THE (TROPICAL OIL) HOMEMADE SUNSCREEN
By : James Lee
Description and Rationale
The Philippines is a hot, humid, and tropical country where the average yearly temperature is around 26.5℃ (79.7℉). Since its geographic location is very near to the equator, this country is likely to be exposed to sunlight every day. Though there have been torrents of skin care products introduced and sold into public, many local people can’t afford them. Ultraviolet light radiated from the sun can cause several kinds of skin illnesses such as sunburn, and skin cancer. Many people, including squatter area residents, work everyday without any skin protection, so they are more likely to catch skin illnesses. Also, for those people, not much time is spent on their skin care. Therefore, I would like to introduce them to homemade sunscreen, made up of skin-healthy ingredients, such as coconut oil, avocado oil, sesame oil, and aloe vela gel.
How bad is UV light to human health? What kinds of diseases are caused by UV light? What are the current solutions besides sunscreen? What are the future solutions? What is the homemade sunscreen made up of? What are the homemade sunscreen’s effects on human health? Can this really prevent skin illnesses? Does homemade sunscreen contain any chemicals? Would there be any negative effect? How would this affect the local people’s daily lives? How would the local people be able to make sunscreen for themselves? Is it relatively cheaper than products sold in markets? Can the recipe be taught to jobless people and be used as an alternate way for earning money? Do the local people know the connection between UV light and unhealthy skin?
Recent studies have shown that there are no immediate symptoms of UV light. The symptoms appear a few hours after being affected. What are the symptoms? What are the adequate expedients for skin damage? But the problem is that many people tend to dismiss their symptoms without any appropriate medication. Are there legitimate reasons why many local people neglect their skin health?
The initial purpose of this project will be to research the biology and ecology of the ingredients, coconut, avocado, aloe living primarily in tropical areas, through internet search as well as firsthand observations and interview(s) with sunscreen expert(s). These initial findings will help guide the experimental phase, where key variables in the homemade sunscreen’s effects and usefulness will be further explored.
It is hoped that the new uses of homemade sunscreen might help improve the local people’s livelihood through a more informed understanding of an abundant biological resource.
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Biology
Common Names and Synonyms
Avocado’s binomial name is called Persea americana. The name “avocado” refers to a large berry tree fruit which has a large round-shaped seed at the center. Avocado is also called Persea gratissima. Other synonyms includeabokado (Philippines), palta or aguacate (Spanish) and butter pear or alligator pear (US).
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Angiosperms
Class: Magnoliids (dicotyledonous flowering plants)
Order: Laurales (flowering plants; a fundamental group of dicots)
Family: Lauraceae (flowering plants)
Genus: Persea (evergreen trees)
Species: P. americana (America)
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Morphology and Physical Description
The avocado tree is an evergreen tree which can grow to 20meters (66ft). The tree, of course, supports the whole process of producing its fruit, avocado. Its roots under the ground absorb and deliver sufficient amount of water and nutrients to the whole system. The typical avocado trees have alternately arranged leaves that are about 12cm (4.7in) - 25cm (9.8in) in length. These leaves remain on the tree for 2 - 3 years in general. Obviously, the leaves act as the main energy source conductor by photosynthesis. The avocado flowers are small and lightly colored of greenish-yellow or dark green. Its measurement is about 5mm (0.2in) - 10mm (0.4in) in width. Flowers appear from its terminal panicles (or branched cluster of flowers) of 200 - 300 greenish-yellow blossoms in the January - March season. Usually, each panicle produces one to three fruits, avocados. The fruit, avocado is pear-shaped or egg-shaped with the length of 7cm (2.8in) - 20cm (7.9in) and the weight of 100g (3.5oz) - 1,000g (35oz). Most of avocado’s color reflect its greenish color but can also be seen in darker color due to a slight different type or regional climate. However, when it gets ripe, it loses its greenish color but turns into dark green or black.
Just like any other fruit-bearing trees, avocado trees have exactly the same basic plant structures and systems working. Avocado leaves contain substantial amount of oil and are widely used for various purposes such as cosmetics including sunscreens. The fruit, avocado, has its large seed at the center, which is 5cm (2in) - 6.4cm (2.5in) in length. The color of the inner flesh of avocado depends on the distance from the seed at the center. The nearer to the seed the lighter (yellowish) the color is. The farther from the seed the darker (greenish) the color is. The texture of avocado, at first when harvested, is hard but it gradually becomes softer and more butter-like. As it gets softened, even the slight impact might damage the inner flesh.
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Getting Food
Avocado is a tropical fruit, meaning it is best adapted to tropical climate which its annual temperature is between 24 - 28℃ and its annual rainfall is between 600 - 1000mm. Avocado should be grown in the region where there is little wind and without frost. Because high winds can decrease humidity, the flower might get dried, resulting in failure of pollination. Even with slight frost condition, some of the fruits might fall from the tree, causing low yield. However, some types of avocado such as Hass cultivar can withstand temperatures up to -1℃. Therefore, avocado is said to be a sensitive subtropical species. Avocado tree is very productive when it receives the full sunlight but its trunk and braches might get sunburned. It is advisable not to plant other plants near the avocado trees because avocado trees with its strong roots might affect the other close by plants. In terms of soil, avocado trees prefer well-crumbled and decomposed granite or sandy loam. Also, avocado tree is bearable to both the acid and the alkaline soil. For water management, avocado trees should not be planted in where the drainage system is poor such as river or stream beds. It is much productive in hillside. Avocado trees may not need irrigation. This depends on the moisture of soil. Although avocado tree is tolerable to salinity, excessively high saline water and soil would cause low yield.
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Reproduction
Avocado flowers reproduce sexually. However, because of the flower’s characteristic, dichogamy (matured timing of pistils and stamens is different), it rather does cross-pollination than self-pollination. In cross-pollination, pollen from stamens is brought to the pistils of flower of the other plant by carrier such as bees. But still, this limits the chances of breeding due to the dichogamy. So, most commercial avocado cultivars reproduce by implanting.
Approximately, it takes about 4 - 6 years for a seed to bear fruits. The seed propagate its rootstocks in the ground. For commercial planting, rootstocks can also be produced by layering (placing a branch, attached to a tree, in the soil to propagate rootstocks). It takes about a year for a seed to grow to a young plant. In commercial, this stage is the time when it is ready to be transplanted. After this phase, the young plant grows for another 6 - 12 months in order to become a tree. For the following 2-4 years, trees keep growing taller and reach its maturity to bear fruits.
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Environmental Factors
There are many types of diseases that can severely damage avocado trees. These comprise bacterial, viral, fungal and nutritional diseases. Dothoiorella canker (Botryosphaeria ribis) is a disease that damages both the trunk and the fruit of the avocado tree. It causes bad smelling spots and darkening color of the flesh of avocado, leading inedible. Root Rot (Phytophthora cinnamomi) is a soil-originated fungal disease which can be easily transmitted. It shows signs of trees turning yellow and falling leaves. Eventually, it leads to cutting off the tree or grafting it to near the water. Sun Blotch is a viral disease that can be spread by infected seedling and roots. This causes young stems to turn yellow, leaves to mottle and ruffle, and trees to bear disfigured fruits.
Also, avocado trees are exposed to scale insects, mealy bugs and mites. These pests eat up the tree and the fruits. Besides insects, rats and squirrels are also problems to avocado trees, feeding on the fruits.
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Origin and Distribution
Avocado tree is known to be originated from the Caribbean, Mexico, South America and Central America. These regions have similar climate and soil conditions. It was widely cultivated from the Rio Grande (southern U.S) to central Peru before the introducing of European culture.
In the late nineteenth century, many varieties of fruits, vegetables, and other related plants species were introduced to the Philippines. One of them is the avocado. The first avocado seeds, from Mexico, were introduced to the Philippines in 1890 by the Spaniards. Yet, it was not as successful as the early twentieth century’s. From 1902 to 1907, avocado was re-introduced by Americans. Planting materials were imported from Hawaii, Costa Rica, and the United States. Finally by 1913, wide spread of avocado trees over the country began by the cooperation from the Bureau of Agriculture and College of Agriculture of the University of the Philippines Los Baños.
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Importance to People
Nowadays, most of the tropical regions or countries have been raising avocado trees for either commercial or house plants (genetically modified to smaller size). More people are attracted by the several advantages brought by avocados.
Avocados have been useful fruits for human health over a long time. Avocado contains various nutrients. It has high fat contents but most of them are monounsaturated fat which is an important diet. Also, its high fat contents replace the role of meats, meaning it is remarkably preferred by vegetarians. Therefore, avocado is widely accepted in the culinary arts, from sushi to sandwich. As well, avocados are rich in vitamin B, vitamin E, vitamin K and potassium. Avocado is definitely a significant supply of vast nutrients.
Recently, avocados are being used for cosmetic industries since it has been scientifically proven that nutrients in avocados such as sterolin (or plant steroid), lecithin, carotene and vitamin A, E and D are outstandingly beneficial to skin care. These protect skin not only from sun damage, but also moisturize and regenerate the skin by its characteristic that it is easily absorbed deep into the skin. Moreover, avocado oil can rescue people from dryness, itching and eczema of skin.
The oil extracted from avocado leaves or seeds have been utilized for a variety of medical purposes, including diarrhea, dysentery and for antibiotics as well.
In view of the fact that avocado has been taking an important spot in agricultures of the Philippines for a quite long time, there are perhaps various kinds of food using avocados. This concludes the fact that avocados are broadly used for healthy dishes. Furthermore, the Philippines is a hot tropical country where the sunlight is always concentrated. So, why not for skin-health which is another benefit avocados bring? The rich nutrients in avocados can be transformed into oil and then applied when making sunscreen which blocks the ultraviolet rays from sunlight and flourishing the skin health as well.
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Survivability and Endangered Status
According to the data in 1998, Philippines has about 4,753 hectare of avocado production area and 545,521 bearing trees. Distribution of avocado in the Philippines is not limited since the local climate provides the ideal condition for the growth of avocado trees. As a result, avocado trees are widely dispersed from Luzon to Mindanao.
The survivability of avocado tree is impressively high because of avocado trees’ high adaptability to a certain environment. Even though avocado trees are tropical plants, some different types, such as Guatemalan and Mexican, are tolerable of cold climate up to -7℃. Its competitive roots absorb and hold enough amounts of water and soil nutrients, so other nearby plants may die out. The average life span of commercial avocado trees is 34 years. However, there are some of the wild avocado trees found to be about 100 years old. A matured avocado tree can bear about a million flowers in a season but the population growth of this species is closely related to the population of insects like bees because avocado trees go through cross-pollination.
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Potential Solutions
Is skin health worth enough to invest time and care in? Recently, skin health has become one of the most important parts of body care. However, many people still do not consider skin health as important as the surgical health, especially in the less economically developed countries. Although the Philippines is one of them, many Filipinos seem to be interested in skin care such as whitening. Yet, there is another issue to draw attention to besides whitening, which is protection from Ultraviolet rays. This country is located in a tropical climate region where the sunlight is mostly concentrated throughout a year. So, people are more likely to be exposed to strong sunlight which might cause skin hazards. There seem to be several promising possibilities that may be able to benefit the skin health of many people including local communities. Below are 3 possibilities with an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages for each. Along with each possibility is a current status report of progress made to date on each of the possibilities.
Possibility 1 -
POSSIBILITY 1 HOMEMADE SUNSCREEN (ACTION STEP)
In order to protect the skin from the Ultraviolet rays, you need something to cover the skin and absorb the UV rays. Using sunscreen is the first step in protecting skin because sunscreen absorbs the UV rays and it also nourishes the skin. Homemade sunscreen’s efficiency is proven and known widely. Although its contents are not as rich and excellent as the commercial products, it has the fundamental nutrients that can protect and nourish skin, such as vitamins and tropical oils. So, my action step is to make sunscreen and to ask people how it is with survey questions. Then, I would donate some portion of the sunscreen if they wish for it. Moreover, by sharing a brochure, I would teach people about homemade sunscreen, including benefits and the recipe.
Advantages:
1. Substances, like tropical oils, in sunscreen absorb the ultraviolet (UV) radiation, protecting the skin from any damage. Sesame oil intercepts 30% of UV rays while coconut oil, peanut oil, olive oil, and cottonseed oil block 20%. Moreover, ingredients including Shea butter, aloe and vitamin E nourish the skin with their vitamins and minerals.
2. Since homemade sunscreen is mostly made up of natural ingredients with almost no chemicals such as zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, it can reduce skin troubles, caused by chemicals from commercial products. Additionally, making your own sunscreen offers more chances to choose specific ingredients, preferred by the maker.
3. The recipe can be taught to jobless people to make homemade sunscreens. An alternate source of income can be formed by selling their products.
Disadvantages:
1. Making homemade sunscreen costs much more than buying a commercial product. During my action step of making sunscreen, it cost about 1,000 pesos or even more than that just for purchasing ingredients. Furthermore, it was not easy to find each ingredient in a single shop. Instead, I had to look around several different stores.
2. Since homemade sunscreen is made by the users themselves, it is not definite whether the sunscreen would show its benefits and effects. Also, homemade sunscreen does not give any specifications of how much protection the sunscreen offers from UV rays, such as Sun Protection Factor (SPF) and PA.
3. People might think that the making and using of homemade sunscreen is waste of time and money. Many people have to invest their time and money for their work. So, this possibility would seem to be useless because people would rather buy excellently and safely manufactured commercial sunscreens.
4. Only those who have enough amounts of money and time and willingness can make homemade sunscreen and use it. For poor populations, it would be an absolutely difficult way of skin protection.
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Possibility 2 -
POSSIBILITY 2 SPREADING THE NEWS
The reason why there are still large groups of people who do not know the importance of skincare would be the lack of information and education. They would not find out by themselves that the UV rays from sunlight are lethal to skin, unless someone tells them so. Making and donating small pamphlets, which contain the effects of UV rays on skin and the ways of prevention, to local communities or individuals would make them aware of the seriousness and would stimulate them to take actions regarding the issue.
Advantages:
1. Compared to possibility 1, this one is much more effective in terms of financial expenses. Thus, many people can easily get involved in this opportunity. Also, information about the skincare issue, obtained from the pamphlets, would be spread out even further and further by large communications among the people.
2. People would change their attitudes toward skincare. As they become informed of the news, they would start or try to increase the quality and the quantity of efforts of finding something that can bring improvements to their skin. Furthermore, this movement would grow larger and larger, creating a public trend.
Disadvantages:
1. People might simply ignore the pamphlets even if they get one. Considering most modern people’s manners, they would get bored and annoyed with reading and understanding what they do not even care and know about, unless there are tangible profits.
2. Even if they are aware of the importance of skincare, people are less likely to take actions that reflect the understanding of the problem. People would keep postponing the procedures or would reluctantly follow the plan, except when they actually face and feel the imminent situation.
3. Places where the pamphlets and information can be delivered are limited due to shortage of quantity and networks.
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Possibility 3 -
POSSIBILITY 3 PUBLIC COMMERCIAL ADVERTISEMENT
Everyone knows that advertisements on TV, radio, etc. are very influential to many people with the largest impact. Many organizations including governments, companies, industries, associations, and institutes utilize advertisements for either public advantages or private profits. For the purpose of public benefits, displaying public commercial advertisements that include many facts regarding the effect of UV rays would bring a great amount of incentives and interests.
Advantages:
1. In a short period of time, there would be large attentions on skincare around the country. At the same time, it would expand the skincare products industries, developing the local economy.
2. People would be conscious of symptoms and the cause of skin illnesses. Consequently, there would be a huge reduction in the number of medical reports on skin diseases such as sunburn and skin cancer.
3. If advertisements are made by companies, their images to the public can massively change to positive one because people would think that companies make advertisements for the public goods rather than their own profits.
Disadvantages:
1. See disadvantage #2 of possibility 2
2. Not many organizations would be enthusiastic enough to sacrifice quite a big portion of their own financial expenditures for the public. Moreover, the publicity department of the Philippines would not consider the topic of skincare as important as other issues such as politics, environment, tourism, et cetera.
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