Homemade Sunscreen Recipe
I made my first homemade sunscreen last year and loved it. It was great to slather on a non-toxic mix of oils and know that I was keeping away the toxic mess that sunscreens have become. Still, I wanted to provide my blog readers with more than just a little recipe that I whipped up. I like to really research the options!
Note: Remember, that no matter how much sunscreen (whether natural or not) you use, you still need to work up to staying outside for hours. This will help to protect your skin, but a healthy diet and regular sun exposure will really help to protect your body and help your body cope with the sun.
Let me provide you with the facts and finish with options. You have more than one option when it comes to protecting you and your family from the sun and from modern sunscreens.
This is a list of the natural ingredients that you can use in your homemade sunscreen recipe.
- Almond Oil
- Aloe Vera Gel
- Avocado Oil
- Olive Oil
- Coconut Oil
- Coconut Oil (fractionated)
- Shea Butter
- Vitamin E Oil
- Jojoba Oil
- Wheatgerm Oil
- Macadamia Nut Oil
- Cocoa Butter
- Sesame Seed Oil
- Calendula Infused Oil
- Diaper Rash Cream with Zinc Oxide
- Zinc Oxide
- Beeswax
- Helichrysum Oil
- Neem Oil
- Lavender Essential Oil
- Red Raspberry Seed Oil
- Carrot Seed Oil
- Eucalyptus Oil
- Peppermint Oil
Obviously, you don’t need all of these ingredients. This list just provides you with options and even substitutes. First off, let’s venture into the SPF of these ingredients.
I found multiple sources with quite a few SPF (Sun Protection Factor) numbers. I will give you the comprehensive run down.
Almond Oil | 5 SPF |
Olive Oil | 2-8 SPF |
Coconut Oil | 2-10 SPF |
Coconut Oil (fractionated) | ? |
Zinc Oxide | 2-20 SPF |
Red Raspberry Seed Oil | 25-50 SPF |
Carrot Seed Oil | 35-50 SPF* |
Shea Butter | 3-10 SPF |
Vitamin E Oil | ? |
Jojoba Oil | 4 SPF |
Wheatgerm Oil | 20 SPF |
Macadamia Nut Oil | 6 SPF |
Avocado Oil | 4-15 SPF |
Sesame Seed Oil | 4-10 SPF |
Aloe Vera Gel | None |
Beeswax | ? |
Lavender Essential Oil | ? |
Helichrysum Oil | ? |
Calendula Infused Oil | ? |
Neem Oil | ? |
Diaper Rash Cream with Zinc Oxide | 20% zinc = 30 SPF |
Eucalyptus Oil | 3 SPF |
Peppermint Oil | 7 SPF |
Cocoa Butter | ? |
Sources | Wellness Mama | Live Love Fruit | Don’t Waste |
So now we know what the ingredients are and the approximate SPF of these ingredients. Here are some recipes to get you started making your own homemade sunscreen.
Liquid Oil Homemade Sunscreen
2 TBS – Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil
30 Drops – Carrot Seed Oil (If you’d like to learn more about Young Living, visit my post here)
1 TBS – 100% Unrefined Organic Shea Butter
1 TBS – Organic Jojoba Oil
1 TSP – Vitamin E Oil
Possible Additions
30 Drops – Lavender Oil (calming to skin)
30 Drops – Raspberry Seed Oil (to add SPF)
Directions
- Heat up a pan with an inch or two of water.
- Add the coconut oil, shea butter, and jojoba oil to a metal bowl.
- Set the metal bowl on top of the hot pan of water, stirring until the oils melt.
- Pour the oils into a pint size mason jar and add the carrot seed oil, the vitamin E oil, and any of the additional oils.
- Shake your oils together and pour into an amber glass container. This will help to protect the oils from the sun.
This combination will stay solid in air conditioned homes, but is liquid outside in the heat. You can find some fantastic amber glass bottles from Abundant Health to hold your homemade sunscreen creations.
Solid Homemade Sunscreen
1/4 Cup – Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil
1/4 Cup – 100% Unrefined Organic Shea Butter
2 TBS – Organic Beeswax Pellets
1 TSP – Vitamin E Oil
30 Drops – Carrot Seed Oil
Possible Additions
2 TBS – Zinc Oxide Powder – Non-Nano and Uncoated (to add SPF; blocks sun)
30 Drops – Lavender Oil (calming to skin)
30 Drops – Raspberry Seed Oil (to add SPF)
Directions
- Heat up a pan with an inch or two of water.
- Add the coconut oil, Shea butter, and beeswax into a metal bowl.
- Set the metal bowl on top of the hot pan of water, stirring until the oils and beeswax melt.
- Pour mixture into a pint size mason jar and add the carrot seed oil, the vitamin E oil, and any of the additional ingredients.
Note: Be careful with Zinc Oxide powder. Consider wearing a mask and DO NOT inhale the powder. - Shake your ingredients together and use a spoon to scoop your mixture into a salve container. The mixture will harden as it cools. You can use a mixer to blend the ingredients, but I personally don’t like coating my beaters with beeswax.
You can find salve containers from Abundant Health that will hold the solid homemade sunscreen. These do not have the amber glass, so be sure to keep them out of the sun.
Expiration
Your sunscreens will not last forever. Oils deteriorate over time. I would suggest keeping your sunscreens anywhere from 6 months to 1 year. Make a new batch each year to assure the best protection.
*After writing this post, I have found information that doubts the validity of Carrot Seed Oils SPF. I don’t have the answers. I know that I’ve heard that it’s between a 35-50 and I’ve seen people suggest that is misinformation. Here is post suggesting that Essential Oils do indeed have some SPF quality.
“Similarly SPF values for volatile oils were found to be in between 1 and 7. Out of these essential oils taken, the SPF value of peppermint oil and tulsi oil was found to be around 7; lavender oil, around 6; orange oil, around 4; eucalyptus oil, around 3; tea tree oil, around 2; and rose oil, around 1. Hence it can be concluded that peppermint oil and tulsi oil have the best SPF values, a finding that will be helpful in the selection of perfumes during the formulation of sunscreens.”1
Does Carrot Seed Oil have a high SPF? Maybe, maybe not. Please use appropriate care if you are only using Carrot Seed Oil to increase your SPF.
Out of Time
If you are out of time and in need of a bottle of sunscreen that is not chemically laden, I suggest using Badger’s basic sunscreen products.
Suggestions?
Do you have any suggestions to make these recipes better? I’d love to hear them! Comment below and let me know what you’ve tried.
Brooke
THE Boholistic Mom
Resources
1 Study on the SPF of Volatile Oils
Mercola – The Bottom Line on Sunscreens – Which Sunscreens are the Safest?
Nourishing Gourmet – Prevent sunburn with these beautiful foods
The Little Herbal – Calendula Infused Oil
Disclosure
I am a part of Amazon Associates and I do make money when my readers purchase items through my Amazon links. Thank you for supporting my blog!
*These statements have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Young Living or Amazon’s products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. Pregnant or lactating women and persons with known medical conditions should consult a physician prior to the use of any product whether from Amazon, from Young Living, or even from your local grocery store.