DIY Sunscreen Stick
Protecting our skin from the sun is really important, but have you checked the ingredients in your sunscreen lately??? According to the environmental working group, many conventional sunscreens contain toxins, carcinogens, hormone disruptors and allergens! And yet we feel we have no choice but to slather ourselves and our children with these ingredients as the lesser of two evils (nobody wants skin cancer!!!). And don’t get me started on the dangers of spray on sunscreens! Finding a non toxic alternative that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg has been on my mind lately, especially with my new baby being born. I need to protect him from the sun without covering him in poison. Last year I made a pretty successful homemade sunscreen, but it was in a jar that was awkward to carry around, so this year I experimented to get it into DIY sunscreen stick form. So far, I am thrilled with it. We have tested it on family and friends with great success. I can’t say for sure what the SPF is, although I am guessing between 25 and 30. If you burn easily, please use at your own risk.
DIY Sunscreen Stick recipe:
½ cup coconut oil (where to get)
½ cup beeswax (where to get)
3 TBSP shea butter (where to get)
¼ cup almond oil (where to get)
2 TBSP Zinc Oxide (non-nano, so it doesn’t absorb into bloodstream… this is the ingredient giving the big SPF power kick) where to get
Optional:
50 drops of carrot seed essential oil
25 drops of geranium essential oil
10 drops of frankincense essential oil
You will also need deodorant tubes (get here)
First, melt the coconut oil, beeswax and shea butter in a double boiler over medium heat until they are liquid. Remove from heat and stir in the almond oil and Zinc Oxide (be careful not to inhale zinc oxide powder) until mixed thoroughly. Finally add the essential oils and mix well. Pour into deodorant tubes (makes about 4 tubes) and let cool until they become firm.
The DIY sunscreen stick will spread on smoothly on the skin and is somewhat water resistant, although like any other sunscreen, I would reapply every hour to 90 minutes spent in the sun.
The initial purchase of the ingredients may be a small investment, but I know these ingredients will last my family al summer long, making many batches of sunscreen. If I were buying expensive non toxic sunscreens, I know I would end up spending way more in the long run, so this is actually saving us a lot of money.
Please only put therapeutic grade essential oils on your skin. Many essential oils sold as “100% pure and natural” at health food stores are not what they claim and my children have had terrible skin reactions when I tried using them. This is how I get good quality oils at wholesale prices.
Please let me know how this DIY sunscreen stick works for you!
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DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor and the statements on this blog have not been evaluated by the FDA. Any products or techniques mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. I am just a mom who shares what works for me!
June 22, 2016 @ 4:42 pm
What benefits do the essential oils have in the sunscreen?
June 26, 2016 @ 1:09 pm
Essential oils are very supportive of the skin. I find my skin does VERY well when I use them. You can research them to learn more.
May 17, 2017 @ 1:35 am
Love the sunscreen recipe
May 23, 2017 @ 12:43 am
HI, I made your awesome recipe last night 🙂 but mine isn’t setting up that well. My husband is a biologist and took some into the field today and it melted all over.
Do you have any suggestions on how to set it up better? more beeswax? Let me know your thoughts.
May 31, 2017 @ 10:10 pm
Hmm. Yes, like most lip balms, it will melt in extreme heat… You can try more beeswax, or just pour it into a jar instead and make a lotion
May 27, 2017 @ 6:50 pm
Can this be used safely on our faces?
May 31, 2017 @ 10:08 pm
yes! I use it all the time on my face.
August 9, 2017 @ 4:57 pm
When I made this I find that the zinc oxide alway goes to the bottom no matter how much I mix it!
Any suggestions?
December 8, 2017 @ 8:37 pm
I find that some of it does go to the bottom, but enough stays in the body of the mixture to do a god job.
April 14, 2019 @ 11:40 pm
Hi,
I was looking for some information on skincare and came across your post: DIY Sunscreen Stick
It’s really nice! I especially liked how you mentioned that According to the environmental working group, many conventional sunscreens contain toxins, carcinogens, hormone disruptors and allergens!
Actually I just put together a super high-quality infographic on the Benefits of Retinol for Eternal Youth.
As someone that writes about health and beauty, I thought you might get a kick out of it.
Let me know if you want to check it out.
Izyl
May 23, 2019 @ 11:44 pm
Hi dear. I used this method after adding zinc oxide to mixture i apply cream on face it looklike white (like zinc color )
can you helpe me please
August 23, 2019 @ 3:13 pm
perhaps you are putting it on too thick? You only need a very fine layer
June 10, 2019 @ 8:30 pm
Is it spf 30?
August 23, 2019 @ 3:12 pm
I have no way of testing the SPF. However, I used to use SPF 30 on my kids and now I use this instead.
July 24, 2019 @ 10:01 pm
My son is allergic to almonds. Can us suggest an alternative to almond oil? Could I just use more coconut oil?
August 23, 2019 @ 3:09 pm
coconut oil is ok, but any other liquid carrier oil would work too.
May 17, 2020 @ 8:53 pm
How many tubes will this make?
June 12, 2020 @ 8:25 pm
about 3