Reef safe sunscreen protects Hawaii’s beautiful coral reefs and ecosystems from harmful chemicals that cause bleaching and other effects.
Hawaii sees millions of visitors and tourists every year. They hit up the beach, lathering on sunscreen to protect from the warm sun rays.
Naturally, all that sunscreen washes off in the water, impacting the beautiful corals and reefs. Especially with so many tourists coming to the waters everyday in Hawaii, the impact can be devastating.
Just google “bleached coral” to see the effects of tourism and chemical sunscreens.
But we can each play a part in protecting the marine life and ocean by using reef safe sunscreen.
There is a Hawaiian value called malama, which means to care for and protect. It is our duty to mālama ke kai, protect the sea. As we shift to eco-friendly products, we can make a huge difference. Even educating others on the effects of chemical-based sunscreens cane do so much for our oceans.
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Hawaii created a new law, effective January 1, 2021, that bans any sunscreens with two ingredients: oxybenzone and octinoxate.
What does oxybenzone and octinoxate do to coral reefs?
According to Dr. Craig Downs, executive director of the Haereticus Environmental Laboratory in Clifford, Virginia, oxybenzone and octinoxate prevents the growth of baby corals, causes coral bleaching, and may even affect some marine animals like shrimp and clams.
Here are some things you can do to keep the reef safe:
-Choose sunscreens that do not include oxybenzone and octinoxate in the ingredients. You must check carefully because some companies claim their sunscreens to be “reef safe” when they’re really not! Read the list of ingredients thoroughly.
-Avoid sunscreens with other reef-harming chemicals, like nano particles, avobenzone, octocrylene petrolatum (aka mineral oil), and homosalate. These harm the coral and reefs too.
-Avoid sunscreens (and products in general) with parabens in them.
-Avoid aerosol sprays. Harmful particles can get into the air.
-Especially for those who burn easily, reduce the use of sunscreen by covering up as much as possible: use a straw hat, rash guard, or stay in the shade.
-Choose snorkel or boat tour companies that require the use of reef-safe sunscreens. Some tour companies even provide reef-safe sunscreens.
-Plan ahead of time: I’ll list below the best reef-safe sunscreen you can order and pack before your trip to Hawaii!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you decide to purchase any of these resources, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read more about it here. Mahalo!
The Best Reef Safe Sunscreens
Here are the best reef-safe sunscreens you can get for your next Hawaii trip! Some of these are from local businesses in Hawaii, so be sure to check them out!
The biggest takeaway from this sunscreen is that little goes a long way. Even though this sunscreen comes in little 3 oz tubes (perfect for traveling), it should last a good couple of days!
Sun Bum finally came out with their reef-safe sunscreen! I double checked the ingredients to make sure it doesn’t contain harmful ingredients. It also comes in SPF 30 and SPF 15.
Another local company based out of Maui, Raw Love is a non-nano sunscreen with all natural ingredients. When you can actually read and identify the ingredients, you know it’s good!
Support a local Maui business by purchasing Mama Kuleana sunscreen. Made with all natural ingredients and packaged in a biodegradable container, this sunscreen smells great and won’t harm the ocean life.
This non-nano sunscreen glides on smoothly. It comes in a biodegradable package and uses zinc oxide as its base ingredient to protect your skin from burning.
Ka lā hiki ola is the Hawaiian saying meaning that each day brings new life and possibility. This saying encourages us to look forward with optimism. No matter what challenges, failures, mistakes, or struggles we face today, we have an opportunity to grow and change with each new day.
Ka lā literally translates to “the day.”
Hiki means – the possibility, can, may, able to
Ola* means – life, health, well-being, and alive.
*On a deeper level, ola can also mean recover, heal, survive, and thrive.
So ka lā hiki ola literally means the possibility of life, wellbeing, and health in each day. How amazing does that sound? Don’t we all want goodness in our lives every day?
How do we embrace each day as an opportunity to for wellbeing, life, and goodness?
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Learning from the Sunrise and Sunset
Have you ever seen the sun rise over the horizon, or the sun set over the ocean? With beautiful pastel colors painting the sky like a rainbow, and the reflection on the sparkling water, sunrises and sunsets are breathtaking.
But what’s more hopeful about sunrises and sunsets are the promises they bring. With each new sunrise, there is the promise of another bright day, another opportunity to try.
With each new sunset, there is the promise of closure, of rest, of reflection. It also promises that the sun will rise tomorrow.
Each day is a gift full of promises, and when we recognize our life as a gift, it changes everything.
We want to do more, be more, and see more. Our desires turn to serving others and becoming a force of good in the world.
We want every person to feel the promises of a new day for themselves.
It’s suddenly plain to see that we are not made for endings, but for beautiful beginnings.
Each day is brand new.
Here are more ways to live this value.
Ka lā hiki ola means to look for the positives
Our lives are full of heartache and trials, but when we live by this saying, we look for the positives. We look for reasons to smile and rejoice.
We rejoice for others too. Even though we all fail at times, we’re just happy to be here.
I’m an optimist. I see the hard things in life, but I choose to focus on the good. When we focus on gratitude, the things we can control, and the goodness that happens every day in our lives, we attract more good things.
Treat each day as an opportunity to heal
Too many people get wrapped up in the humdrum of life, stuck in old beliefs passed down from generations before, or beliefs that we created ourselves.
What if we took time each day to heal these emotional wounds? Healing takes time, but when we focus energy on it, we can free ourselves of the burdens placed on us, and that we’ve been carrying for a long time.
For me, the promise of a new day inspires me because of Jesus Christ. Having gone through poverty, abuse, and hunger, I looked to the sun everyday in excitement because of Him. Healing didn’t come instantly, but it came. And with each new day, I began to thrive.
This talk has really inspired me to find purpose and joy in my life because of Jesus Christ:
Visualize your life with the hope of ka lā hiki ola
It’s easy to think that this Hawaiian saying won’t do any good. Besides, we all know that each day is brand new. But would it change your perspective if we said that each day is a brand new opportunity for more happiness? Or more peace? Or more abundance? How does that change things?
Take the time to visualize your “brand new day,” and get excited for it! We only have one shot at this life so let’s take advantage of the time we have here.
Ka lā hiki ola. Each day is brand new. Every day is beautiful, inspiring, and exciting. It promises possibilities, a thriving life, and more.
So let’s go live!
With joy and aloha,
Leialoha
A similar value to ka lā hiki ola is ho’ohana, which is the value of doing meaningful work. Ho’ohana helps us find purpose in our everyday lives. After reading through this, consider reviewing ho’ohana to help you look forward to each new day, in addition to the value of ka lā hiki ola.
Let’s hear from you!
What helps you look forward to each new day of life? Let me know in the comments below!
The Hawaiian word ho’omaluhia means to have peace or to be peaceful. Here is how to gain the peace you need right now.
This is one of my favorite Hawaiian words because the way it sounds is just as beautiful as the meaning. Ho’omaluhia encourages us to live in a way that, no matter what challenges come our way, we feel at peace. We feel a sense of calm. Personal preparation and confidence have helped us attain this peace and serenity in our lives.
“Ho’o” means – to do or to be
“Maluhia” means – peace, calm, tranquility, security, and safety.
Therefore ho’omaluhia is being secure—in ourselves, our beliefs, our relationships, and even sometimes our circumstances. Ho’omaluhia is feeling peace with who we are. We can feel safe with ourselves, no matter what storms of life come our way.
Learn ho’omaluhia from Hawaii’s many storms
While Hawaii is beautiful most of the time, it does have an occasional storm here or there.
Sometimes the most beautiful days turn into huge storms. Living in Hilo taught me to always carry an umbrella. Even if there was no cloud in sight, the day was bound to have some rainfall.
When I was a teenager, I remember a big typhoon coming our way.
It was going to be a really big one.
Since my family was poor, we lived in an unfinished house (no running water, no electricity–just a skeleton house), my brothers nailed up extra plyboards over the windows. It felt kind of silly, since the house wasn’t even done yet, but, like I said, this was going to be a huge typhoon, and we needed to be ready.
So we sealed up the house and camped inside. The typhoon came with some wind and rain, but it didn’t feel too different from any of Hilo’s other, more common (and sometimes more violent), rainstorms.
Personal preparedness brings peace of mind – the essence of ho’omaluhia
Even though the typhoon wasn’t as huge or dramatic as we expected, we still had a peace of mind knowing that the house was boarded up. Should any huge gusts of wind or rain press against the windows, they’d stay intact.
Like the boards we put up to protect ourselves from the elements, we can have peace in our lives by being prepared for challenges.
That’s not to say we’ll always know what’s ahead of us, but if we have a system in place to protect us, we can have peace even in the craziest storms of life.
For some, preparation comes in the form of setting personal boundaries with family members, friends, activities, and even one’s self. For others, preparation comes in the form of having a relationship with God, others, and one’s self.
How can we best prepare?
Ho’omaluhia is an attitude that helps us prepare for any situation. It’s knowing who we are and being ok with that, even accepting the hard stuff, in order to have peace. Ho’omaluhia is understanding that things aren’t perfect, but when we trust in God and know who we truly are, we’ll be ok.
Here are some of the key ways to implement ho’omaluhia in your life.
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Ho’omaluhia through Christ
The scriptures repeatedly tell us we can find peace in Christ. Why? Because he’s already triumphed over death and hell for us. We don’t have to struggle by ourselves, because he feels our pain, and he can comfort us.
No matter how low we feel, or how dark times may be, we can find light and love by turning to the Savior of the world. He provides the ultimate and lasting peace we need to survive and thrive in this life.
Reading scriptures helps me understand who he is. Praying to God helps me feel loved and worthy. These small acts can help us find peace in Christ. I really like this song about finding peace in Christ!
When we’re in the middle of a big drama or dark life experience, it may seem impossible to feel peace. But ho’omaluhia is all about action. Is there a place you just love and find peace in? Maybe it’s a warm, sandy beach, or a fresh spot in the mountains. Maybe you find peace when you’re in the comfort and coziness of your own home.
If you don’t have access to your favorite spot, try visualizing it and/or using YouTube videos to help. There are a lot of YouTube videos of scenic places with ambience.
In that special place that you feel peace and quiet, let your mind visualize the good in your life. Ask yourself:
What things are going well?
What’s not going so well?
What can I control?
What can I let go of?
Then take a moment to write your answers in a journal or notebook. Make notes of how you can better handle situations. Making decisions ahead of time helps us be better prepared to handle uncomfortable or painful circumstances with grace and aloha.
Set personal boundaries
Life hands us so many things to fill our time and distract us from what matters most: relationships, self improvement, learning, etc.
Setting personal boundaries helps us live ho’omaluhia. It helps us pre-determine where and what we will spend our time on. Instead of feeling anxious about upcoming circumstances, disappointed about things not getting done, etc, set boundaries on the things that cause stress, anxiety, and sadness.
For example, if spending too much time with certain people stresses you out, then maybe it’s time to consider your relationships. Which ones drain you? Which ones draw you away from the feelings of peace, ho’omaluhia?
Ask yourself this question with other areas of your life, like physical health, hobbies, social media usage, etc.
Setting boundaries frees you from things that draw away from ho’omaluhia.
Know who you are and be OK with it
Do you know who you are—who you really are? It’s easy to let the storms of life whirl us around when we don’t really know ourselves. The nice thing is, we don’t have to know ourselves perfectly in order to have peace. We just have to know who we are to God.
As sons and daughters of God, we have the power within us to choose. We can choose the good in our lives.
We are royalty. We were destined for greatness. When you look at who you are to God, it provides peace.
In a world that grows louder and louder, it can be difficult to find tranquility. However, with the Hawaiian value of ho’omaluhia, we can create the peace. When we are at peace with ourselves, we allow more aloha to flow into our lives.
We create paradise right where we are.
With joy and aloha,
Leialoha
Your turn!
How do you implement the value of ho’omaluhia in your life? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
“Pa’a ka waha” is the Hawaiian saying that literally translates to “close the mouth.” A lot of kupuna, adults, and teachers said this when I was growing up in the islands. It meant that you were talking too much, and you needed to listen.
Listening is a lost art form, but it doesn’t have to be, especially when we learn the simple technique of closing our mouths. Pa’a ka waha almost always guarantees a stronger relationship. People love to feel seen, validated, and recognized. When we listen with love, we provide the goodness and aloha that this world desperately needs.
Listen… because the more people you meet, the more aloha is shared
On average, a person might meet around 80,000 people in their lifetime. Of the many people you’ve met so far, can you think of any that have listened deeply to you? And I mean, truly, sincerely, genuinely, from the bottom of their hearts, listened to you?
I can count 5 people who listened like this… and their biggest secret, in my opinion, was that they kept their mouth closed. They sincerely sought to understand what I was saying, not just decipher the words. They wanted to know the true meaning behind the words.
Based on their understanding, they asked questions and continued to listen. Pa’a ka waha: No interruptions. Not even an autobiography of “something like that happened to me.” They listened with all sincerity of heart.
How often do we listen like this for others?
Pa’a ka waha encourages us to truly listen. Here are some ways we can learn to be better listeners.
Pa’a ka waha is staying present – in the moment
We’ve heard this probably a million times: keep present, be mindful, stay focused. Pa’a ka waha encourages this too! It’s hard to understand someone’s situation and feelings if we don’t focus on them, stay present, and remove the distractions of our phone, earbuds, tvs, and so forth.
When we stay in the moment, we begin to see others as God sees them, and their situations become clearer to us. Answers and resolutions don’t always come automatically, but just listening to others can help them heal, see things clearly, and even move on. Sometimes (most times) the very act of listening helps other people solve their own problems.
So let’s put down those phones, take out the pods, and make time to look others in the eye, listening with true intent.
Listen to how God speaks to you
God has a special way of speaking, through the Spirit, to each person on the earth. How does he speak to you? For most people, it’s a prompting, a warm feeling, or a quiet voice. When was the last time you felt or heard the Spirit?
When we learn how God speaks to us, it helps us know what questions to ask others. Because the truth is… God can inspire us to help others. He can whisper the very questions we need to ask, and when the moment is right. Sometimes people open their mouths too soon, and they ruin the conversation. But when we feel in alignment with God, knowing already how he speaks to us, we can facilitate a beautiful, open conversation of aloha and understanding.
Pa’a ka waha is listening to yourself
How often do we cut our own thoughts short by “being busy?” Meditation, pondering, or quiet time can really help when it comes to listening to ourselves. It’s like closing our mouths to ourselves allowing our mind and heart to listen to US. When we learn how to listen to ourself, we better learn how to serve and listen to others.
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Remove distractions
As I mentioned before, putting away distractions like our phones, tvs, etc can help us pa’a ka waha and listen much better. Another way to practice mindful listening is getting outside. Remove the distractions. Being in nature is one of the best ways to become a better listener. Listening to the sound of waves lapping on the sand, the swaying of palm trees in the breeze, or even the hum of a waterfall helps us quiet our minds and listen to our hearts. What is really going on in our hearts? Do we truly have the desire to do and be better—then how?
Ask for help to care
I know a lot of people who straight up just don’t care. I know it sounds awful to say this, but some people just don’t care to listen to others, preferring to talk only of themselves. They don’t care what other people are saying and only think of what themselves. We can give these people grace and make our own commitment to listen better.
Sometimes it’s difficult and sometimes uncomfortable to listen when you’re not used to it. Maybe you’ve always been the talker or the center of attention, where everyone listens to you…
But first give yourself credit for even acknowledging that you need improvement in the area of listening.
Secondly, ask for help to care and have aloha for others. Sometimes we just need to pray and ask God for help: help to see others as he does, help to care about their feelings, help to understand. There’s hope for everyone, so know that there’s no better time to start practicing listening and the art of pa’a ka waha than now.
Pa’a ka waha takes practice
Let others know that you’re trying to be a better listener, and be willing to take their advice when they offer it. Learning to close your mouth and listen isn’t easy, especially at first, but it’s totally worth it. You can do it.
Pa’a ka waha is a selfless act of love. It’s exercising true aloha by putting other peoples’ needs before your own. It’s so easy to forget that listening is an art, but when we master it, we bless our lives and others for good!
Pono is the Hawaiian word meaning to be righteous, balanced, good, correct, and moral. It encourages excellence, prosperity, and a sense of duty.
Pono may seem like an outdated idea to many, especially in the way it encourages moral and righteous behavior.
But in a world where religion is mocked and morality has all but disappeared, the value of pono has never been more important.
When we live the value of pono, we live a balanced life: with nature, God, ourselves, and others. Our life is filled with ho’omaluhia, peace, because our actions are in alignment with who God needs us to be. A sense of calm overcomes us because that alignment feels well with our na’au, our gut feelings.
Being pono means standing up for the right, even when unpopular or mocked. It’s not easy to stand for truth, especially when we’re alone. But the value of pono encourages us to do so.
Being pono means putting trust in God before man, knowing that righteousness will always have its reward.
How do we further implement the value of pono in our lives?
Learning Pono from Koa Trees
In the high mountains of Hawaii stand forests of beautiful koa trees. Koa trees were so important to ancient Hawaiians, as their sturdy and thick wood were perfect to make strong canoes.
The koa trees known for strength and resilience, hold ground against the elements. They live in difficult conditions, where the high elevation makes it cold, and the humid wind sends a chilly breeze through the forest. They take about 80 years to reach their full potential, but as they grow, they are ever strong.
I had the opportunity to plant koa trees when I joined a high school club. Our club did backbreaking work to plant koa trees in the forests of Mauna Loa. We held a huge pack of koa seedlings on our backs, and an o’o stick in the other hand.
Our instructor told us that most of these seedlings would not make it through the conditions of the environment. But many of them would.
I always thought about this. Pono is much like the strength of the koa trees. It isn’t easy to stand strong and tall against the elements. Likewise, it isn’t easy to stand firm when people question our beliefs and efforts to be moral.
Pono is based on our personal convictions to do good, and elevate all of the human ‘ohana
Planting the koa trees reminded me of my high school life. I was the girl who didn’t swear. I really wanted to be right with God, and since he commanded—as far back as the 10 commandments—that we not take the Lord’s name in vain, I made my decision not to swear. Ever.
I became known as the “goody-good” girl in high school, and classmates would question my decision. Nobody seemed to judge me for it. I felt so strongly about my convictions that my classmates didn’t blink an eye about it. They didn’t follow example–though an effort was always made to stop people from swearing around me. But they did recognize it as a part of a bigger duty and respect to God that I held in my heart. In fact, when we graduated, the valedictorian mentioned me in her talk, saying that if anyone felt lost and needed direction, they could turn to me.
It was shocking. And self-revealing. I don’t share this story to boast. I share this story because being pono is the right thing to do. Even when it’s not popular, when everyone else around us seems to do the opposite thing, when society and communities say that morality is out of style.
Choosing to be pono matters. When we make a conscious decision of how we’ll live pono, we dig our roots deep into the ground and stand strong and tall, just like the koa trees.
How else can we live pono?
Create a relationship with God
Being pono stems from having a relationship with God. If you don’t know who he is or what he commands, how can we be righteous? How can we be right with him?
You can start having a relationship with God right now: through prayer, reading his word, and attending his church. You don’t have to do anything special or make a dramatic life change to have a relationship with God, just start where you are.
Make a decision ahead of time
What kind of person do you want to be? What do you want to be remembered as? When you start with the end in mind, it’s much easier to live a pono life. If you can visualize the kind of person you want to be, how would that change and reshape the way you live now?
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Live Balanced
Living balanced seems like a hard concept to grasp, but it can be made simple. Here is an example I like to use to explain balance: when someone litters the earth, that action throws things off balanced–for nature and the earth. When someone picks and properly disposes of the litter, it restores balance.
The same principle applies to our relationships with God, others, and ourselves. When we have a pilikia (trouble) with someone else, the mana (energy, spiritual relationship) is thrown off balance. We restore the balance in the relationship through ho’oponopono (making things right, correction).
If we want to live the value of pono, we would be wise to take a moment to ask ourselves these questions:
Is my relationship with God balanced?
How is my relationship with others (or enter name here)? Am I doing too little or too much of something?
Is my relationship with myself balanced?
Sometimes we get into the habit of doing too much or too little of one thing–too much social life, too little connections, too much exercise, too little exercise, etc.
When we take the time to look at our life and ask, “Is my life pono–is it balanced?” we can feel what we should improve on. If we’re struggling to know what needs improvement, we can always ask God.
A pono life is a blessed life
The Hawaiian value of pono has deeply blessed my life. Even though I’ve sometimes stood alone in my beliefs and morals, I feel right with God. That’s one of the greatest blessings I could ever feel in this life. Being pono has helped me to feel right with God, and I know it can do the same for you as well. If you’d like to learn more about how to build your relationship with God, check out this wonderful source from my church!
E komo mai! 🌺 I am the author of Aloha State of Mind, a self help book that teaches you how to create paradise wherever you are. My blog, Naturally Aloha, focuses on all things Hawaii: culture, values, food, lifestyle, and more. I hope my writing inspires you to carry aloha with you everywhere! Learn more…
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