Our skin is very sensitive to the sun, and getting sunburnt can easily turn into a painful process that can last weeks. So why do we still seem indifferent to avoiding this? Worse yet, by the time summer begins and you think of putting sunscreen on more often, your skin is already burnt or somewhat affected. Sunscreen protects your skin from harmful UV rays.
To avoid this problem in the future and make sure that your skin is prepared for all weather changes year-round, here are some important pointers on how to prepare for your skin in sunlight by making sunscreen at home with food ingredients
Is homemade sunscreen a good option?
Many people often doubt if homemade sunscreen is good enough. In this article, we will go through the ingredients and explain the process of how to make it.
In this post, we'll walk you through how to make homemade sunscreen that is a healthier alternative for your skin than some typical store-bought options. It's not as complicated or scary as it may seem.
Making your own sunscreen has many benefits including using natural oils and sunscreens that are better for your skin. You can use whatever ingredients you like, which allows you to customize it to fit your needs.
We'll also go over what sunscreens work best for different skin types, since there are many different types of oils out there and which ones are best for dry or oily skin will depend on the person.
Why make homemade sunscreen?
When the sun comes out, we all want to make sure that we don’t get burned. It is a good idea to try and cover up as much skin as possible with clothing or sunscreen so that our bodies stay protected and healthy.
Most people think of sunscreen as a lotion that they can buy at the store and then apply liberally when they go outside. However, there is another type of “sunscreen” that you may not have even considered before; homemade sunscreen!
Many people worry about how much time it takes to make homemade sunscreen if you are also trying to do other things like taking care of your family or your home. However, if you have a popsicle maker, you can mix up your sunscreen in less than ten minutes.
There are so many benefits to using homemade sunscreen over store-bought products. First of all, when you make it yourself you know exactly what is in it. You aren’t using any chemicals that could be harmful to your body or your skin.
There are also a ton of natural ingredients that can keep your skin looking and feeling healthy with or without the use of sunscreen.
How to make sunscreen at home?
Sunscreen is a must-have for anyone who spends any time outdoors during the summer, but most people don't like to use commercial sunscreens because they are expensive and full of chemicals.
Fortunately, there's a cheaper way to go: you can make your own sunscreen with just three simple ingredients. This post covers everything you need to know about mixing up your own sunscreen and includes recipes with variations so that you can find one that suits your needs.
Many people think homemade natural sunscreen is too risky to use, but they are wrong. For the average person, it's best to use a store-bought lotion with SPF protection because it contains ingredients such as oxybenzone and octinoxate which are better suited for fighting off UVA and UVB rays.
However, if you know what you're doing, you can make your own DIY sunscreen at home that has the same type of protection without any risk.
In this article, We'll outline how to mix essential oils into coconut oil so that your tan will come out naturally much darker than if done with store-bought products.
The required ingredients are:
Coconut Oil:
This is the main ingredient in homemade sunscreen. Refined coconut oil that is not scented with any added ingredients.
This oil melts at a low temperature and has been shown to have some mild SPF protection when used on its own.
However, you should take note that coconut oil alone has an SPF rating that's too low for it to be considered reliable as the sole source of sun protection over sustained periods.
Cocoa Butter:
The addition of cocoa butter gives homemade sunscreen a higher SPF rating, but it also gives the lotion better consistency and texture since cocoa butter is solid at room temperature.
If you don't want to use coconut oil, you can substitute it with cocoa butter.
Avocado Oil:
Avocado oil (and some other oils) acts as a penetration enhancer that penetrates through the skin faster than other types of oils.
Avocado oil is milder than coconut oil and has a higher SPF rating when compared to coconut oil despite having the same SPF rating.
The fact that avocado oil has a high melting point makes it good for homemade sunscreen for oily skin since most people don't want their sunscreen to melt in the heat or while they're wearing it.
You can also use other oils such as sunflower seed and rice bran oil if you do not have or cannot get hold of avocados.
Lanolin:
This is a great ingredient for homemade sunscreen since it acts as an emulsifier to keep all the active ingredients from separating from the rest of the lotion.
Some people choose to use an emulsifier like vitamin E in its place, but lanolin is much more effective since vitamin E will oxidise quickly when exposed to light and air.
Citric Acid:
Citric acid is a naturally-occurring ingredient that helps to give homemade sunscreen its SPF rating. Citric acid is a type of organic acid that is commonly used in food.
While citric acid helps to give homemade sunscreen SPF 50 rating, it also makes homemade sunscreen less stable and more prone to change over time.
If you want your DIY sunscreen to keep for longer then you might want to look into using a preservative like a rosemary oil instead of citric acid.
Steps involved in making your homemade sunscreen:
Step 1:
Mix the ingredients in the order shown below:
Preferably use a blender to mix the ingredients since there will be some lumps. This is normal and nothing to worry about.
Step 2:
Play with different combinations of these ingredients until you find one that works for you. Just remember, the more oil you add, the better your sunscreen will be for protecting you from sun damage.
Each person's preferences and skin types are different and it's always best to test out products on a small patch of skin first. If you're using a chemical sunscreen like zinc oxide, then make sure to use either lanolin or vitamin E as your emulsifier because they are less likely to oxidize upon contact with light and air.
Step 3:
Once you've found a combination of ingredients that you prefer, fill up the rest of your spray bottle with distilled water. The water must be distilled since it will not have any contaminants in it. Tap water usually contains many contaminants that can affect the quality of your DIY sunscreen lotion.
Step 4:
Shake the mixture thoroughly and then squirt out no more than 1/2 tablespoon each time you apply homemade sunscreen lotion on yourself or others.
About Homemade Sunscreen
Like any other kind of sunscreen, homemade sunscreen works by absorbing into your skin and bouncing off UV rays before they can penetrate your skin and damage it.
Some SPF ratings indicate that you only need a small amount of this type of protection, but this isn't necessarily true.
Conclusion
Always remember to apply homemade sunscreen at least 20 minutes before every period of direct exposure to sunlight.
This is because you want the sun protection ingredients in your DIY sunscreen lotion to have enough time to bind properly onto your skin.
Applying too much homemade sunscreen too frequently will only result in the sun protection chemicals washing off of your skin faster than they can build up.
The best way to figure out how much you should be using is by considering how much SPF you want for your DIY sunscreen. You'll notice that most SPF 30+ suntan lotions are not very thick, and some people prefer a thinner consistency out of their DIY sunscreen.
FAQs
How effective is homemade sunscreen?
Homemade sunscreen is as effective as any store-bought sunscreen and it is even more skin-friendly since it’s tailor-made to work with sensitive skin.
What are some ingredients used in making homemade sunscreen?
Some basic ingredients are citric acid, cocoa butter, avocado oil, coconut oil
How long does homemade sunscreen last?
It lasts for up to a year when it’s properly stored.