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3 Easy D.I.Y. Recipes for Natural Sun Care

3 Easy DIY Recipes for Natural Sun Care
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Have fun in the sun this summer and keep your skin safe too with all natural sun care products.

Many commercial skincare and sunscreen products combine toxic or allergenic ingredients with their sun protection. Make your own all-natural sunscreen lotion, SPF lip balm and aloe vera after-sun spray.

SPF Lotion and Lip Balm

SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor and indicates the number of minutes your skin will be protected from UV rays before you need to reapply.

Essential oils like eucalyptus and lavender provide low level SPF protection, and are great for soothing and repairing skin. Shea and cocoa butters, and coconut oil also only add minimal natural SPF. But when added to homemade sunscreen they nourish the skin, offering more protection against the effects of excessive sun.

Vitamin E oil nourishes and moisturizes skin, and acts as a natural preservative to homemade sunscreen. Non-nano zinc oxide*, which you can easily purchase online, provides effective broad spectrum sunblock. Best of all, these recipes are simple, all-natural and safe to apply again and again.

*Nano zinc particles, which are distinguished by being smaller than 100nm, are so small they can enter the body through the skin, causing potential health problems. Look for zinc oxide powder with particle size larger than 100nm, or, non-nano zinc powder.

Here are some tips and easy recipes for making your own Sunscreen Lotion and SPF Lip Balm.


Sunscreen Lotion

What You'll Need:
  • 1 oz. organic coconut oil
  • 0.8 oz. shea butter
  • 0.1 oz. Vitamin E oil
  • 15 drops each lavender and eucalyptus oil
  • non-nano zinc oxide powder
  • glass or plastic pump bottle

How to Make It: Add coconut oil, shea butter, and Bird of the Soul essential oil to a double boiler. (To make your own double boiler, place a Pyrex measuring cup or glass jar inside a pot filled with a few inches of water.) Heat gently until the shea butter is just melted. Remove from double boiler and allow to cool. Add the zinc oxide powder (Note: Wear a mask or cover your mouth when measuring out the zinc oxide to avoid breathing in the fine particles) and Vitamin E oil. Stir all ingredients well to combine. Store in a dark jar in the refrigerator.

Tip: For higher SPF, increase the amount of non-nano zinc oxide.


Natural Aromatherapy SPF Lip Balm

Keep your lips moist and protected with this yummy aromatherapy natural SPF lip balm. All you need are a set of measuring spoons and a pot of water.

What You'll Need:
  • 1 tbs. cocoa butter
  • ¼ tsp shea butter
  • 1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
  • 1 tbs. + 1 tsp. beeswax beads (also called pastilles)
  • 1 tbs. non-nano zinc oxide powder
  • 20 drops Bird of the Soul Essential Oil
  • 3-5 drops Vitamin E oil
  • 3-5 drops peppermint essential oil (optional)
  • lip balm tubes

How to Make It: Combine the cocoa butter, shea butter and beeswax in a glass Pyrex measuring cup or a small glass jar. Place in the top of a double boiler on low heat. (To make your own double boiler, place a Pyrex measuring cup or glass jar inside a pot filled with a few inches of water.) Heat until everything is completely melted, then stir in the Bird of the Soul oil, sunflower and olive oils. Remove from heat and add the essential oils, Vitamin E and zinc oxide powder. Mix well then pour into lip balm tubes. Let cool completely.

Tip:
Use natural lip balm under lipstick for extra-moisturizing lip protection.

You can find carrier oils, shea butter, beeswax, lip balm tubes, spray bottles and other supplies at herbal shops, your natural foods market or online.


Aloe After Sun Spray

Aloe vera is a well used and well loved plant for soothing sunburn. Its naturally-occurring polysaccharides, vitamins, enzymes and amino acids make it one of the best medicinal plants for skin healing.

However, most aloe vera gels on the market also contain ingredients like parabens, alcohol, fragrance, and polysorbate, which are not beneficial to skin and can actually irritate sunburn further.

Aloe vera juice is also great in recipes for sprays and lotions, as it helps cut down on the sticky feeling.

Whenever you are burned, it is important to restore moisture to the affected area as soon as possible to prevent further damage. Sunburn especially quickly depletes the skin of lipids (the fatty acids needed to moisturize the top-most layer of skin). Olive oil is especially rich in lipids and works amazingly well as a moisturizer.

Instead of using plain olive oil in the following recipe for a sunburn spray, you can use a healing blend of calendula flower extracts, arnica flower extract, and St. John’s wort extract. These powerful herbs help skin the repair itself fast. Blended with olive oil, these extracts will absorb quickly into damaged skin. You can also substitute plain olive oil with another light carrier oil. Jojoba, grapeseed, almond or flaxseed oil are great choices.

What You'll Need:
  • 1 cup organic aloe vera juice – (refrigerate after opening)
  • 20 drops lavender or Bird of the Soul essential oil
  • 1 oz. mix of calendula/arnica/St. John's wort extracts (optional)
  • small spray bottle

How to make it: Using a funnel, pour aloe vera juice and healing blend oil into a small spray bottle. Cap and shake well. Add in 20 drops of lavender or Bird of the Soul essential oil. Cap and shake again. Spray for sunburn relief as often as you need. Aloe sunburn spray can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Tip: Keep your spray bottle in the refrigerator until ready to use for a cooling, sunburn relieving sensation!


One last tip!

Bird of the Soul essential oil also works great as both an insect repellent and to take the itch and sting out of bug bites. Spray on some essential oil mist before going out to bug infested areas. Or roll some on for fast relief if you've already been bitten!


In case of serious sunburn, or signs of sun poisoning, always seek medical treatment. The contents of this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.


Written by Kim Alyce Steffgen
With a background in journalism and marketing communications, Kim's wordsmithing reflects a love of language that brings spice to many ads, articles, banners, and videos. To that spice she adds her passion for herbs, plants and alternative health.
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