Whether hiking, working in the garden, or hauling wood, you and your family need sunscreen. After experimenting with a few different commercial sunscreens, I decided to make my own sunscreen with natural ingredients. Here's my easy homemade sunscreen recipe.
Estimated reading time: 13 minutes
Natural health and beauty
Recently, the girls and I have been experimenting with making our own natural body care products.
We like knowing what we're putting on our skin, and using foraged individual ingredients plus essential oils to create our own concoctions. We enjoy making soaps, shampoos, lip balms, and salves for our skin health and as part of our practical, hands-on homeschooling lessons.
At the moment we're working through a list of basic health and beauty natural products we can make independently at home. These include
- dandelion salve
- goat milk soaps
- gardener's soap
- homemade toothpaste
- shampoo bars
- calamine lotion
- ginger cough syrup
- healing beeswax salve
- Elderberry cough syrup
And, of course, our own homemade sunscreen.
Sunscreen use in the subarctic
I know that not everyone has time to make their own natural sunscreen recipe. And honestly, you might find some great natural store-bought sunscreens. My youngest daughter has very fair skin. It's also very sensitive skin that burns easily with any sun exposure.
Over the years, we've tried many different conventional sunscreens.
Some of the different types of sunscreens irritated her skin -- maybe they contained too much zinc oxide. Others didn't stop her from burning, despite a 60 or higher SPF rating that we thought would protect her from the UVA rays.
And as a mom, I've become increasingly uneasy about the health risks and potential toxic chemicals in these products. I decided it was a good idea to start looking into natural sun protection that wouldn't expose us to harmful chemicals.
Chemical sunscreens vs natural sunscreens
We live in the Canadian subarctic Northwest Territories. Up here, we have short, sunny summers with almost 20+ hours of daylight.
However, vitamin D deficiency is an issue due to the long, dark winters. So when summer rolls around, we spend as much time outdoors as possible to try to compensate for the lack of vitamin D during the winter.
And that means we need to use sunscreen to protect against sun damage.
Until I started doing my own research, I hadn't thought a DIY sunscreen recipe could make an effective sunscreen to protect against UV rays.
I wondered about the natural spf of the active ingredients I'd use. And as I read in this Consumer Reports article, natural or mineral sunscreens containing only zinc oxide and or titanium dioxide don't provide as much UVB protection as chemical sunscreens.
That's because zinc oxide and titanium oxide deflect the sun's rays, while chemical sunscreens absorb them.
In our case, I decided that I was willing to trade a higher SPF sunscreen
How to choose
When choosing between chemical sunscreens and natural sunscreens, the ongoing debate has caught the attention of researchers.
Recent studies have explored the benefits of natural sunscreens using plant-based ingredients and the potential risks associated with chemical sunscreens.
These findings encourage us to make informed decisions regarding protecting our skin from the sun's rays.
So, whether you opt for a homemade version of a natural sunscreen or a commercially available one, it's essential to understand the options available, and the limitations of each, to choose the option that best aligns with your values and preferences.
How to make homemade sunscreen
I worked out a simple recipe for a more natural sunscreen with just five simple ingredients that will help protect and enrich your skin at the same time.
It's easy to make. It doesn't require any special equipment. And in less than 30 minutes, you'll have your own ready-to-use DIY homemade sunscreen.
This sunscreen would roughly be a 25-30 spf between the sun-blocking benefits of the shea butter, zinc oxide, and calendula oil.
Remember to reapply every couple of hours, as you would with any sunscreen. This is especially important after sweating or swimming.
Recipe for DIY Natural Sunscreen
Here's what you'll need to make your own sunscreen. You can get these items online.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup shea butter
- ½ cup coconut oil or olive oil
- ¼ cup beeswax pellets
- ¼ cup zinc oxide powder - non-nano
- 10 drops of calendula essential oil
- 4 drops of lavender essential oil
Directions
Combine shea butter, coconut oil, and beeswax pellets and heat until just melted using one of the two methods below.
- Use a glass heat-safe/Pyrex bowl over a pan of boiling water on medium-high heat in a double boiler.
- In a heat-safe dish in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring each time until just melted.
Once your base ingredients are melted, stir in zinc oxide, lavender, and calendula oil. I like to whisk for several minutes to be sure all ingredients are well mixed.
Carefully pour into a small glass container.
If you want to use a refillable squeeze tube, I recommend only using it for short periods rather than storing it in the plastic long term. That's because the essential oils will break down and leach into the plastic.
Allow the mixture to cool and your sunscreen will firm up but still spread easily. If you prefer a more liquid sunscreen texture, add less beeswax to the mixture.
DIY Natural Sunscreen will store well for up to a year, provided it is dry and kept away from direct heat like a sunny window.
Easy DIY Homemade Sunscreen Recipe
Discover the art of sun protection with our easy DIY homemade sunscreen! Learn to make safe and effective sunscreen at home.
Materials
- ¼ cup Shea butter
- ½ cup coconut oil or olive oil
- ¼ cup zinc oxide
- ¼ cup beeswax pellets
- 10 drops calendula essential oil
- 4 drops lavender essential oil
Tools
- measuring spoons
- measurng cup
- spatula
- double boiler or microwave
- large bowl
- small mason jar
Instructions
- Combine shea butter, coconut oil, and beeswax pellets and heat until just melted using one of the two methods below.
- In a double boiler use a glass heat-safe/ Pyrex bowl over a pan of boiling water on medium-high heat.
- In a heat-safe dish in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring each time until just melted.
- Once your base ingredients are melted, stir in zinc, lavender, and calendula oil. I like to whisk for several minutes to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Carefully pour into a small glass container. If you want to use a refillable squeeze tube, I recommend only using it for short periods of time rather than storing it in the plastic long term, the essential oils will break down and leach into the plastic.
- Allow to cool and your sunscreen will firm up but still be easily spreadable. If you prefer a more liquid sunscreen texture add less beeswax to the mixture.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Sarita Harbour
Hi Kandi - yes, you can!
Kandi
Wonderful recipe! Could you use a different essential oil besides lavender?