Homemade Sunscreen Is Non-Toxic – But Be Careful!

Homemade Sunscreen is Safe and Non-Toxic (for a While)

Making your own homemade sunscreen is really simple, and you can save lots of money. And of course, you know it’s non-toxic!

With many people concerned about the chemicals in most commercial sunscreens, homemade sunscreen can be a winner.  Let’s look briefly at the pros and cons, and then go onto some recipes.

Homemade Sunscreen Advantages

• You make it yourself, therefore you know exactly what goes into it.
• You’re avoiding the toxic chemicals in many commercial brands
• It’s often cheaper to make homemade sunscreen than to buy bottled from the store.
• You can experiment and find a mixture that suits you perfectly.

Homemade Sunscreen Disadvantages

• You don’t know the SPF of your mixture
• You generally need to re-apply the mixture more frequently than commercial sunscreens

When to Use Sunscreen

My regular readers know I’m not a fan of sunscreen.  We’re so busy avoiding the sun and using sunscreen that many countries worldwide have vitamin D deficiency (from not enough sunlight).

Vitamin D is vital to help protect us from cancer, not sunscreen.  Here’s why.

Getting some sunshine, without sunscreen, each day is actually very good for us.  As long as we don’t burn. It makes us feel happier too!

Protect yourself if necessary by wearing a hat, and perhaps a lightweight shirt with sleeves. (That’s what people used to do, in the days before sunscreen products. 🙂 It worked!).

But if you’re intending spending a long time in the sun, then you may need added protection from sunscreen.  So here are some recipes for homemade sunscreen.

(If you would prefer a commercial sunscreen which is low in toxicity, read Best Sunscreen).

Simple Homemade Sunscreen Recipe

One of the simplest ways to protect your skin from sun damage is to moisturise it well.  Here are 4 super-simple recipes.

1. Simply rub coconut oil, jojoba oil, aloe vera oil or almond oil generously onto your skin. Apply at least 20 mins before you go into the sun.  Re -apply regularly. (Make sure you use the unrefined, unprocessed, nothing-added oil (for example, aloe vera is renowned for having additives).
2. According to Abundant Health Center:  Carrot Seed essential oil mixed with coconut or olive oil has a natural SPF of 38 – 40 – isn’t that wonderful!
3. If you prefer, you can boil water and add coconut oil and pure beeswax to it.   Allow to cool, and store in a clean bottle.  Apply at least 20 mins before you go into the sun.   Re -apply regularly.  You can make this to the consistency you most prefer, by varying the quantities of the ingredients.
4. Or, mix sesame oil and avocado oil together, then add a small amount of cocoa butter to make a rich, thick sunscreen.

It’s wonderful that something as simple as rubbing oil straight from a bottle can help protect us from sunburn! Do remember to re-apply regularly – it doesn’t last as long as commercial sunscreens.

See below for a more sophisticated sunscreen recipe.

More Sophisticated Homemade Recipe

This recipe can, if you wish, include zinc oxide***.  This will definitely increase the effectiveness of this recipe, because zinc oxide will reflect the sun’s rays away from your body.  (See my note below for some comments on zinc oxide).

• 3 tsp pure zinc oxide
• 1tbsp pure beeswax
• 1/2 cup (120ml) brewed green tea (or distilled water)
• 3 tbsp pure aloe vera gel
• 1/4 cup (60ml) oil of your choice (e.g. coconut, olive, lavender, jojoba, sesame, avocado)
• Optional – a few drops of an essential oil of your choice (not citrus oil).

1. In a double boiler, heat the wax and zinc over a low heat, until the wax melts.
2. Meanwhile, heat the tea or water, melt the aloe vera into it, then slowly add the oil, stirring to mix. (Take your time with this step, if you don’t mix properly now with the heat, they may separate later).
3. Add the wax mixture, then add the essential oil if using.
4. Mix thoroughly and let cool.
5. Store in a  clean, airtight bottle, in a cool dark place or in the fridge.

You can vary the quantities in this recipe.  Adding more zinc oxide will give you longer protection.  Adding more beeswax will make it thicker, less will make it thinner.

Remember! Homemade sunscreens are great, but they last a shorter time.  Re-apply regularly!

More sunscreen information – sunscreen vs. sunblock, what about Vitamin D

*** Zinc oxide is ‘natural’ (so is arsenic), it is mined from the ground.  It is apparently safe for human use, however, when you buy it to add to a recipe like this, you are advised to wear a mask (so you don’t inhale it), and also gloves.  (Does that sound like it’s safe to you?).

You can buy it in powder form in many stores (often in the baby section).  If it’s in powder form, it won’t absorb easily, and remains on the skin’s surface with a whitish colour.  If you buy it in nano particle form, it is absorbed, and so won’t look white (you need to decide if you want something to be absorbed into your body).

If you enjoyed this article, please Share, Like or Tweet it – thank you!

Warm regards

Are you getting enough?

What does SPF really mean? Sunblock vs.  sunscreen? And are sunscreens safe? Your questions answered.

My personal recommendation for the safest sunscreen you can buy