Sun Protection

I got this off of a cocconut oil forum.

Sun Protection
One of the most interesting facts about people who live in tropical climates like the Philippines, where the people are constantly exposed to the rays of the sun year round, is that skin cancer is almost unheard of in these places. Here in the US we are constantly warned about the dangers of exposure to the sun, and yet the sun helps our bodies produce much needed nutrients for our skin, such as Vitamin D, which has been shown to prevent cancer.2
Once again we see that coconut oil is probably one of the main reasons people in tropical climates can spend so much time in the sun and not suffer from skin cancer. Coconut oil has wonderful antioxidant properties that protect the skin from free radical damage. Also, when coconut oil is consumed and used topically on our skin, it helps our bodies absorb other nutrients more effectively as well, such as Vitamin E, another powerful antioxidant nutrient that protects the skin.
I am fair skinned but used VCO as a sunscreen in Florida last summer. My family thought I was crazy. I did not burn although everyone else did (with their toxic sunscreen). One day, I did get a little too much sun, and was a little red, but I put the VCO on it and it was gone by the next day. So try it, and see, just be sensible about the sun, nothing can protect you if you stand in the hot sun for a very long time. Rachel (Coconut Diet Forums)
I just got back from my 7-day trip to Jamaica. I used VCO exclusively as my sunscreen. I had no burns and my tan is even and golden. I am somewhat fair-skinned. Most of my time was spent in the shade, but I spent a good amount of time floating around on the water each day. My husband is even fairer and he did get pink slightly on his shoulders, at which time he applied both sunscreen and VCO to that area (VCO everywhere else). His tan is also pretty dark. People kept commenting on what nice color we were getting, ha ha. Marnie (Coconut Diet Forums)
It should be noted that when reports like this are made in our discussion group, invariably some will try using Virgin Coconut Oil exclusively as a sunscreen and go out and get burned! Some have even reported that sometimes the coconut oil works wonderfully as a sunscreen, while at other times they seem to get burned. It seems that the oils you put into your body are just as important as what you onto your body in regards to sun protection. We have found that if one eats foods loaded with polyunsaturated oils, generally they will burn more in the sun. It is theorized that when one eats foods cooked in polyunsaturated vegetable oils, often with trans fatty acids, that one is putting oxidized lipids into their skin tissue that are causing free radical damage, and more susceptible to burning in the sun. So if you just got done eating some french fries from a fast food restaurant, you may be more susceptible to sun burn!