Ten Years of Sun Sensitivity Fixed in An Instant

When I was younger, I could spend all day in the sun. I even used to pick peaches for 8 hours a day in the summer.
Then some time around the early 2000s, I started getting sunburned if I spent too much time outside.  And each year, my sun sensitivity seemed to get worse.

Last summer, I was wearing 3 layers of clothing (one regular shirt and 2 long sleeved SPF shirts), hats, and sunscreen and I was still getting burned.

I stumbled upon some blog posts about water-only showers and I decided to try it.  After the first shower,  my sun sensitivity issue seemed to clear up immediately. I will still get sunburned if I stay out too long.  But for the first time in a long time, I can walk from the parking lot to my place of work while wearing just one short sleeved shirt - without getting burned.

I'm looking forward to this winter. I want to see if my usual winter time eczema gives me any trouble.

In addition to using no shampoo and no soap, I've stopped using towels.  After my water-only shower, I apply some coconut oil while I'm still wet. I wait a couple of minutes to let my body partially dry, then I get dressed.

It's hard to explain;  but for the past few days while I've been soapless/shampooless, I feel..."better".  More refreshed? Cleaner? Revitalized? Not sure; just ...better.

I've only went swimming in chlorine pools and salty oceans. But the feeling I get after a water-only shower - I wonder if it's akin to swimming in a clean creek.

I wonder if the reason I feel better is allergy related. I'm allergic to perfumes and most cosmetics are quite perfumy - even the "natural" stuff

Has anyone else experienced a reduction in sunburning when going water-only?
Did any other troublesome problems clear up?

Water-only articles

Showering Without Soap or Shampoo: My Three Month Experiment

Sunshine Can Decrease Your Vitamin D Levels
This article is about Vitamin D. But check out the comments. Lots of discussion on water-only showering and not using deodorants and other such products

Beyond No Poo