Believe it or not, summer is right around the corner which hopefully means TONS of time outside enjoying the beautiful weather! I figured this would be the perfect time to share my recipe for homemade sunscreen with you all!
First, let me answer the question of why even bother making your own sunscreen when you can easily go to the store and buy some. Seems easy enough, right? Well, for starters, this recipe is incredibly easy to put together, so that’s no excuse! Second, and most importantly, as with many other store bought beauty products, sunscreen can contain chemicals that are fairly toxic and not the best for us. Third, and last, it’s cost effective – who doesn’t want to save a little money here and there?
The safest sunscreen ingredient that provides SPF is Zinc Oxide, and that is precisely what I use in this formula. This is because zinc oxide does not penetrate the skin, which makes it much safer than a lot of the ingredients in many store bought brands. It also means that you may have a bit of white-cast from it, but I think the trade off is worth it…especially since it’s not that bad with this stuff.
In this recipe, you can adjust it to get a higher or lower SPF if you would like. By adjusting the amount of Zinc Oxide you use. I made mine to be somewhere around SPF 20, give or take a few SPF’s. If you add more Zinc Oxide, you will have a higher SPF, and if you use less you will have a lower SPF. Also coconut oil has a natural SPF of 4, so that contributes a little bit too!
HOMEMADE NON-TOXIC SUNSCREEN
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup organic unrefined virgin coconut oil
- 1/4 cup beeswax pellets (you can get these here)
- 1/4 cup organic shea butter (you can get this here)
- 2 Tbsp. Zinc Oxide Powder (non-nano) (you can get this here)
- Essential Oils of your choice (optional) (If you use carrot seed oil and raspberry seed oil, this will add to the protection factor – both of these oils have strong SPF properties)
***NOTE: This ends up being a pretty thick lotion (which is nice because it doesn’t just sweat off easily). If you want a thinner lotion, replace the 1/4 cup shea butter with part shea butter and part almond oil (1 Tbsp. almond oil and 3Tbsp. shea butter, 2 Tbsp. of each, or 3 Tbsp. almond oil and 1 Tbsp. shea butter) The less shea butter you use, the thinner the lotion will be.
Directions
1.) In a small sauce pan, combine the coconut oil, beeswax pellets, and shea butter.
2.) Heat over low heat till completely melted.
3.) Remove from heat and add the zinc oxide taking care not to inhale the zinc oxide.
4.) Stir till smooth and mixed together completely. Add your essential oils if you are using them.
5.) Now you want to transfer it into an empty bottle, container, or a glass jar. While it is still somewhat warm, it will be like a liquid and you can just spoon it into your container. As it cools, it will thicken making it harder to spoon into a container with a small opening. If this happens, transfer the mixture to a plastic bag and cut a small hole in the corner of the bag. Then squeeze the mixture out of the bag into the container. If you have a container with a small opening, this step is a bit messy no matter how you do it.
6.) Once your container is full, wipe off any mess you may have on the sides. Label your bottle if desired.
Enjoy! 🙂
DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor, and any recipe for food, beauty products, cleaning products, or the like is not a means of diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure for any disease or condition, mental or physical. One should always consult a medical professional before making any major lifestyle changes.
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