Being a fair-skinned redhead, I know firsthand the awful, miserable feeling of getting a sunburn.
And even worse, as a mom and having a daughter with even fairer skin than mine, I know that terrible guilty feeling of letting my child get a sunburn.
That’s why I’m so happy to have this all-natural, homemade essential oil sunscreen!
- It’s water resistant
- Helps protects against UVA and UVB
- SPF 30+
- Rubs in completely
- Not sticky or overly greasy
- Easy to make
- You get to control what goes in it
- Made with pure, all-natural ingredients
- With the goodness of essential oils
- and it smells great!
But even with all that, with such fair skin we still have to be careful. We try to find shade when we can, we cover up, we reapply sunscreen every hour or so, and reapply sunscreen after being in the water (or sweating a lot).  And when we get a little too much sun, we use this fantastic after-sun spray with essential oils.
What’s in this DIY sunscreen?
mango butter or shea butter – SPF 3-6
coconut oil – SPF 6-8
beeswax – thickens sunscreen and makes it water resistant
apricot kernel oil–Â lightens sunscreen and helps it absorb into skin
non-nano zinc oxide– UVA and UVB protection with SPF 20+
cacao powder (optional)– Zinc oxide sunscreen is famous for being stark white. Adding a little cacao powder softens that and helps sunscreen blend into your natural skin tone.
essential oil– I use lavender essential oil. I love the scent, it’s very relaxing, and it even has a little sun protection (about SPF 5).
How to make homemade sunscreen with essential oils?
step 1:Â add 1/4 cup beeswax to heat-safe glass measuring cup or bowl
step 2:Â add 1/2 cup mango butter
(or substitute with 1/2 cup shea butter)
step 3:Â add 1/2 cup coconut oil
step 4:Â use double boiler method to melt butter, oil, and beeswax
- fill pot with 1-2 inches of water
- heat pot over medium high heat so that the water gently simmers
- place heat-safe glass measuring cup in the pot of simmering water
- stir occasionally
- be sure to melt the butters and beeswax completely. If the beeswax doesn’t completely melt, it can reform and become grainy.
step 5:Â remove mixture from heat and let it cool for a couple of minutes
step 6:Â after mixture has cooled for a couple minutes, add 1/4 cup apricot kernel oil
step 7: add 60 drops essential oil (1% dilution) and stir well
I use lavender essential oil. I love the scent, it’s very relaxing, and it even has a little sun protection (about 5 SPF).
step 8:Â add 1/2 cup non-nano zinc oxide
step 9: (optional) add a little cacao powder to make your sunscreen to a softer color that’s closer to your skin tone
Zinc oxide sunscreen is famous for being stark white. Adding a little cacao powder softens that.
I add 2-3 tablespoons to a batch for my family’s fair skin. If you have a darker skin tone, you may want to experiment with adding more.
step 10: let the mixture cool completely. If you’re patient (I’m not) you can let it sit at room temperature for a couple hours. Or you can speed up the process by putting it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
step 12: The zinc oxide and cocoa might have settled to the bottom when it cooled. To make sure everything is mixed well, give the sunscreen a quick stir with your mixer.
step 13:Â transfer sunscreen to beach-and-pool-safe containers
To make filling the silicone squeeze bottles quick, easy, and no mess, here’s what I do:
- I put the whole batch of sunscreen into a Ziploc
- cut off the corner tip of the Ziploc bag
- squeeze into silicone squeeze bottles like these
- this recipe is enough to fill 3-4 of these 3 ounce squeeze bottles
Here’s the essential oil sunscreen recipe one more time
1. use double-boiler method to melt the following:
1/4 cup beeswax
1/2 cup mango butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
2. remove from heat, let cool a couple minutes, and then add the following:
1/4 cup apricot kernel oil
60 drops essential oil (1% dilution) – stir well after adding
1/2 cup non-nano zinc oxide
(optional) 2-3 Tbsp cacao powder
3. refrigerate for 30 minutes
4. zinc oxide and cacao powder may have settled to the bottom of bowl during cooling process. Use hand mixer for 1-2 minutes to blend everything together really well.
5. transfer sunscreen to silicone squeeze bottles (1 batch fills 3-4 of these 3 ounce bottles)
Where to get supplies for this essential oil sunscreen?
cacao powder (optional)
here are a few other essential oil posts that I think you’ll like:
DIY Bug Spray That Really Works!
DIY Anti-Itch Stick Recipe {made with essential oil}
Homemade Peppermint Cooling Spray
DIY Essential Oil Bug Repellent Lotion Bars Recipe {non greasy}
15 Summer Room Spray Recipes to Freshen Your Home
After Sun Spray {made with essential oils}
25+ Best Summer Diffuser Blends
DIY Dusting Powder Recipe with Essential Oils
Be Safe- Essential Oils and the Sun
DIY Cooling Peppermint Foot Cream {to refresh tired feet}
Foaming Hand Soap in 21 Spring & Summer Scents
soft & silky body butter with essential oils
Please join us…
we’re on Facebook here
we’re on Pinterest here
click here to sign up our email newsletter
Please note: Products mentioned in this article have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products and information on this page are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This website is not a substitute for professional care. Always consult your medical doctor regarding your medical care. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.
Disclaimer: Please know that this website contains affiliate links. This means that should you click on certain links, and then subsequently purchase a product, I will receive a small commission. The price is exactly the same for you as it would be without the affiliate link. Thank you for supporting me in this way.
Is there a way to “boost” the spf to 50? Appreciate any help you can offer. Thanks
No, I don’t feel like I’ve ever achieved spf 50 with a homemade sunscreen.
As a fair skinned redhead, I also need a lot of sun protection. Shade, hats, and long-sleeved clothing are a big help. And when I need to be out in the bright, tropical sun for a prolonged period of time, I use the least toxic store-bought sunscreen I can find. I used this one from Amazon last year when we went to Maui & Turks and Caicos. https://amzn.to/2qNVQT9 It worked well for me, and it’s waterproof and reef safe so that’s good, too. But even will this sunscreen, I still sought shelter under a beach umbrella or inside the boat when I could.