Getting ready for another round of summer and cooking up a batch of sunscreens. Here is a recipe you can try at home:
Screen out the Sun, Cream
Water Base: ¼ Cup Aloe, ¼ Cup Water, Pinch of Natural Borax, Pinch Green Tea Leaf Powder, 3 Tbsp. Zinc Oxide Powder
Oil Base: ¼ Cup Olive Oil, 2 Tbsp. Organic Coconut Oil, 3 Tbsp. Natural Wax Pellets, 2 Tsp. Stearic Acid (Thickener), 10 Drops Vanilla Essential Oil, 6 Drops Geranium Essential Oil, 6 Drops Carrot Seed Essential Oil
Cook the water base ingredients separate from the oil base ingredients, both can just be on medium low. Sprinkle in the Zinc Oxide slowly while stirring. Cook the oil base just until all the wax melts down. The water mixture can be strained to get the Green Tea particles out. The stearic acid melts down with the oil ingredients and makes the oil emulsify into the water, plus it is a natural thickener.
Remember to put the essential oils in last (in the oil) before you mix with the water base, as you want them to stay fresh in the recipe and not get overheated. Put the water mixture in a glass bowl and trickle in the oil while beating on medium.
The trick is to keep both the water and oil at same temp. as you are mixing them so you do not get coagulation which is a separation of the oil and water. It helps to have two temp. thermometers and have the batches at between 90-120 degrees to prevent coagulation. Do not microwave this as it reduces the effectiveness of the ingredients.
Olive oil and Coconut Oils filter out the suns rays between 20-30% naturally, Aloe and Green Tea prevent cellular damage, Carrot Seed and Geranium Oil also filter the sun's rays, and Zinc Oxide provides a UVA/UVB protection.
Don't worry if your formula has bits of zinc that don't sink in immediately like the brands on the market, just keep rubbing until the water in the mix evaporates and it will smooth out. If you are particular about this you can always grind up your zinc particles more in a mortar and pestle. You are getting the benefits of more available nutrients for the skin rather than being "cancelled" out by the damage the chemical ridden brands will cause.
Using this formula will create a natural SPF of approximately 20-30
Have fun!
2 comments:
Wow!!! How cool....I'm going to forward this to a lot of my friends. I didn't know you could make your own. I'm allergic to the heavy-duty chemicals in most sunscreens and have to stick to the zinc oxide-based screens.
Thanks for visiting Kelly! Hope you and your friends have lots of fun making this!
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