Sunscreen. It’s a summer must, what could be so bad about it? Unfortunately, most sunscreens found in stores contain toxic chemicals.
“It’s estimated that we come into contact with anywhere between 700,000 and 2.1 million different toxic chemicals a day – many of which are in our personal care and skin care products.”
Rubbing chemicals on your skin can be worse than ingesting them because they enter the bloodstream without any filtering. Your skin is the largest organ of your body and your skin absorbs 60% of what you put on it.
At least nine of the sunscreen ingredients the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved are known endocrine disruptors. Of the 1,400+ sunscreens tested by the EWG, over 40% were listed as potentially contributing to skin cancer.
what are the solutions?
DO IT YOURSELF!!! I finally made my own and I am so happy with how it came out. I didn’t know these natural ingredients protected your skin from the sun on their own! (plus many other benefits!)
Carrot seed oil– natural SPF of 35-40! anti-inflammatory
Red raspberry oil – natural SPF of 25-50
Shea butter – natural SPF of 4-6, moisturizer, good source of vitamins for your skin, anti-inflammatory
Almond oil – natural SPF of 5, sooths irritation, deep moisturizer
Coconut oil – natural SPF of 2-8, antibacterial, moisturizer, high in antioxidants
Beeswax – makes sunscreen waterproof, protects skin from damaging elements, antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory
Vitamin E oil – helps preserve shelf life, antioxidant, moisturizer, anti-inflammatory
Zinc oxide (non-nano, not coated) – SPF 2-20
recipes
Click for the sunscreen recipe I used
Wellness Mama homeade sunscreen
Important* buy non-nano, not coated zinc oxide, BE CAREFUL TO NOT INHALE THE ZINC OXIDE! Wear a mask of some sort while making it (zinc oxide is fine on skin but not okay when inhaled) its not fully waterproof so reapply after the water, don’t use citrus essential oils because it can increase sun, this is an estimated SPF of 30-40 but not tested for exact.
It does feel slightly different to normal store bought sunscreen but I was pleasantly surprised with how it applied. It’s feels a little greasy at first because of the shea butter and does take a little more rubbing in to not look white. But its wayyy more moisturizing and smells better! Buying all the ingredients feels expensive at first, but I’ll probably have enough to make my own sunscreen for the next 5 summers! Making things yourself generally saves you money in the long run.
buy non-toxic sunscreen
If this seems like too much of a hassle, these are the top 5 natural mineral sunscreens by EWG:
Badger All Natural Sunscreen Unscented
Kiss My Face Kids Mineral Natural Organic Sunscreen
Tropical Sands All Natural Biodegradable Mineral Sunscreen
Protect your skin from the inside out by eating lots of antioxidants! The American Cancer Society says that, consuming a variety of antioxidants through food sources can help reduce cancer risk.