Using sunscreen is one of the best ways to protect your skin from the sun and it’s damaging effects, such as sunburns, brown spots, discoloration and blotchiness, wrinkles and other signs of aging, and skin cancer. If that doesn’t convince you to wear sunscreen, what will? Especially when you can make your own sunscreen at home using a few natural ingredients from your pantry or local herbal apothecary and avoid the chemical formulas in store-bought products.
The following recipe for homemade sunscreen contains ingredients that are gentle, safe, effective, easy to use, and chemical free.
Ingredients:
1/8 cup lanolin
¼ cup almond oil
¼ cup coconut oil
¼ cup aloe vera gel
½ cup chamomile tea
¼ cup dried calendula petals
10-15 drops lavender essential oil
Method:
- Using a double boiler or small saucepan over very low heat, melt lanolin and almond oil together. Beat in coconut oil with a whisk. Add the aloe vera gel and chamomile infusion, and beat until mixture is cool and creamy.
- Stir in calendula petals and lavender essential oil.
- Store in airtight jars in a cool, dark pantry or refrigerator up to six months. This recipe makes about 1 ¾ cups.
The cooling, healing properties of aloe, chamomile, calendula, and lavender combined with the protecting and moisturizing properties of coconut oil, almond oil, and lanolin make this all-natural sunscreen a powerful tool for healthy skin. It not only provides your skin with a barrier from harmful rays, but also soothes overexposed or irritated skin.
Keep in mind that homemade sunscreen has a lower SPF (about 20 SPF) than some store-bought sunscreens. An SPF of 20 blocks about 94% of UVB rays.