will provide sun protection without nasty plastic microbeads or harmful toxic chemicals. What could be better than a marine safe SPF 25 cream that’s a win-win for both you and our marine life? In addition, by opting for ethical brands and products such as our Balmy Fox Balm Bar, you’re choosing natural and organic ingredients such as almond oil, coconut oil and tea tree. These are super beneficial for the skin, especially for watersports athletes, where water and repetitive motion can cause severe skin irritations
One of the most frequent questions asked is how to treat surfers rash, a common skin irritation when mixing water, sand and repetitive motion. Of course, you don’t want to stop enjoying the sport you love, so our anti-chafe cream has been designed perfectly for this annoying skin complaint. By applying our surfers rash cream to areas prone to chafing, the natural essential oils and butters within will help prevent those rashes from ever appearing. And if you find it’s too late, then the soothing healing properties of arnica and tea tree will get you back to normal fast. And the same goes for wetsuit rash. You don’t have to put up with it. Liberally applying our anti-chafe cream to areas prone to irritation will avoid it ever happening! So, next time you’re looking for your next lotion, cream or balm, glance at the ingredients list and make sure you’re not buying nasty chemicals, parabens or hidden microplastics. Natural alternatives are healthier for your skin and are better for our marine life!
It’s great that you’re super conscious about doing the right thing for the environment, but this is about keeping you safe too! Some of our tips may sound pretty obvious. Still, they can all too easily be forgotten, which is why we’ve put together our top ten safety tips as a reminder of what to do and what to watch out for whether you’re wild swimming, training for a triathlon or enjoying a little kite-surfing. Balmy Fox want you to be safe and stay safe this summer!
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