July 8, 2010

The Coolest App Ever

I am not a techno-geek at all.  I have an Apple Computer and iPhone that I hardly know how to use despite an entire year of lessons with Apple Store hipsters.  Oftentimes I don't recognize my own phone as a result of my children's tampering: the screen saver, the wallpaper, the ring.  Mind you these changes take place in a nanosecond, about the same amount of time it takes a teenager to text a paragraph.  One thing I can manage, if I might toot my own horn for a moment, are apps.  I have a little "thing" for them - they are small and snappy, intuitive and simple.  Apps appeal to my little-brain-that-could which is still in the reptilian stage of technological evolution.

My favorite new app is another brainchild of the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Have I mentioned how much I love those guys lately?  (Safe Summer Sunscreen posting.)  The app has lists of most commerically avaiable sunscreens and rates them from 0-10, 0 being safest and 10 being the most toxic.  It is also interactive so when your head is spinning with options standing in the sunscreen aisle at Whole Foods you don't have to pick up each bottle and read the ingredients, you can just type in the name and see its rating.  Brilliant.

You can test-drive the EWG Sunscreen Buyer's Guide app here

4 comments:

Jeremy said...

Cool find! I've been wondering about this very thing after reading several articles about the downsides of most sunscreens. Thanks!

wholefoodmatters said...

It just makes it a whole lot simpler, especially with the interactive component.

Lynde said...

Thanks Krista. I have been wondering about this for my baby and now feel justified for my concerns and will continue to be vigilent. Any ideas on a spray for baby's head that won't wear a hat?

wholefoodmatters said...

Purple Prairie Botanicals and Marie Veronique Organics each have a spray. You could also use a sunstick or a dab of sunscreen on baby's exposed scalp. We swear by the California Baby Sunblock stick.