Natural sunscreen recipes

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Sunscreens are often a minefield of chemicals combined with convenient untruths that do nothing more than offer mediocre protection at exorbitant prices with the personal costs of having to absorb some chemicals that have no place in your body.

There are some very effective natural alternatives that compete favourably with their “frankenstein” counterparts. These natural products are more truthful, more reliable and non toxic. They contain nourishing oils, powerful and natural antioxidants with fragrances from natural compounds like lavender and vanilla – not a toxic soup of chemicals that make you believe it is lavender.

Sunscreens and sunblocks are the same thing. Sunblock does not offer more protection and sunscreen does not offer less protection. Any differences that are made to you are purely marketing.

There is, however, a difference between chemical sunscreens and physical sunscreens. Chemical sunscreens absorb the UV rays and convert them to heat. Physical sunscreens reflect the UV rays.

Image credit : Unknown

These are some of the ingredients from commercial / synthetic / chemical sunscreens that you want to avoid :

• Retinol palmitate
• Padimate O/PABA
• Methoxycinnamate or Octinoxate
• Nano or Micronised Titanium / Zinc particles
• Oxybenzone (a hormone disrupting chemical)

Image credit : www.rmsunscreen.com

These are some of the ingredients that you really want in your natural sunscreen :

Lavender oil is a great anti-inflammatory and has great healing powers for sun damaged skin.

Red raspberry seed oil is anti-inflammatory, nourishing, condition and it is the high fatty acid content which defends the skin from both UVA and UVB rays. 

Rice bran oil is packed full of antioxidants which protect against free radical damage to slow down the ageing process and has been used by Japanese women for centuries to smooth out wrinkles. 

Vitamin E is absorbed deep in the skin where it helps protect against UV damage; it also helps prevent age spots and plays an important role in the prevention of skin cancer due to its powerful antioxidant properties.

An SPF between 20 and 30 is the average SPF created when balancing available ingredients, safety, convenience, shelf-life, exposure, natural factors and optimum protection. It is worth noting that natural sunscreens compete favourably with their chemical counterparts in this range. Natural sunscreens are anywhere between SPF 5 and 30 depending on the concentration of the oxide barrier and the type of essential oil used.

For chemical sunscreens, anything higher than SPF 30/40 is either not realistic (works in very special circumstances with very little improvement of SPF) or involves intense chemical combinations that are better suited for spacecraft rather than your body.

In Europe, it is illegal to claim anything above SPF 50 as it is not achievable (or serves no purpose) and would be untruthful. In the USA, it is also 50 (or soon to be) and Australia, it is 30.

SPF Guidelines

Use the table below as a guideline for your Titanium Dioxide (Ti) and Zinc Oxide (Zi) concentrations when using your natural sunscreen recipes. (M = Micronised)

	SPF 2-5	SPF 6-11	SPF 12-19	SPF >20
Ti	< 4%	8 %	12 %	20 %
Ti (M)	2 %	4 %	6 %	10 %
Zi	5 %	10 %	15 %	25 %
Zi (M)	3 %	7.5 %	12 %	20 %

Mirconised and nanonised have fallen out of favour because they are small enough to penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream – these particles are toxic in our bloodstream.

They became popular because the smaller particles removed the “whiteness” of the sunscreen which is characteristic at the onset of application – some sunscreens stayed permanently white.

These natural sunscreen recipes will have a shelf life of around 6 months.

Recipe tips

Add more zinc oxide to increase the SPF.

Popular aromatic essential oils are coconut, vanilla and lavender.

Always apply your natural sunscreen about 30 minutes before exposure.

Add more beeswax to make a stiffer sunscreen and less to make a softer sunscreen.

These natural sunscreens are not completely waterproof and will need to be reapplied after sweating or swimming.

Coconut oil, also commonly used in soaps, creates a thicker consistency. Vary this oil to change its thickness.

We hope you enjoy using and experimenting with these natural sunscreen recipes.

Of course, whenever possible, buy certified organic to ensure the best natural quality that is also kind to our environment during the manufacturing process.

Please don't forget to read our essential oil guide - they are very strong ingredients and should always be used with caution.

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Recipe 1 – Shea Butter and Coconut Oil

Ingredients :

• 15 g. beeswax granules/pastilles
• 55 g. shea butter
• 55 g. coconut oil
• 2 tbsp. zinc oxide powder (non nanonised / micronised) (20%)
• Estimated SPF equivalent is 30

Add the shea butter and coconut oil to a double boiler over low heat and stir until well blended. Then add the beeswax and stir until well blended.

Remove from double boiler and sprinkle in the zinc oxide while stirring/whisking and avoiding lumps.

Whisk until smooth. Stir occasionally to avoid settling of the zinc oxide.

Spoon into jars and allow to cool.

Store in a cool dry place.

Being a natural product, it will soften in warm weather and stiffen when its cooler.

It will soften as soon as you rub it on the skin.

Click here for measurement conversion tables

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Recipe 2 – Almond and Coconut Oil

Ingredients :

• 120 ml. almond oil (natural SPF of 5)
• 60 ml. coconut oil (natural SPF of 4)
• 55 g. beeswax granules/pastilles
• 2 tbsp. zinc oxide powder (non nanonised / micronised) (15%)
• 1 tsp. Vitamin E oil
• 2 tbs. shea butter (natural SPF of 4 - 5)
• 10 to 20 drops vanilla essential oil
• Estimated SPF equivalent is 20

Add the almond and coconut oils to a double boiler over low heat and stir until well blended. Then add the beeswax and shea butter and stir until well blended.

Remove from double boiler and sprinkle in the zinc oxide while stirring/whisking and avoiding lumps.

Add the vitamin E oil and fragrance oil.

Whisk until smooth. Stir occasionally to avoid settling of the zinc oxide.

Spoon into jars and allow to cool.

Store in a cool dry place.

Being a natural product, it will soften in warm weather and stiffen when its cooler.

It will soften as soon as you rub it on the skin.

Click here for measurement conversion tables

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Recipe 3 – Raspberry Oil and Rice Bran

Ingredients :

• 50 ml. red raspberry seed oil (Natural SPF of 28 to 50)
• 25 ml. rice bran oil (Natural SPF of 4)
• 4 ml. vitamin E oil
• 10 drops lavender oil
• Estimated SPF equivalent is around 30

This is the easiest blend – mix all the ingredients in a spritzer bottle and head for the beach. 

Click here for measurement conversion tables

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Recipe 4 – Carrot Seed Oil and Beeswax

Ingredients :

• 30 ml. carrot seed oil 
• 30 g. beeswax (adds waterproof properties)
• 30 g. butter blend (shea or mango or cocoa butter)
• 1 tsp. vitamin E oil
• 10 g. zinc oxide powder (12%)
• 20 to 30 drops essential oil for fragrance
• Estimated SPF equivalent is 20 to 25

Add the butter and carrot oil to a double boiler over low heat and stir until well blended. Then add the beeswax and stir until well blended.

Remove from double boiler and sprinkle in the zinc oxide while stirring/whisking and avoiding lumps.

Add vitamin E oil and fragrance oil.

Whisk until smooth. Stir occasionally to avoid settling of the zinc oxide.

Spoon into jars and allow to cool.

Store in a cool dry place.

Being a natural product, it will soften in warm weather and stiffen when its cooler.

It will soften as soon as you rub it on the skin.

Click here for measurement conversion tables

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What is zinc oxide

Zinc oxide powder (not in nano or micronised particle form), is for UVA and UVB protection. It is a popular ingredient in natural sunscreen recipes and does not breakdown when exposed to the sun (unlike its chemical counterparts).

Zinc oxide is FDA approved as a skin protectant and has excellent natural sunscreen characteristics that protect delicate skin from the sun’s damaging rays.

Zinc based cosmetics offers a compatible formula for people suffering from skin conditions such as rosacea, irritated skin and redness. Make sure not to inhale the Zinc Oxide when making your cosmetics. Use a mask to be sure.

Mineral makeup brands that claim to have a SPF factor of 15 will often use zinc oxide as the active sunscreen ingredient. Zinc Oxide also acts as an anti-inflammatory and draws impurities from the skin without removing natural oils.

What is SPF

SPF (Sun Protection Factor) is a laboratory measurement for protection against UVB rays (not UVA). In laboratory conditions of constant UVB intensity, if 1 hour of exposure leads to sunburn, then SPF 15 allows 15 hours of exposure before sunburn.

In the laboratory, SPF looks like this :

The best illustration that we could find that demonstrates the effect of SPF on your skin shows the suns energy (described and measured in photons) penetrating your skin. These photons are carried on wavelengths of different size and are described as UV-A, UV-B, UV-C, etc.

Click to enlarge

Image below - the process of blocking these photons from entering the skin is either by chemical or physical processes and the measurement of blocked photons is described as SPF (An industry standard so that we are all on the same wavelength)

Image credit : Unknown

In real life, SPF is a little different to a mathematical formula and we need to add some variables, like these :

• sunscreen is washed off
• sunscreen is covered by dirt
• intensity of the sun changes
• sunscreen is absorbed by the skin
• different skins react differently to UVB exposure (ie dark skin and light skin)
• sunscreens breakdown from sun exposure (especially chemical sunscreens)

UVA rays are the ones that go deep into the skin and cause DNA damage to the cells thereby increasing the risk of malignant melanomas. UVA wavelength = 320 to 400 nm.

UVB rays are the ones that cause reddening and sunburn. UVB wavelength = 290 to 320 nm.

Image credit : www.rawelementsusa.com
(EWG's Top Rated Sunscreen)

Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide in natural sunscreen recipes offer the best protection for UVA and UVB because they are able to reflect wavelengths in both ranges.

If you are unsure about which SPF sunscreen that you should use, look at the illustration below to guide you.

Image credit : Unknown

Natural sun protection ingredients with their corresponding SPF values

Red raspberry seed oil SPF between 30 and 50 Carrot seed oil SPF 30 Wheat germ oil SPF 20 Hazelnut oil SPF 15 Soybean oil SPF 10 Hemp oil SPF 6 Macadamia oil SPF 6 Olive Oil SPF 4 Shea butter SPF 4

Jojoba oil SPF 4 Rice bran oil SPF 4 Sesame oil SPF 4 Avocado oil SPF 4 Peanut oil SPF 4 Shea Butter SPF 4 Sea Buckthorn Oil SPF 2 to 4 Coconut oil SPF 2 Vitamin E – helps protect against UV damage

• Zinc oxide SPF 20 at 20% concentration - Inorganic natural mineral in powder form that reflects sun. By adding zinc oxide to essential oils, you will get a wider ranging sunscreen protector with good durability. SPF 2 to 45.
• Titanium dioxide SPF 20 at 25% concentration - Inorganic natural mineral in powder form that reflects sun. By combining with zinc oxide and essential oils, you will get the widest ranging sunscreen protector with good durability for a natural sunscreen. SPF 2 to 45.

Where there is an SPF of 2 to 45, for example, the reason for this is the concentration on your skin and/or the product itself.

If you had to dunk your entire body into a container of pure zinc oxide, you would probably achieve a SPF of around 45. If a cosmetic contains zinc oxide, the SPF would start at about 2 and level off at about SPF 30 - taking into consideration the concentration of zinc oxide that is mixed with other ingredients in the same cosmetic.

For the oils, raspberry for example, the SPF reduces the more refined it is. Maximum SPF can only be achieved from the first cold press. Once you start to filter the particles, decolourise and deodorize the oil, its SPF ability reduces.

These SPF's are only for indication and would vary considerably due to ingredient quality and manufacturing techniques.

Simplicity makes it easy to make and share

These recipes are simple to make and easy to use. Most ingredients are available from local health shops. Occasionally, you may have to buy some ingredients on the internet.

If the ingredients are not available in your country, always check your local laws to make sure that you can import cosmetics into your country - some countries restrict the import of cosmetic ingredients.

These homemade natural sunscreen recipes are probably just the tip of the iceberg. There are probably many more favourites out there.

If you have one that you love and would like to share, we would all be very grateful and so would our community.

You can send one (or some) to us by using the form below.

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