Christie, the creator and founder of OntkOrganix, grew up in Lake Erie, that at one time, was considered toxic and highly polluted. In fact, when she was in her thirties, she discovered because of that toxic lake, she had high levels of mercury in her body. It’s an awful fact that much of our waters of the Earth have been polluted.
When moving to Maui, she discovered issues with the coral reefs right across the street from where she was living. They were dying. It had to to with toxic chemicals in major sunscreen brands being sold everywhere. WHAT? How can this be? It’s 2016! Don’t we know better? So, she created her own non-toxic sunscreen. Da’ Balm was born in 2016. We use organic ingredients with the main SPF ingredient being Non-nano Zinc oxide, which along with being Reef Safe, is also non-toxic to humans. (The particles are too large to penetrate the blood stream.)
The information below comes from The Maui Pacific Whale Foundation’s website. www.pacificwhale.org
Sunscreen, one of the first toiletries many think to pack when
traveling to an island, has become a big topic of concern out here in
this popular vacation spot. Naturally, sun protection is an important
part of taking care of our skin, but many don’t consider that there are
plenty more options apart from the typical creams, sprays, and lotions
that line the shelves at convenience stores. Did you know that certain
ingredients in many of the most common sunscreen brands are actually
killing our coral reefs? It’s easy to forget about the products we’re
slathering on our bodies when we’re excited to jump in and explore these
beautiful underwater places. But oxybenzone and octinoxate are two
common active ingredients in sunscreen that can dramatically harm the
tiny animals that make up our fragile coral reef ecosystems. Researches
are finding that these chemicals can cause coral viruses, which in turn
can cause bleaching and polyp death. They’ve even been shown to disrupt
the endocrine systems of larger marine creatures, like shrimps and
clams.
There is something we can do about it! As visitors to the
reef, we can actively adopt a reef-friendly approach to sun protection.
We’ve listed some tips below for when you’re considering which from of
protection is the best option.