1 cup Olive oil or other natural oil (grocery store) 1 oz (28 g) Pure beeswax (health food store or online) 1 to 2 tbsp USP grade zinc oxide or titanium dioxide powder (health food store, pharmacy or online) Essential oil (optional)
Saucepan Heat-resistant glass jar (optional, if using double-boiler method) Spoon for stirring Gloves and face mask Stove Storage container with lid (glass jar, ceramic pot, or plastic bottle will do)
To ensure the integrity of the ingredients, you might try using a double-boiler method to melt them instead of placing them directly in the saucepan. This will also save you from having to only use your saucepan for making sunscreen. To use the double-boiler method, heat an inch or two of water in a saucepan until it’s simmering, then mix the ingredients (NOT including the oxide powder) in a heat-resistant glass jar and place the jar upright into the water, allowing it to sit there until all of the ingredients are melted together.
The beeswax makes the resulting product viscous, like a skin cream. It’s what holds the oxide in suspension so that it doesn’t all sink down to the bottom of the container. For a thicker, heavier sunscreen, add more beeswax. For one that is lighter and smooths on more easily, add a little less beeswax. [1] X Research source
Just use a couple of drops to ensure that it’s not an overly strong or irritating smell, especially if you intend to use it on your face.
As an extra precaution you can also wear safety goggles, which will protect your eyes in case anything splashes up when you add the powder to the hot oil solution. As you’ll be dealing with hot oil, make sure that the gloves you wear are heat-resistant and won’t melt if any oil splashes up on to them. Heat-resistant rubber gloves will work well. Just make sure they fit you well so that you can still use your hands without feeling clumsy.
You can use either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, although zinc oxide seems to be more common amongst DIY sunscreen makers. Make sure the powder is USP grade, which means that it is suitable for food, drug, or medicinal use.
Depending on the thickness of your mixture, you might be able to get away with a squeeze bottle. A wide-mouthed jar will make it easier for you to stir the solution while it cools though, and less of the solution will be likely to go to waste. If you’re pouring the mixture into a container with a narrow neck, use a pastry bag to squeeze the sunscreen through. It will likely be too thick for a funnel. Just make sure that the sunscreen isn’t still very hot while you do this lest you burn yourself.
The oxide can settle when the sunscreen is cooling. It can also sink to the bottom of the container if it is out in the heat for too long. It’s important to stir it or shake it up before use in these situations, so that you get the full protective benefits of the oxide.
If the sunscreen gets too hot or too cold, the ingredients might shift. If the oxide powder isn’t evenly distributed throughout the sunscreen, it will not be effective. If the sunscreen melts or hardens, you will need to stir the sunscreen to evenly distribute the oxide powder once it’s back at room temperature and a regular thickness.
1/2 cup Almond or olive oil 1/4 cup Coconut oil 1 tsp Red raspberry oil (optional) 1 tsp Carrot seed oil (optional) 1 tsp Vitamin E oil (optional) A few drops of essential oils of your choosing (optional) 2 tbsp Shea butter 1/4 cup Beeswax 2 tbsp zinc oxide
As an example, you might add lavender oil and cut the beeswax content of the DIY recipes in this article for a lighter, lavender-scented sunscreen that easily smooths over your skin.
The more oxide you use in your sunscreen mixture, the more protection you’ll get. Sunscreens commonly come in concentrations of between 5% and 25% oxide. [11] X Research source Both types of oxide are effective, but zinc oxide is believed to offer broader, more effective sun protection. [12] X Research source
Doctors worry that even if the ingredients are effective, the way in which they are mixed might undermine them. For instance, if your oxide powder isn’t properly blended with the rest of the ingredients, it might only protect your skin in patches, or worse, not at all. [13] X Research source Doctors also warn that since DIY sunscreen makers don’t usually have labs or testing environments for their sunscreen, there is no scientific way to properly measure the level of UV protection their mixtures provide. [14] X Research source
To be properly protected, you must have a sunscreen that protects against booth UVA and UVB rays. This is why it’s so important to have a good amount of oxide powder in your sunscreen. Zinc oxide in particular is good at blocking UVA and UVB rays. [16] X Research source
Cocoa, green and black tea, micro-algae (chlorella and spirulina), and carotenoids and antioxidants found in fruits and veggies are all great for boosting your skin’s natural ability to fight the sun’s harmful rays.
It’s now relatively easy to find sunscreen options that are organic, chemical free, and just as safe as your homemade concoction, with the added benefit of being lab-tested for UV protection.
