DIY Sunscreen

We’ve all heard the dangers of skin cancer that the sun can cause. So we’re told to always wear sunscreen. It will keep your skin burn free and looking young and vibrant.

BUT, now studies are being done on all of the crazy chemicals we put in everything. Nothing is safe from them. Not even regular old sunscreen. So now we’re being told that all the crap in sunscreen is just as bad, if not worse, than the sun for causing cancer.

Everything causes cancer, amiright? Geesh. Can we catch a break please?

So if you’re like me, you hear about these things and think, not being in the sun is not an option. I need the sunshine. My kids need the sunshine. Most of us do.

I am not a fan of slathering my kids or myself in toxic chemicals but you know what? I also really really hate being sunburnt. I loathe it, in fact.

So what do we do?

DIY to the rescue!

Here is a recipe for sunscreen that I love. Below the recipe is a step by step, and some ghetto pictures for reference to help you along the way.

Homemade Sunscreen

¼ cup coconut oil

¼ cup beeswax

2 tbsp shea butter

½ cup olive oil

1 tsp vitamin E oil

2 tbsp zinc oxide

optional:

6 drops Lavender essential oil

6 drops Helichrysum essential oil

 
Lets get started!!

What you’ll need:

Coconut oil: you can use either solid coconut oil, or fractionated. Fractionated coconut oil will make your sunscreen slightly more runny, and solid coconut oil will give it more structure. Solid coconut oil tends to have a smell as well, whereas fractionated coconut oil does not. It is up to you, either is a great choice. If you choose solid coconut oil, be sure to get virgin, unrefined and of course, organic. I get my solid coconut oil from Costco and my fractionated coconut oil from dōTERRA.

Shea Butter: Butters are necessary in any lotion for me really. Make sure you’re getting raw shea butter. I usually buy mine on Amazon.

Beeswax: The pellets are always easiest to work with but you can buy it in blocks and grate it as well. Again, I buy this on Amazon or from AromaTools.

Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil, of course. I buy mine at Costco.

Vitamin E Oil: I have found that it is hard to find this in liquid form around my area but I have done it. I found mine at Wal-Mart. If you need to, you can empty capsules, which are easier to find but harder to use in situations like this.

Zinc Oxide: Again, I bought mine on Amazon and I think it will last me a very long time! I have made 4 batches of sunscreen from the bag pictured above and it hasn’t even made a dent.

Essential oils: These are optional but a great addition. I love the way it makes the sunscreen smell and how it makes my skin feel. I chose to use Helichrysum and Lavender from dōTERRA.

Feel free to explore with the essential oils you use in your recipes. My only caution with sunscreen is to be aware of what essential oils are phototoxic and may actually help your skin tan or burn. Most citrus oils are this way, so I wouldn’t use any citrus oils in a sunscreen. I chose Lavender and Helichrysum because of the healing and calming effects they both have on the skin.

1.Set up a double boiler. 

I just used a large glass measuring cup in a saucepan with about 2 inches of boiling water in it.

2. Melt the shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax. (pictured above as well)

Stir occasionally (I use a whisk) until completely melted. The beeswax will take the longest to melt.

It will look something like this:

Be careful not to burn yourself on the steam! I may have done that…

3. Remove from heat. Add other ingredients.

The other ingredients are susceptible to heat damage, so I like to remove the mixture from heat before I add them.

The mixture will start to cool and harden fairly quickly, so you want to make sure you get your other ingredients added and mixed fast. Otherwise getting your sunscreen into your containers is a pain in the booty.

Mix until smooth. It will go from a transparent liquid to opaque because of the zinc.

4. Pour into container of choice.

I used an 8oz BPA free plastic lotion container.

Hints and tweaks:

-This sunscreen will melt in the heat. Don’t worry though, it is still effective. Just more oily to put on rather than a lotion.

-The beeswax (and coconut oil) helps make this sunscreen waterproof. It is acceptable to use while in the pool or other water activities. Just be sure to reapply often (see below)

-Most commercial sunscreens say to reapply every 80 minutes. I have noticed that this sunscreen works best when reapplied every 40-60 minutes. My family all have pretty fair skin though. Be generous and thorough!

-This sunscreen is comparable to SPF 30 for my family. Which is great. Just the right amount of sun for us to still get that vitamin D and not turn to burnt crispies.

-If you want more of a liquid texture, use less beeswax and more coconut oil or olive oil.

-If you want more of a solid texture, like for sunscreen sticks (which are awesome for faces!) try adding more beeswax.

Play around with it and find the texture and recipe that works best for you!

Here is an after sun-spray recipe just incase you go sans sunscreen or happen to forget! This will help bring relief to your skin and speed up the healing process.

*These statements have not been approved by the FDA. dōTERRA products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease

**Some of these statements may be based on opinion and personal experience. If you have questions or concerns, please contact your physician before starting the use of essential oils.