The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. We dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store. Today’s featured expert on Salad With a Side of Fries is Brandy Searcy, a pharmaceutical formulation development scientist and self-proclaimed health geek, who for the past 12 years has been developing Rain Organica, a line of all in one products for a simple skincare routine. Tune in today to hear Brandy Searcy teach us how to know which sunscreen is the healthiest while also protecting our skin from the sun's harsh UV rays. We discuss everything relating to sunscreen, including SPF factors, getting outside, and how to protect our skin from sunburn and harmful sun rays, while avoiding using unnecessary and damaging chemicals. IN THIS EPISODE:●      [05:00] Brandy’s early beginnings with science.●      [08:00] Being diagnosed with Lyme disease.●      [12:00] Using Reiki and myofascial release massage for healing. ●      [15:00] The western approach to sun protection and how to understand spf.●      [18:00] Skin acting as a barrier.●      [21:00] Multiple nations around the world banning certain chemical sunscreens.●      [24:00] Iron oxides in makeup.●      [26:00] What's the story with skin cancer and sunscreen, is it really protecting us?●      [31:00] How do we balance the need for daily sun exposure for Vitamin D but also protecting ourselves from the potential harm of the sun.●      [35:00] Darker skinned people don't need as high amounts of vitamin D as lighter skinned people.●      [38:00] Rain Organica makes skincare simple with a 3 step skincare routine.●      [44:00] A spiritual sickness that plagues the world instead of physical.KEY TAKEAWAYS:●      Certain sunscreens can have damaging effects to our skin health and general health. ●      We need to balance our need for sun and its nutrients with protecting our skin from harmful rays and sunscreens with certain chemicals.  ●      Sunscreens with higher SPF factors don’t actually offer more sun protection than sunscreens with lower SPF factors.  ●      Antioxidants can offer protection from harmful effects of sun exposure ●      Rain Organica makes skincare simple with a 3 step skincare routine. QUOTES:“The thing about sunscreens is they contain the word screen in them. They are filters for UV rays. The way that a physical sunscreen works is it sits on the surface of your skin and when UV rays hit your skin, the physical sunscreen makes them bounce back off so they are not penetrating your skin.” Brandy Searcy“If you look at the active ingredients list (on sunscreen), it should only say zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, or a combination of both. If it has any other ingredient in that active ingredient spot, it's got a chemical sunscreen in it.” Brandy SearcyRESOURCES:Become A Member of Salad with a Side of FriesJenn’s Free Menu PlanA Salad With a Side of FriesA Salad With a Side of Fries InstagramTry Jenn’s Green Coffee (for US listeners)Try Jenn’s Green Coffee (for Global listeners)GUEST RESOURCES:Rain Organica SkincareTry Rain Organica and get 15% OFF at checkout with code: salad15 Rain Organica InstagramBrandy Searcy LinkedInGUEST BIO:Brandy Searcy is a pharmaceutical formulation development scientist and self-proclaimed health geek who loves hiking, gardening, bird-watching, and body boarding. A personal struggle with acne during her teens and 20s opened her eyes to a holistic and healthy approach to skincare, and she finally recognized skin as an organ to be loved and cared for rather than a canvas to wage war on.For the past 12+ years, she's been developing all-in-one products for a simple skincare routine. Rain Organica started in 2020 with a mission to take the overwhelm out of skincare.