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When the heat begins, the season also begins to have a good sunscreen on hand to protect us from the increasingly intense rays of the sun. While it is true that these protectors are not cheap, we cannot and should not give them up for the good of our skin and health in general. But do not worry, we are going to propose a solution that will make your pocket happy and will help you avoid products that contain too many artificial chemicals, because at Ecologista Verde we teach you in an easy way how to make a natural sunscreen. Take note!
Why is sunscreen important?
The UVB and UVA rays coming from the sun can be very harmful to our skin if we expose it to them in an excessive and uncontrolled way. This does not mean that the sun is bad for us, on the contrary, the sun's rays are a source of vitamin D for our body, but if we are not careful with them our skin cells can be damaged.
For this reason, it is advisable to use sunscreen. With its use we prevent our skin from aging prematurely, in addition to suffering serious damage to the point of running the risk of developing skin cancer.
A concept related to sun protection is the Sun Protection Factor (SPF), which appears in all the bottles of sunscreen that we find in supermarkets. This factor indicates how long a sunscreen increases the natural defense capacity of our skin before it begins to suffer damage or burn. Therefore, a factor 50 protector does not protect more than a factor 15 protector, but protects for a longer time.
Why use natural sunscreens
Just as a sunscreen is of great importance, so is knowing what products it is made with. Many of the protectors sold in stores are made with chemicals that can be harmful and that, although they protect you from the sun's rays, they expose your skin to other problems.
There is another related issue that you probably have not noticed, and that is that, if we put sunscreen in the sea water, swamps, etc., we will be polluting the aquatic environment and the life associated with it, since the products of our protectors will be dissolving in the water.
For these reasons, it is a great advantage use natural sunscreens, which are very easy to make at home and are probably cheaper. Keep reading!
Natural ingredients that protect from the sun
Before talking about how to make a natural sunscreen at home, we are going to talk about some natural ingredients that by themselves protect our skin from being damaged by solar radiation. These elements are mostly oils with protective properties. Within these oils we differentiate two groups: vegetable oils and essential oils.
Vegetable oils are those that contain fatty acids, odorless and that are extracted from oleaginous fruits and seeds. It is important that they are 100% natural pure virgin, because the more processed the less protective capacity it will have. Some of these vegetable oils and their protection factor are:
- Hazelnut oil (SPF 10)
- Olive oil (SPF 7)
- Coconut oil (SPF 7)
- Castor oil (SPF 5)
- Almond oil (SPF 4)
- Jojoba oil (SPF 4)
- Sesame oil (blocks 30% of UV rays)
- Peanut oil (locks 20%)
- Cottonseed oil (blocks 20%)
- Avocado oil
- Hemp oil
- Rosehip oil
- Wheat germ oil, with high amounts of vitamin E
- Raspberry Seed Oil, which provides the highest level of protection.
On the other hand, there are essential oils, with a strong smell and which are extracted from aromatic plants. They can be added to vegetable oil to reinforce and increase sun protection. Speaking of proportions, you should take between 20 and 60 drops in total (of an essential oil or several mixed ones) for every 100 ml of vegetable oil. They must also be 100% pure oils and extracted by water vapor entrainment. Some of them are:
- Carrot seed essential oil (SPF 38-40). In addition, it fights acne, skin blemishes and is a great cell regenerator.
- Holy basil essential oil (SPF 6)
- Peppermint essential oil (SPF 6). Provides a refreshing sensation to the product.
- Lemongrass essential oil (SPF 6)
- Lavender essential oil (SPF 5). Very effective against burns.
- Eucalyptus essential oil (SPF 2)
- Tea tree essential oil (SPF 1)
- Myrrh essential oil
- Rosemary essential oil
- Sage essential oil
But to use these oils as sunscreen they must be mixed with other ingredients that increase their duration and the ability to reflect the sun's rays, such as zinc oxide or titanium oxide.
Next, we move on to the section of this article where we explain how to make your own natural sunscreen. The ingredients used in recipes to make a natural sunscreen They are variable, and can be adjusted to the budget available in each pocket. In general, a natural sunscreen consists of a basic ingredient, which are vegetable oils, and later optional ingredients, such as essential oils and / or aloe vera. We must remember, as we mentioned before, that to enhance the effect of sunscreen by increasing its duration and the ability to reflect the sun's rays, one more ingredient must be added, such as zinc oxide or titanium oxide.
Natural sunscreen with vegetable butter
To use the butter to make your own sunscreen, take note:
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oils, any of the ones mentioned above.
- 30 drops of essential oils, which as we said is an optional ingredient that, if you prefer, you can not add.
- 30 grams of beeswax to provide impermeability to the mixture.
- 30 grams of butter, which can be a mixture of what we want, such as Shea, mango or cocoa butter.
- 1 teaspoon of wheat germ oil, with vitamin E.
- 10 grams of zinc oxide powder, which would give a concentration of 12%, equivalent to a protection factor of 10-12.
Elaboration
- In a bain-marie and simmer, melt the non-essential oils with the butter and beeswax.
- Once everything has melted and fused, let it cool slightly and add the wheat germ oil, the zinc oxide (use a mask as inhalation can be dangerous) and, if desired, the essential oils.
- Mix everything until the zinc oxide dissolves.
- Introduce the mixture into a dispenser or the bottle from which it is to be used.
- Let cool and rest so that the mixture hardens overnight.
How to make a sunscreen with aloe vera
To make your own sunscreen in this case you will need:
Ingredients
- 1/4 of coconut, olive or almond vegetable oil.
- 1 teaspoon of beeswax.
- 3 tablespoons of natural aloe vera gel.
- 2 capsules of wheat germ oil, with vitamin E.
- 10 drops of grapefruit seed extract
- 1 teaspoon of another non-citrus essential oil, if desired.
- 5 teaspoons of zinc oxide, each tablespoon provides an SPF of 10.
- Distilled water to dilute the aloe vera a bit.
Preparation
- Melt the beeswax and vegetable oil in a water bath.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and add the wheat germ oil, the optional essential oil, if you decided to add it, and the zinc oxide.
- In a different container, heat some distilled water with the aloe vera until the mixture is warm.
- Mix the contents of the two containers and let it sit until it is slightly hardened and ready to use.
Natural sunscreen with olive oil
To make a sunscreen based on olive oil, follow these steps:
Ingredients
- Half a cup of olive oil.
- ¼ cup of coconut vegetable oil.
- ¼ cup beeswax
- A few drops (like a tablespoon) of essential oil of your choice.
- Two small tablespoons of zinc oxide.
Elaboration
- Let the beeswax melt in a water bath together with the olive oil and the chosen essential oil. Stir and mix the ingredients.
- Add the zinc oxide avoiding inhaling it and make the mixture even.
- Remove the mixture when it reaches a viscous appearance and let it rest for a few minutes before filling it in its final container.
- Let sit overnight or throughout the day and ready to use.
With all this we do not give you the option to make excuses for not protecting yourself under the sun's rays and enjoying pleasant times at the beach and pool this summer using your natural sunscreen. Everything to your liking!
If you want to read more articles similar to How to make a natural sunscreen, we recommend that you enter our category of natural remedies.
