When we lived in California, we didn’t worry much about sunscreen and chose other methods for avoiding sunburns when we were outside for a long period of time.
Now that we live in Georgia and there are many pool days in our future, I’m ready to jump in with two feet and make my own homemade sunscreen.
But with 50% of the family having fair skin that’s prone to burn easily, it was important that our homemade sunscreen worked.
Reasons to Make Homemade Sunscreen
For a long time, I bought whatever sunscreen was cheapest. Whether that was store brand or name brand, buying in bulk or using coupons – it didn’t matter. I bought it and we used it whenever we needed it, which really wasn’t that often.
We lived in an area that was typically cool and overcast. While you can get sunburned on a cloudy day, I was more concerned about our getting enough Vitamin D than getting burned. Family vacations aside, I can probably count on one hand the number of times we used sunscreen in the average year. Since we didn’t use sunscreen that often, I wasn’t too concerned about what was in it.
The weather where we live now is very different. It’s mostly sunny the majority of the time and we’re outside enjoying every minute we can. Our neighborhood pool has only been open a week and we’ve been there every single day.
As we gradually learn more and more about what we put on our skin, and balance it against how often we do it, making homemade sunscreen has become more of a priority for me.
You see, my daughter inherited my fair skin and together we cover ourselves head to toe with sunscreen. If we don’t, we burn after just 30 minutes in the sun. Summer days at the pool means applying and reapplying sunscreen on a regular basis.
The more often we use a product or eat a food, the better quality I want it to be, and we’re finally to the point where it’s time to upgrade our sunscreen. The top of my concerns are toxins, the cost of quality sunscreen and the fact that traditional sunscreens may even increase the risk of skin cancer.
Parabens
With the amount of sunscreen we use in the summer, our sunscreen needs to be free of toxins and parabens is at the top of the list. According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG),
Parabens act as a synthetic estrogenic compound and can alter hormone signaling… Proper endocrine signaling is particularly important during critical windows of development – while in the womb and during childhood and adolescence. Chemicals that disrupt hormone signaling can lead to adverse effect on development, reproduction and the neurological and immune systems.
Vitamin A
A study conducted by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) found that a form of vitamin A, retinyl palmitate, may increase the development of cancerous skin tumors and lesions.
This ingredient is found in all sorts of make-up and skin care items because it has anti-oxidant properties that slow the aging of the skin. However, this same ingredient that can cause a “greater sensitivity to sunlight” is also attributed to “enhancing the photocarcinogenic activity,” of sunlight according to a panel of independent scientists convened by the NTP.
Fragrance
The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t require the term “fragrance” to be broken down any further. Many companies hide their trade secrets behind this term on ingredient labels, and it might very well include something that is fragrant. But it can also include preservatives for the fragrance and other chemicals we’d never even know.
Because I don’t know what “fragrance” includes, I avoid it whenever possible.
Cost
With four people in our family who all love to spend days at the pool, I anticipate going through a lot of sunscreen this summer. We spent 3 weeks in Costa Rica last year and as a family, we went through an entire 8 ounce bottle of sunscreen each week!
We won’t be in the sun all day every day, so estimating about 4 ounces each week seems fair. The best, most affordable non-toxic sunscreen on the store shelves comes in a 2 ounce container and costs almost $10. If we went this route, we’d be paying nearly $160 in sunscreen alone this summer!
Your actual cost to make your own homemade sunscreen will vary since the main ingredient will depend on your brand preference. Buying both zinc oxide and carrot seed oil is an up-front cost, but they’ll last at least through the summer, if not longer. The carrot seed oil will make 8 batches of homemade sunscreen and the zinc oxide will make 14!
When I figure the cost of making one batch of homemade sunscreen every week this summer, I’m saving over $125!
Pure Ingredients
I’ve been dealing with acne-prone skin for as long as I can remember. It wasn’t until I switched to an all-natural soap that my skin finally cleared up.
Ever since, I avidly read every label of any product I put on my skin. I even make my own tinted moisturizer and powdered foundation and so that minimal ingredients are used on my face.
The rest of my body isn’t quite as prone to breaking out as my face, but I’m still hesitant about ingredients. And since I don’t want to have a separate bottle of sunscreen just for my face, I’d rather make a homemade sunscreen that worked for the entire body, for the whole family.
Most homemade sunscreen recipes include ingredients like coconut oil and shea butter or cocoa butter to make a lotion as a base. I’ve been trying various homemade lotion recipes using these ingredients for two years now and have been successful for homemade magnesium lotion. However, for just a plain lotion, my family hasn’t like any of the batches.
So it shouldn’t be a surprise that the homemade sunscreen recipes that also use these ingredients would create a texture that I wouldn’t like either:
- Some were way too thick.
- Some were sticky.
- Some smelled awful.
- Some wouldn’t rub in (at all).
- Some were too oily.
For one reason or another, every homemade sunscreen recipe I tried was a no-go.
However, one common thread I did find was that the homemade sunscreens with zinc oxide worked. And that’s what spawned me to create my own homemade sunscreen recipe with just 3 ingredients, using our favorite lotion as a base!
What Lotion Should You Use?
As I just mentioned, you want to avoid lotions that have parabens, synthetic Vitamin A and fragrance. Lotions that are scented naturally using essential oils and/or herbs are fine.
My husband will confess to being a lotion snob, and for a long time he’s only use one brand of lotion that DID HAVE these ingredients. It took me YEARS to find a lotion that met his standards and didn’t have these awful ingredients. The first day he tried it he told me, “Babe, make sure we never run out of this stuff. It’s amazing!”
He fell in love with Genesis Hand and Body Lotion by Young Living. If you’re not familiar with Young Living, here’s where you can learn more.
Controlling the SPF of Homemade Sunscreen
My homemade sunscreen recipe relies on two ingredients to provide SPF: zinc oxide and carrot seed oil.
You can increase the amount of SPF you want in your homemade sunscreen by adding more zinc oxide, or by using less, in relation to the amount of lotion you’re starting with. Here’s a general chart for zinc oxide recommendations:
- SPF 2-5: Use 5% zinc oxide
- SPF 6-11: Use 10% zinc oxide
- SPF 12-19: Use 15% zinc oxide
- SPF 20+: Use 20% zinc oxide
If you wanted to make homemade sunscreen with an SPF of 20, you would calculate 20% of the amount of lotion you’re starting with. So if you have 4 ounces of lotion, you would use .8 ounces of zinc oxide.
This is where a kitchen scale is very handy when making homemade sunscreen, although you can make do with measuring spoons if that’s what you have. One ounce is about the same as 2 tablespoons, so .8 ounces would be 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons.
Carrot seed oil has a natural SPF ranging from 35-50. While this won’t add to the total SPF of the homemade sunscreen, I like to add some because of it’s own SPF properties. We have fair skin, remember? Better safe than sorry.
And if you don’t have carrot seed oil, raspberry seed oil has a similar SPF profile of 30-50.
Tips for Successful Homemade Sunscreen
Depending on the type of lotion you use and oils you have on hand, you might have to add other ingredients to make it a bit more user-friendly as a sunscreen.
For example, my husband’s favorite lotion absorbs really quickly. This is fine as a lotion, but when I use it to make homemade sunscreen, it absorbs before I’ve had a chance to rub the sunscreen over the area. Adding 1-2 tablespoons of a nourishing oil helps to thin the homemade sunscreen just a bit so I have extra time to rub it in.
Zinc oxide is famous for leaving a layer of white on the skin. Depending on how much zinc oxide you use, the layer might be thin and barely noticeable, or it might be thick and quite noticeable. You can tint homemade sunscreen though, to better match your skin. To do this, add cocoa powder 1/2 tsp at a time until you reach the desired color.
You can see the white sunscreen two pictures above, and the tinted sunscreen in the previous picture. I used 1 tsp of cocoa powder in that batch and found it to be good for my fair skin.
Finally, raspberry seed oil also has SPF properties if you’re unable to find carrot seed oil. Use the same amount as you would for carrot seed oil.
How to Make Homemade Sunscreen with Just 3 Ingredients
Homemade Sunscreen Supplies
- 4 oz of your favorite non-toxic lotion (I prefer the lotion from Bend Soap Company while my husband likes Aveeno)
- .8 oz zinc oxide for about 20 SPF (about 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp)
- 12 drops carrot seed oil (scant ¼ tsp)
Optional Ingredients (see “Tips for Successful Homemade Sunscreen” for how to use)
- 12 drops raspberry seed oil
- 2 Tbsp jojoba oil or sweet almond oil
- 1-2 tsp cocoa powder
Homemade Sunscreen Method
Measure lotion into a small bowl. Add the zinc oxide, oil(s) and any other optional ingredients as needed and mix well.
Store in a glass jar or in a squeezable tube like this one. This recipe makes about 1/2 cup. Multiply as needed to make as much as you need.
How to Make Homemade Waterproof Sunscreen
The recipe above makes a sunscreen that rubs in easily and doesn’t feel greasy. I attribute this largely to using a lotion that we already like.
If you want to make a sunscreen that’s waterproof and will stand up to time spent in the pool, use this recipe.
Homemade Waterproof Sunscreen Supplies
- 1 oz beeswax pellets (about 2 Tbsp)
- 4 oz of your favorite non-toxic lotion (I prefer the lotion from Bend Soap Company while my husband likes Aveeno)
- .8 oz zinc oxide for about 20 SPF (rounded 3/4 Tbsp)
- 12 drops carrot seed oil (scant ¼ tsp)
Optional Ingredients (see “Tips for Successful Homemade Sunscreen” for how to use)
- 12 drops raspberry seed oil** (scant ¼ tsp)
- 2 Tbsp jojoba oil or sweet almond oil
- 1/2-2 tsp cocoa powder
Homemade Waterproof Sunscreen Method
Make a double boiler by placing a glass or metal bowl over a pan of boiling water. Measure beeswax and allow to melt.
Remove the melted wax from the heat and let it cool just slightly. Add the lotion and zinc oxide and stir until it’s completely incorporated.
Add the essential oils and any other optional ingredients as needed and stir well. Allow to cool before using. Although I really like using these squeezable tubes at the pool, homemade waterproof sunscreen is easier to clean out of glass jars.
Tip: Working with beeswax can be messy. Be sure to use bowls and spoons you won’t care to get dirty. For tips on how to clean beeswax and butters off your kitchen gear, read the tutorial on this post.
Best Natural Sunscreens to Buy
I was overwhelmed at the mere thought of making homemade sunscreen for a long time. If that’s where you are right now, there’s nothing wrong with going store-bought for now.
I still buy sunscreen for the times we’re traveling or if I just don’t have time to make more! We LOVE the Mineral Sunscreen Lotion from Young Living (click here to learn more) and it’s easy to toss into the pool bag or pack on vacation without worrying about ruining our clothes!
Here are some other sunscreens recommended by the EWG and from fellow moms!
Have you made homemade sunscreen before? How do you like it compared to traditional sunscreen?
I never thought about adding cocoa powder to tint my homemade sunscreen – thanks for that great idea!
You’re welcome Dena!!
I’d be careful using cocoa powder if you have dogs. They often like to lick a person’s skin after lotion is applied and cocoa powder can be deadly for them. (Of course, it’s best if you stop them from licking any lotion off you, but kids might not be as aware of the danger.)
Thanks for the tip Victoria!
u can use carob powder instead of cocoa if u have dogs. carob has no caffeine, tastes and smells awesome too
hi Tiffany! I subscribed to your newsletter two months ago and I have benefitted from it already. We are from Europe and live in Europe so some things are surely different (I am a bit surprised that this real/whole food thing is so big in the US because here it is still (but sadly, things are changing here, too) normal to buy unprocessed foods, even directly from farmers. I love getting eggs from our neighbor who farms organically and bike down the road for fresh strawberries or a tiny bit further, to the next farmer for all sorts of produce, even sweet potatoes and purple ones in the Fall! Funny, I just recently made our own sunscreen for the first time, too. We are all rather tan, except for the little guy who’s comparatively fair. Mine is made of oils and beeswax: wheat germ oil, sesame seed oil, coconut oil, beeswax and a few drops of essential oil, of choice. Made your toothpaste three weeks ago and my husband and I like using it…. Well, minus the gritty feeling between the teeth. We do need to rinse well!
I make her toothpaste, but instead of the sweetener she recommends, I use local organic honey.; you will know how much when the texture looks like purchased toothpaste. It works amazingly well.
I am very fair and prone to burning, getting rashes from sunscreens, and blistering if I expose my parts that are not used to sun (like the backs of my knees, my inner legs, my butt). In addition to zinc and titanium based sunscreens, I take Astaxanthin 12 mg. supplements in the summer months and it seems to help me not burn so bad and so easily as when I don’t take it. I will try the homemade one, I hate the feel of most of them, except the chemical ones that are terrible for me and ultimately give me rashes.
Wow Cindy, I haven’t heard of that supplement before. This homemade sunscreen works for us at the 20 SPF level (recipe as written), but you will need to reapply if your skin is very prone to burning. We reapply every 2 hours regardless.
I just use the Zinc Oxide ointment for a sunscreen on my daughter who was seriously burned at age 2. But it leaves her looking like a ghost. I am eager to try the addition of Cocoa Powder. Thank you.
You’re welcome!
Thank you for this! I have 9 children and many of them have very sensitive skin. The sunscreen that works with their skin and doesn’t have all of the garb in it, costs me $25 for 5 oz. bottle. I am going to try this for sure!!! Thank you very much for this post.
You’re most welcome Heather!!
Hello, does the adding of Zinc make the lotion look white or does it blend into the skin well?
Hi Marie – it makes it have a white tint. The more you add, the thicker the white tint will be. That’s why I suggested to add cocoa to the lotion to help give it a tint, so it’s not quite as obvious when you apply it. 🙂
This may be a dumb question but do you find that adding the cocoa brings the yummy scent about thus having an issue with bugs or ants nearby? Or could you omit the cocoa and add some “bug diffusing” essential oils to the batch?
Not a dumb question! I haven’t noticed any bugs being attracted to the sunscreen, but I haven’t tested it in the woods or while hiking – just at the pool (although Georgia definitely has bugs at the pool!). If you want to repel bugs, definitely add a few drops of essential oils! This makes a little over 4 ounces, so be sure to dilute whatever you choose appropriately. 🙂
Thank you! I can’t waitt give it a try!!
Could coconut oil be substituted for the lotion in this recipe?
I haven’t tested that Heather, so I can’t say for sure. I think it would be a bit oily to apply, but then again, I could be wrong. You’re welcome to experiment and if you do, please let us know how it turns out!
I love coconut oil on my skin. It absorbs without leaving an oily residue. It would also add a tiny amount of spf.
I’ve read (and it also makes sense, since coconut oil is an oil) that coconut oil will not protect against the sun and instead will help with tanning.
Hello Tiffany,
I thought you may want to know Honest Company sunscreen received many scary reviews on Amazon. I thought you may want to take a look. Kiss My Face looks like a winner.
Thanks Linda! I heard this too, but I also heard that Honest Company was changing their formula for this year. It made me me think that it was great at one time, then it wasn’t, but HC is trying to make it great again. I left it up since I don’t know whether the reviewers got “old” or “new” batches, but I’ll definitely revisit this before next pool season!
For lotion I usually make from a mixture of shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, almond oil, and cornstarch. Would this work as a the ‘lotion’ for this sunscreen? I bought zinc about six months ago but have been too afraid to use it. This looks easy enough and I will make sure to try it on myself before my kids!
If you make your own lotion Janelle, then that should work! I just haven’t found a homemade lotion that a) I like, and b) can replicate myself. 🙂
The Amazon link you have for carrot oil had some problematic reviews (looks like it may be very diluted, etc. ). You may want to see if you can find a better link for the carrot oil, if that is not where you actually got yours.
Thanks Gwen! I actually used Plant Therapy but couldn’t find a link at the time. It’s updated now!
Looking forward to trying this sunscreen! But wondering if the carrot seed oil your recipe calls for is the “essential oil” form, or the less concentrated “oil” form? In other recipes I have read, the difference seems important and I wanted to be sure I got the right thing. So glad to find a good simple recipe! Thank you.
Hi Mary! I recommend the essential oil form. 🙂 Hope you enjoy the simplicity of this recipe!
I have tried the waterproof sunscreen twice now and both times the beeswax hardens back up as soon as the lotion is added in. So it is terribly lumpy and looks horrible on the skin. (The beeswax won’t rub in.) What am I doing wrong? The non-waterproof is terrific, although usually I will need the waterproof kind for the pool and beach. I hate I invested so much in these ingredients.
Hi Maria! Is your lotion room temperature? Cool lotion added to melted beeswax will cause it to harden. You can also start with just 1 tsp of beeswax, instead of the full 2 Tbsp. Another option is to add 1-2 tsp of olive oil or avocado oil to help the liquid/solid ratio if reducing the amount of beeswax doesn’t help.
Environmental factors can play a big part in DIY’s, so it might take a batch or two to get it right. And your investment isn’t wasted. If the non-waterproof is working good, try making a batch of that and then add the hardened beeswax version to it. It’s a way to dilute the beeswax you’ve already used w/o wasting ingredients. 🙂
Thanks, Tiffany. My lotion was room temperature. I did put the whole thing back in the double boiler and mixed and mixed until the beeswax was melted again and incorporated. I don’t know how that affects the quality of the other ingredients, though! It is still a little hard to rub in, but at least we may can use it up.
Mine did too. I had to melt everything because of it and it is so grainy and awful. I wasted a lot on this. It looks identical too the photo, so I’m not sure how this isn’t grainy and waxy. I’m using raw coconut oil and shea the next time around so I can melt everything together with the beeswax. So disappointed.
Mel – have you tried the non-waterproof version? Or just the waterproof?
Quick question about zinc. Are there different types? I am from Canada and supplies are not easy to find and shipping from Amazon.com across the border is not often availalbe on this type of product. This is what I ordered: https://www.newdirectionsaromatics.ca/products/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=zinc
Then, I read another blog about absorption into bloodstream and non-nano zinc. I am not a chemist and really want the sunscreen to be a safe alternative. Hoping to make some this week, but will delay until I hear a response.
Hi Janelle! We will look into this and get back to you. That’s a great question!
Hi Janelle! There is a difference between zinc oxide: “regular” and non-nano. You want non-nano, which is basically when the zinc is too big to be absorbed by the skin into the blood stream. This is why most zinc-based sunscreens have a white tint to them – they’re not absorbed!
Good to know.
Thank you! Made the sunscreen and love it! I have freckled skin that burns easily so I tested if before using it ok my kids. The cocoa is a great addition. I used cocoa butter, shae butter, coconut oil, and cornstarch for the lotion. I just need to make sure to keep the sunscreen out of the sun or it melts!
You’re most welcome Janelle!
Have you used plastic jars for these recipes? I have a few and wondered if they would work well without anything leeching into the lotion. Thanks!
You could use plastic jars for this recipe. Tiffany uses squeezable tubes that are plastic.
I noticed in the waterproof sunscreen that you only use half of the zinc oxide. Is that correct?
That’s actually a typo Roxie that I missed! Thank you for pointing it out to me! 1 oz = 2 Tbsp, so .8 oz is about 3/4 of 1 Tbsp.
You can use calamine lotion as sunscreen. It gives 100 percent protection an does not wash off while swimming. Also no allergic reactions. And very easy to use.
Interesting – I haven’t heard of this, but it makes sense since one of the main ingredients is zinc oxide (although I’m not sure the percentage, and I don’t know how well it would protect). Does it make you pink?
Is there a way to make natural homemade sunscreen without any oils? I have sensitive skin and sunscreen with oil in it makes me burn like I put sun oil on my skin… I discovered this myself when I was 11 and have been avoiding oil in my sunscreen since I’m 35 now… they’ve made increasingly hard to find oil free sunscreen because they just use different names to hide the oils… but I’ve gotten smarter lol any help would be great!
Hi Kelli! You can make this recipe and omit the essential oil if you’d like. That just means finding a lotion you like, and adding the zinc oxide and letting it be. The cocoa isn’t a bad idea though, especially if you don’t want solid white streaks on your body, LOL.
I’ve been making my own skin products for a few years now and LOVE it! My skin has cleared up considerably. I never had acne per se but I did break-out (at least once a month during my lovely visit from Aunt Flow). Ever since detoxing my skin off of store bought skin products and making my own natural products, my skin loves me!
I’m a fair skinned redhead with red undertones. Unfortunately, I’ve always had a difficult time finding foundation that works with my skin tone and whenever I did find one, the company would discontinue that color. Probably because there aren’t that many people out there with my type of skin/color/tone.
I’ve toyed with the idea of making my own but it just seemed so daunting. Sounds weird coming from a girl that makes her own skin products but I was really thinking about adding cocoa (which is so dark) to my face cream and it looking like my head belonged on another persons body because it would be much darker tone than the rest of me.
I have to say that after reading a few of your blogs, this new blogger is going to attempt to do what you’ve done. You’ve inspired me! Thank you for that!
I’m honored to inspire you Amy! This DIY is one of the easiest there is out there. You can skip the cocoa at first, and then add in as necessary. Do small increments and mix well and you’ll do fine!
I am a dark headed brunette with olive skin. I hardly ever used to burn or have a reaction to sunscreens. However probably over the last 6-8 years (I’m now almost 42) I get the weirdest reactions from sunscreens. From welty dry itchy patches to red streaks to sometimes small clear looking blisters on the top of my hands. What’s even more weird is that it’s not all over. Just in what I would deem a sensitive spot, like the back under side of my upper arm close to the arm pit, back of my thigh close to buttocks, and the tops of my hands. I would really like to try this recipe. Is it necessary to add the zinc since the carrot seed oil has so much SPF in it? I mean I’ll try the cocoa powder but not real sure about the tint since I already have a significant one to begin with. Obviously the zinc adds more SPF but is it necessary to use in order for this to work? I’d love to make this for my whole family. Thank you in advance for all the information and recipe!
Hi Jena! The zinc is much more of a necessary ingredient than the carrot seed oil, so I definitely wouldn’t skip it. The cocoa powder is to tint the sunscreen, not you, so that when you put it on you don’t have a thin layer of white. Since you have olive skin, I wouldn’t skip that either. 😉
Thank you!
Your math is wrong, 4 oz lotion and 1 oz zinc is 20% zinc.
Actually Emma, I’m not. 4 oz x 20% = .8. You calculated a 25% ratio for zinc, not 20%.
Dear Tiffany,
Thanku very much for this incredible year long r&d recipe.with so much ease.
Thanku again from all of us.
I had bought shea butter, natural beeswax, pure almond oil, raspberry seed oil, vitamin e oil to prepare home made lotion.
And will use ur formula of 20% zinc ( non nano).
Will share the product how it will be done.
God bless.😋
You’re very welcome Nitesh!
I did not have success mixing this recipe. The zinc oxide did not incorporate fully, small clumps remain. Is there a special trick to getting it mixed in? Thanks.
Hi Ann! The small clumps didn’t bother us, but you could try using a food processor or a blender to get them to break up and incorporate better!
Are there any lotions available on Amazon that you would recommend? Thanks!!!
Hi Melissa! There may be lotions on Amazon that don’t have icky ingredients, but I don’t know of any brands off hand. I’m sorry!
Okay. Thanks!!!
Does it matter whether the cocoa powder is sweetened or not?
Nope!