DIY Sunscreen and Preparing for the Great Outdoors

6/15/2015

With summer in full swing we have been whipping up fresh batches of our go to outdoors sprays and salves, and refilling the bandaids in all the herbal first aid kits. We make a fun day of refilling and refreshing all the kiddo's kits, make some herbal popsicles and get the sprinkler on the lawn to run through. I haven't yet shared my natural sunscreen recipe yet, so this is the perfect time to do so, along with a refresher of the other must have outdoor items to have for summer swimming, camps and outdoor time.

Natural Sunscreen Recipe

There are many DIY sunscreen recipes going around and I archived several but never got to making any, either because they were too complicated, too messy, or too many ingredients or those I don't want to use. Last year I decided to just make up my own simple recipe with just a couple essential oils and a base carrier. It has served us well and is super simple to whip up.

1/4 cup base oil such as avocado, olive or coconut (all of which carry their own small SPF)
50 drops carrot seed essential oil (carries SPF of 35-30)
40 drops myrrh essential oil (or frankincense)
10 drops helichrysum essential oil (great sun blocking properties but expensive so replace with lavender if needed)

printable for herbal

A Quick Note About the Sun

I couldn't give a recipe for sunscreen without a little explanation about our sun. First of all, I only use this natural sunscreen on my children and self when I know we will be out in the sun for a very long period of time, such as swimming and hiking, where we have the potential to burn our skin. Other than that there is no need to use it. The sun is another natural healer to the body, providing much needed nutrients to prevent and cure disease. The only damage that should be feared from the sun is being exposed to it too long (without building up your exposure) and burning the skin. My kiddos start coming out in the spring and each day stay longer and longer, gradually allowing the skin to build its resistance to burning (by creating melanin - tanning). By the time summer arrives their skin is ready for the long days of summer and they never burn. This is all a natural process and another way that God has designed the body to know what to do to protect itself.