A checkered picnic tablecloth, vine-ripened tomatoes, a basket of fresh strawberries—red is one of summer’s sweetest colors. Unless, of course, it shows up on your shoulders, cheeks and nose in the form of a wicked sunburn! Keep your skin safe from dangerous UV rays while keeping chemical-laced products out of your beach bag with this homemade natural sunscreen. The combination of plant-based oil, beeswax and zinc oxide has naturally protective properties, with the added bonus of working to soothe sun-exposed skin. For a vegan version, simply swap out beeswax for shea butter!
DIY Natural Sunscreen
Makes 1-1/4 cups sunscreen
Ingredients
1/2 cup coconut oil or avocado oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup zinc oxide
1/4 cup beeswax, melted
Directions
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together all ingredients.
- Store sunscreen in a glass jar.
Liana’s tips:
- Add a few drops of essential oil, vanilla extract or herbal extracts of choice for a fragrance.
- Replace beeswax with shea butter for vegan version.
- Instead of mixing together a recipe, try straight oils for sun protection. Raspberry seed oil offers the highest protection, with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30-50, carrot seed oil offers SPF 30 and sesame oil or hemp seed oil provides SPF 4-10. Zinc oxide also can be applied straight for sun protection.