Frugal folks are big fans of DIY. It’s cheaper, and it’s a good way to know exactly what’s going into your products. Which is all well and good for many things… but not sunscreen.
I was researching a post for my blog-for-massage deal and decided to see whether people ever try to make their own. I didn’t expect to find much — I mean, seriously? — but I got tons of results touting homemade “safe” sunscreens.
Alarm bells went off in my head for the first recipe I read. Two words: coconut oil.
Remember how it used to be common practice to slather yourself in baby oil to get a deep tan? And how later they found that it was maybe not so healthy? My grandmother apparently slathered it on for her summer tan. She had several growths removed when she was in her 60s. More may have appeared later, but unfortunately she passed away at 68 of (unrelated) cancer.
So why coconut oil? Apparently, people are taking their cue from folk medicine. Rarely a good sign.
Yes, some folk remedies have been wrongly dismissed. But many are downright dangerous. Like this woman who accidentally gave her children lead poisoning. Or an old remedy for an infected or bleeding umbilical cords: cow dung. Or what about the suggestion to kill lice by coating one’s head in kerosene? Beyond the flammability issue, kerosene is easily absorbed by the skin.
Heck, a few years ago a friend of mine opened up a spider bite because his aunt insisted it was the best way. Not surprisingly, it got infected. By the time he went to the ER, the afflicted area was four or five inches in diameter. He spent multiple days in the hospital.
So yeah, I’m sure coconut oil is much better than nothing at all. But that doesn’t mean it’s a safe alternative.The oil actually only blocks about 20% of the sun’s rays, compared to the 93% of UVB from SPF 15. Apparently, you’d get better results using the skimmed fat from a boiled chicken.
Still not convinced? Then consider this: Homemade sunscreen can leave patches of your body completely unprotected. Why? Because you can’t mix the minerals thoroughly enough on your own. This means that some of what you’re rubbing in may not have the minerals in it at all.
Some people complain that modern sunscreen can lead to a vitamin D deficiency. A blood test back in Seattle found I was deficient. They told me to take a supplement. Just sayin’.
Look, I know that sunscreen shouldn’t be trusted blindly. According to the Environmental Working Group, a number of them contain dangerous ingredients. The organization compiles a list of approved sunscreens. (It should be noted that the American Academy of Dermatology disagrees with the EWG on at least a couple points.)
In the end, it’s not worth risking melanoma — and UV-ray exposure, among other things, is linked to it — just to save a few bucks and/or feel like you’re choosing the healthiest option. Cancer isn’t healthy. Instead, research your sunscreens carefully. Maybe opt for products with more natural ingredients.
Don’t think of it as spending more money. Think of it as saving yourself pain (and co-pays) to have any skin growths removed/melanoma treated.
What sunscreen do you rely on? Have you ever tried the homemade variety?
We have been making our own for a few years. It works great as long as it is applied properly, same as store bought. It is much cheaper than brands that are "safe". You must use non-nano zinc oxide and it sits on the skin rather than being absorbed. You can calculate the amount out depending on how much spf you want. I haven't had a problem with having good coverage. Rather, "safe" sunscreen cost so much that I was skimpy with it. Now we can slather it on.
This link shows what percentage of zinc oxide yields different spf. http://www.diynatural.com/homemade-sunscreen/
I add it to a lotion I make from equal parts of coconut oil, cocoa butter and beeswax. The beeswax keeps it slightly solid in the heat and makes it stay on a little longer when swimming. Plus, it naturally smells tropical without added scent. Very econimical.
Well, it's certainly your prerogative. However, I believe the articles that say you just cannot mix the ingredients thoroughly enough on your own. Just because you're not seeing a sunburn doesn't mean you're being properly protected.
And again, oil helps sun penetrate your skin, so even with blocking properties, any sunscreen using oil is at risk. People actually use coconut oil (along with baby oil, etc) to help them tan. Adding sunblocking minerals helps a bit, I'm sure. But I doubt it helps enough.
Also, at least one of the articles I cited said that you can't necessarily trust the alleged SPF rates listed in these recipes.
Okay, into the fray I jump. UV exposure is an issue for my genetic disease. As such, I practice avoidance (staying out of sun during peak hours), barrier (covering up with clothing, a hat, and sunglasses) and finally commercial sunscreen. I bulk by Neutrogena's SPF 100 with Heliplex, and I have a powdered sunscreen that I get from my doctor for things like flying where I can't bring a bottle of sunscreen and reapply easily. Now, onto homemade sunscreens- which you'll notice I didn't mention.
Sunscreens are used to protect from both sunburn and sun damage. These are two different things. Sunburn is usually caused by UV-B exposure in most cases. UV-A doesn't cause sunburn at the same rate, but does penetrate skin and subcutaneous fat better. The vast majority if sunscreens lose their effectiveness against UV-A faster than they lose the ability to block UV-B. The best sunscreens are physical barrier, with an added ingredient that helps keep the zinc oxide from breaking down (usually vitamin A). Most commercial physical barrier sunscreens also use titanium dioxide to prevent absorption (which is a bad thing when you want something to act as a barrier for your skin. These factors mean there are big problems with homemade sunscreens.
Biggest problem right off the bat is the base the vast majority of sunscreens use- fat. Coconut oil, cocoa butter, almond oil, and to a lesser amount beeswax all have the same problem- they make great moisturizers. Why that's a problem is the very reason they make great moisturizers- they absorb into skin. They're also relatively easy to rinse off if you are using salt water (sweat, salt water pools), or chlorinated water (other pools). This means they aren't staying on your skin, with a suspension of a particle in them. Just like you don't use moisturizer to protect against chapped skin (you use it to treat chapped skin), you wouldn't use it here. Even if you did use petroleum jelly or mineral oil as your base, you are going to run into the mixing issue. Anyone who's made mayo at home knows that emulsions aren't easy, and that's with fat- petroleum jelly and mineral oil are worse. Getting stuff to stay evenly suspended in said products is not easy- you'd need a very finely milled active ingredient (so finely milled you aren't going to want to deal with it if you didn't protect your lungs and eyes- and lungs don't have a problem with sunburn), and industrial equipment to get it stable. Lastly- remember those added ingredients? Yeah, along with vitamin a, commercial sunscreens use a lot of stabilizers to keep their products effective for longer. A good commercial sunscreen is going to last you between 2 and 6 hours (again, mainly based on various circumstances) when you aren't sweating heavily or exposing yourself to water. Again, that's for UV-A protection. Homemade sunscreens, lacking said ingredients, are going to have about a quarter of that length. They're also not going to be as shelf stable, so mixing up big batches isn't going to work.
If commercial sunscreens seem expensive, consider the long term cost of higher risks of cancer. Mole checks are a pain at every year, if you get skin cancer, you're going to have a dermatologist going over you with a bright light and no respect for privacy more frequently. Surgical removal and biopsy aren't cheap. Scar revision and reconstructive procedures are even more expensive. Fillers injected into dents left by removals are expensive and need to be maintained every few months. A tube of a good quality sunscreen properly applied? Worth it.
My sentiments exactly! Thanks for the details about sunscreen. With your issues, I'm sure you have a lot of knowledge. And I agree that avoidance is good, although some studies suggest that people who avoid the sun (for non-medical reasons) are also more susceptible to skin cancer. I think it's probably because we then burn more easily.
But given that my grandmother and two of her four kids have had to have skin growths removed at some point, I'll take my chances. And I do need to get better about applying SPF before even quick trips.
The place we got our windows tinted a couple of years ago said that they can also do our windshield (with a clear substance) that would quite a bit of rays. That's for heat issues, of course, but I'm wondering if it would also keep my skin safer in the car too.
I have the clear clear UV coating on all my vehicle windows (including the ones that have a slight tint- CA having rules about how dark of a tint you can use), and it really does cut down on the heat that gets through. Same thing with the films I have on my windows.
The people who doctors talk about when they talk about UV avoidance and increased risk are people who live like me, and don't have a medical reason. I need to minimize as much UV exposure as possible. I have to avoid it to the point where I use a full spectrum lamp for certain amounts of time each day to maintain my body's sleep cycles, and to help with mood. The only reason I don't need a vitamin D supplement is that I drink milk daily (most milk sold in the US has vitamin D added to it to help promote calcium absorption), and I eat plenty of wild caught oily fish- one of the few foods that has naturally occurring vitamin D. Avoiding peak hours (typically between 10 and 2) is not the same. For the majority of skin tones, a 10-15 minute exposure in off peak times is enough sunlight for your body to produce vitamin D on its own. The same amount of exposure is enough to reduce the risk of skin cancer, it doesn't even have to be every day.
With the application issue, I have a bottle near each exit to my home- it's a good reminder. The other issue people run into is not using enough- if you're going to be in sun for 30 minutes or more, a full application is needed. A full application takes about an ounce of sunscreen. So, if you're getting more than 5 uses out of a 4 oz bottle, you're probably putting too thin a layer on. People also forget that they need to put it on all of their skin- clothing isn't sunscreen (denim jeans can reach SPF 12, but lighter colored thinner fabrics top out around SPF 3). They also don't use hats enough- you can get skin cancer on your scalp, and people don't check there as often, so it can be a while before it's discovered.
There are so many pinterest home recipes I find that are equally as bad as the counterparts they rile against! I absolutely hate that we live in a culture that is now forsaking modern advances because a talking head or a pretty picture is telling us that home remedies still work! UGH!!!
Yeah, I agree. It’s kind of like the anti-vaccine movement that’s causing things like mumps to crop up again. We just have to remember that while science can do harm, the vast majority of it is doing good.
Just FYI: My dad has also had a bunch of skin cancers removed. So I (and you!) have inherited quite a depressing legacy.
I'm always skeptical when average people try to become chemists. Dr. Oz just had people on with home remedies. They were playing "Shark Tank". One woman made what is called fire cider. It had horseradish in it. He told her that if someone has an ulcer that can make it worse. Oops. Here's part 1 http://www.doctoroz.com/episode/reignite-your-ene…
Part two is when they say it can aggravate ulcers. LOL
Yeah, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. A large lack of knowledge is much worse.
I am one of those frugal folks that loves making homemade remedies. I have a lot of recipe for homemade remedies for different types of sickness and anything that can be homemade but I don’t have one for sunscreen and after reading this I don’t think I want to have one. I rarely go to the beach which is probably why I don’t have a recipe for sunscreen which is good thing because I might have been causing myself harm all along. I was at my round of looking up homemade recipe when I stumbled into this post. Thanks for the information and the heads up.
Like Shannon, I make my own, using a non-nano zinc oxide sunscreen (approved by EWG) and mix it with organic unrefined coconut oil to make it more spreadable. One issue that hasn’t been addressed here is that the active ingredients in sunscreens are chemicals that mimic estrogen in the body. Chemical estrogens act as a fertilizer to estrogen receptor positive breast cancer (the most common kind of breast cancer .) I can tell you from experience that breast cancer treatments are also very expensive. So in using commercial sunscreens, you could be feeding unknown small breast cancer tumors. So you have to make reasonable choices taking into consideration both skin cancer and breast cancer.