Make Your Own Sunscreen Lotion Bars
Two of my kids are extremely sensitive to chemical additives. Because of this, we work hard to keep our home as chemical-free as possible. It’s not easy, and we’re not perfect, but we’re making small changes every day.
The latest small change has been to throw away all of the drugstore and name brand sunscreen we’ve accumulated over the years. It’s actually really easy {and fun} to make your own sunscreen lotion bars.
Molly has been learning alongside me as I reacquaint myself with the many uses and benefits of essential oils. In fact, she asked if I could teach a co-op class in the fall about some of the things {like lip balm, body butter, lotion, shampoo, and more} that can be made naturally with essential oils.
I {of course} said I would, and so this summer, she and I will be testing and modifying recipes like the ones found in Heather Dessinger’s DIY Organic Beauty Recipes and Gentle Babies by Debra Raybern. And, since this site is all about exploring and lifelong learning, we’ll be sharing those recipes and results with you as we pull together our class outline.
First up – sunscreen lotion bars.
You’ll need to plan ahead to make them. I order my ingredients online – and what’s great about these ingredients, is that you’ll be able to use them again in other recipes like lotion bars and lip balm.
Ingredients for Sunscreen Lotion Bars
- 1/2 cup of Shea Butter
- 5 tablespoons Beeswax
- 1/2 cup of Coconut Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Zinc Oxide Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Vitamin E Oil
- 1 teaspoon carrot seed essential oil
In researching which oils to use for this recipe, Molly and I uncovered some interesting facts:
- Carrot seed oil has a natural SPF of 40.
- Raspberry seed oil has a natural SPF of 30.
- Avocado oil has an SPF of 15.
- Coconut oil and olive oil both have an SPF of 8.
- While each of these oils protect well against UVB rays, if you want complete protection from UVA rays, too, you’ll need to include the zinc oxide.
- Since the coconut oil and zinc oxide offer sun protection, you can use other oils too. Molly didn’t like the scent of the carrot seed oil, so we made a few bars with lavender for her.
Making the Sunscreen Lotion Bars
- Melt the shea butter, beeswax, and coconut oil in a double boiler slowly over low to medium heat until they are well-combined. {If you don’t have a double boiler, you can melt the ingredients in a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water.}
- Remove the mixture from the heat and mix in the remaining ingredients until they are fully incorporated.
- Pour the completed mixture into a silicone mold and place it in the refrigerator until firm.
- Gently remove the sunscreen lotion bars from the silicone mold and store them in tins, wrapped in wax paper, or in another airtight container. They can be stored at room temperature or in a cool spot. I keep mine in small mason jars in the refrigerator.
How to Apply the Sunscreen Lotion Bars
It’s important to note that these bars will melt in hot sun, but if you keep them in a container or tin, you can still rub the melted mixture on you or your kids.
When applying the bars, simply rub over any of your {or your kids’} exposed skin. The bars are firm, but soften and feel like lotion as it warms. You can spread it more and rub it in with your hands. Isaac likes the feel of it – which is great as this fair-faced little guy is bound to burn.
I hope you’ll let me know how this recipe turned out for you. Molly loves her new sunscreen lotion bars and is so excited about the things we’ve made so far that she’s trying to convince me to let her open up an Etsy shop to sell the products… who knows, my little six-year-old entrepreneur may have natural beauty products on the market before the end of the year!