Nice Assets

Summer in the Southern hemisphere is upon us and many people are struggling with the added expense of sunscreen on their budgets. Well, it doesn’t have to be that way! Liberate yourself from commercial sunscreen and its often reef-harming chemicals! It’s fun and empowering to make your own mineral sunscreen that is better for the ocean, your body, and your wallet. Here is a super easy sunblock recipe I have been using the last 5+ years. It literally takes 5 minutes to mix this up.

Super easy DIY Sunblock recipe

1 cup coconut oil

2 tbs beeswax

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tbs zinc oxide

Optional: essential oil (not citrus!), cocoa powder and/or ground turmeric

Melt all the oils and the beeswax in a clean glass jar in the microwave. Then stir in the zinc, essential oil and colourants until it’s well mixed. You can use a stick blender while it is still warm to get a more even mixture.

Because there is no water in this mixture you can store it in glass jars at room temperature for years without any preservatives.

This is about SPF 50. You can add more Zinc if you want better coverage, but it does leave your skin quite white. You can add cocoa powder and/or ground turmeric if you want to naturally tint your sunscreen to match your skin.

If adding essential oil do not add citrus oils (including bergamot) as they actually cause a photosenstive reaction on skin.

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I also make my own soap, shampoo, and conditioner. Anytime you make something rather than buy it from a giant corporation, you are engaging in activism. I like blending my own essential oil combinations and adding locally foraged materials like seaweed and kawakawa in my lotions and potions. And, it’s 100% plastic free.

Enjoy your summer and stay sun safe and minimum waste!