Natural Sun Lotion

So... I made homemade sun lotion.  And it works.  And it isn't gross, white, sticky, pasty, gunky mess.  Yay!

I bought all the ingredients from Amazon (except the oils, of course) and used 4 oz. glass jars to store it.  You'll get a LOT of batches out of a pound of shea butter, beeswax pellets and zinc oxide.  So don't worry when it all adds up to about $40 (plus the oils).  This is good, healthy stuff and these ingredients will last awhile and can double for other things like lotions and lip balms!

Feel free to Google what SPF these ingredients offer separately.  I cannot say what this sunscreen mixture offers but my pale self has had great results. I really like it!  It practically disappears when you rub it into your skin and it doesn't feel heavy or sticky.  I also like the smell - kind of summery.  We have not gotten even a little pink since we started using this. So I am totally comfortable using it on my kids... which tells you how much I trust it!

Also, I would imagine this would melt a bit (because of the coconut oil) if you were to leave it in a hot car full time.  So keep it inside and if you cart it to the beach or pool, you may want to store it in your cooler to maintain a good texture.  The beeswax pellets do help it stay together better than some recipes I found, though.

HOMEMADE SUNSCREEN

1/8 cup Beeswax Pellets
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
1/4 cup Shea Butter
2 Tablespoons Zinc Oxide
15 drops Carrot Seed Oil
10 drops Lavender

Melt the beeswax pellets, coconut oil and shea butter in a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water.  This will take about ten minutes.  Remove the bowl from the heat and set on a towel to cool.  After it cools, add the zinc oxide and essential oils and mix well with a spatula.  To get a better texture, mix the sunscreen with a hand mixer for about three minutes.  Spoon it into a glass jar and put the lid on to seal.  Allow it to cool completely before using.  Apply every 90 minutes when your skin is exposed to the sun.

Note - You can experiment with adding other essential oils in addition to the Lavender and Carrot Seed!  Peppermint would be nice and Sandalwood would be HEAVENLY!  Talk about smelling like summer!  :)  Stay away from citrus oils as they are photosensitive and can actually cause your skin to burn when applied recently and exposed to the sun.