After Sun Spray

I’ve been using a lot of this after-sun spray this summer. My daughter and I both have fair skin. She’s a strawberry blonde and I’m a redhead.

We both love summer and spending time at the beach and our neighborhood pool, but the sun doesn’t always love us back (or maybe it loves us too much??) We are diligent about putting on sunscreen every day, year round, but in the summer it sometimes just isn’t enough. That’s where this wonderful spray comes in.

It’s natural ingredients soothe occasional skin irritations and rejuvenates skin.

Tip: Want a truly indulgent experience? Keep this spray in the refrigerator. The cool spray feels amazing after a hot day in the sun!

I think you’re really going to like this homemade after-sun spray. Here are a few other favorite essential oil recipes for summer that I think you might also like:

DIY Bug Spray That Really Works!

25 of the Best Summer Essential Oil Diffuser Blends

Homemade Peppermint Cooling Spray

Be Safe- Essential Oils and the Sun

What’s in After-Sun Spray?

This spray is made with simple, natural ingredients that you probably have around the house.

witch hazel

aloe vera gel

vitamin e

fractionated coconut oil (or other carrier oil)

and essential oils

Why use these ingredients? What do they do?

witch hazel: refreshes and soothes skin, decreases itching, and reduces likelihood of skin peeling and flaking

aloe vera gel: moisturizes skin, helps reduce signs of aging, soothes skin, and reduces inflammation

vitamin e oil: a great antioxidant, helps fight premature aging of skin, restores and rejuvenates dehydrated skin

fractionated coconut oil (or other carrier oil): moisturizes skin

lavender essential oil: soothes occasional skin irritations and rejuvenates skin

peppermint essential oil: cooling

note: peppermint essential oil is a skin irritant, so while the cooling sensation feels wonderful in the hot summer weather, do not use too much. The last thing you want to do is irritate summer skin that is already irritated

How to make it {recipe and step-by-step instructions}

step 1: add 2 tablespoons of witch hazel to glass measuring cup

step 2: 1/4 cup aloe vera gel

step 3: 1/2 teaspoon vitamin e oil

step 4: 2 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil

step 5: add the following essential oils

10 drops lavender essential oil

2 drops peppermint essential oil (substitute spearmint essential oil for the peppermint if this will be used on or around kids under 6)

step 6: mix well and pour into 4 ounce spray bottle

Here’s that recipe again:

2 tablespoons witch hazel

1/4 cup aloe vera

1/2 teaspoon vitamin e

2 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil

10 drops lavender essential oil

2 drops peppermint essential oil (substitute spearmint for use on and around kids under 6)

How to Use After Sun Spray

While you can store it at room temperature, we love it even more when it’s cold.

Keep a bottle in the refrigerator or make after-sun ice cubes (pour mixture into a silicone ice cube tray and freeze overnight).

Then after a fun day in the sun, spray your cooled after-sun spray on your skin (make sure you avoid the area around your eyes).

And gently rub the mixture in.

We reapply the mixture at least a couple times a day.

Where to Get Supplies

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.

click here for witch hazel This is my favorite witch hazel because it’s alcohol free, paraben free, and fragrance free. It’s also certified organic, naturally preserved, and hypoallergenic.

click here for aloe vera gel Love this aloe vera gel! It’s 99.75% certified organic aloe vera. The other .25% is made up of just a few natural ingredients: seaweed extract (natural thickener), citric acid (to stabilize ph), ascorbic acid (vitamin c), and potassium sorbate (to prevent mold)

Did you know that a product labeled “aloe vera 100% gel” is often not pure aloe vera? This misleading labeling is very common. While it seems at first glance that it would be pure aloe vera gel, what it actually means is that it is “100% gel” with at least some aloe vera in it. Tricky, huh? And worse yet, those products with misleading labeling are often filled with ingredients like polysorbate-20, triethanolamine, carbomer, iodopropynol butylcarbanate, benzophenone-4, fragrance and artificial colors.

click here for vitamin e oil This is the best vitamin e oil that I’ve found. While many vitamin e oils are only a tiny amount of vitamin e diluted with a lost cost, low quality oil. This one is my favorite because it is a high concentration of vitamin e (15,000 IU) in high quality, organic jojoba, avocado, and rice bran oil.

click here for fractionated coconut oil

click here for glass measuring cup

click here for mini stainless steel funnel

click here for glass 4 ounce spray bottle

click here for essential-oil-safe plastic 4 ounce spray bottle (plastic is the best choice if you plan to take spray to pool or beach)