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We have replaced most of the chemical laden products in our house with essential oils and natural cleaning supplies. But there are two areas where I’ve been slow to replace products – sunscreen and make-up.

But that is about to change. At least the sunscreen part. {I’ll gladly take make-up recommendations, especially concealer.}

I have always burned in the sun. Always. I was never one to turn a golden brown after a day at the beach. Instead, I turned a bright red and was miserable the rest of the trip. I don’t want that for my children, or myself.

While I have always wanted natural sunscreen alternatives, I’ve been too nervous to experiment on myself or my family. But last Summer was our first year using essential oils and I wanted to test them out. See if they really did what people said.

We went to the beach for a mini-vacation and I tried some natural alternatives to sunscreen. It actually went better than I thought it would. We used coconut oil as our base since it has a SPF of 2-8, and Myrrh that has an SPF of 20. The key to homemade sunscreen is to reapply, reapply, reapply. But let me tell you, while I did burn, it wasn’t nearly as bad as when I’ve used chemical-laden sunscreen in the past.

FYI, Lavender, Frankincense, and Peppermint essential oils with coconut oil make a great after sun lotion. Lavender takes the burn out, Frankincense is wonderful for the skin, and Peppermint is cooling.

SPF of Natural Oils

Coconut Oil – 2-8
Olive Oil – 2-8
Shea Butter – 3-6
Jojoba Oil –  4
Castor Oil – 6
Avocado Oil – 4-10
Red Raspberry Seed Oil – 28-50 (protects against UVA and UVB rays)
Carrot Seed Essential Oil – 38-40
Myrrh Essential Oil – 20

Make Your Own Sunscreen

1/4 cup of Coconut Oil {or shea butter}
1/2 cup of Avocado Oil {or other oil such as olive}
1/4 cup of beeswax pastilles
2 Tablespoons {up to 4T} zinc oxide powder – 2T is about a SPF of 20
essential oils with SPF {about 30 drops} – we use carrot seed and/or myrrh

1. In a small saucepan, mix together coconut oil, avocado oil, and beeswax pastilles, until melted.

2. Add in the zinc oxide powder.

3. Pour into a glass jar and let cool.

4. After it cools to room temperature, add essential oils.

5. Enjoy your time in the sun without the worry!

Just Buy It

Making your own sunscreen isn’t always possible. Sometimes you don’t have the ingredients or the time. Not a problem. Here are some safer options:

Badger Baby Sunscreen Cream – SPF 30 – All Natural & Certified Organic

Badger SPF 34 Sunscreen For Face & Body 2.9 oz (87 ml)

Green Screen Organic Sunscreen SPF 32 Original – Vegan and Gluten Free

Jersey Shore Sun Organic Sunscreen

Alba Botanica Very Emollient Natural Sun Block Mineral Protection Kids SPF 30 – 4 oz Alba Botanica

Blue Lizard Australian SUNSCREEN SPF 30+, Baby, SPF 30+, 8.75-Ounces

What to see how safe your sunscreen really is? Check out the score on EWG.