2-Ingredient Homemade Sunscreen (A More Natural Sunblock Solution )

Are you looking for an affordable, DIY, more natural alternative to sunscreen or sunblock?  Well, this is a very easy, simple, effective, affordable and more natural option than a typical store-bought sunblock.

Ingredients

Let’s talk about the 2 ingredients:

• 1 cup of lotion
• 4 TBSP of non-nano zinc oxide

First – the lotion.  We recommend starting with a plain, very creamy, unscented lotion.  The zinc you will be adding will cause the lotion to become more dry in application (as it is a powder you are adding). So the thicker and creamier – the better the application.

Second – the non-nano zinc oxide. This is the important ingredient to making this more natural.  You could use micro zinc oxide to make your own, and that is fine too, but what makes this more natural is that the non-nano zinc oxide is not absorbed by the pores in the skin.  It sits on top of your skin instead of being absorbed. This is what you want.

Where to Get Non-Nano Zinc Oxide

This is going to be the most challenging part.  We cannot find non-nano locally (but truthfully, there are not many natural brick and mortar stores in our area), so you may or may not be able to find it in yours.

However, there are some great and affordable options online.  Amazon has a few options – again make sure you get non-nano zinc oxide if the more natural alternative is important to you.

The best deal that we have seen is for a bulk amount of non-nano zinc oxide from Better Shea Butter company sold through Amazon HERE.  It will last a while and make quite a bit of homemade sunscreen as well as some other personal care recipes that we will be sharing.

How Does the SPF Work?

To create different levels of SPF, you just need to add more or less non-nano zinc oxide.  In a nutshell, the formula for 20 SPF is one part zinc oxide to 4 parts lotion.

How to Make

Simply mix the non-nano zinc oxide into the lotion with a spoon.  The lotion consistency will be lumpy and the more you mix, the less lumpy.  It will begin to have a consistency similar to heavy whipped cream.

Then store it in an airtight container! Shallow glass jars are GREAT for this purpose.

How to Use

Actually, there is nothing special about “how to use.”  Just apply like you would any other sunscreen or lotion, however you will notice a couple of differences from normal lotion application.

First – a little goes a long way.  I took a picture of putting some on and even this little dollop was too much. So this 1-cup amount will last a long while!

Second – you will notice that you will go from your normal skin color, to a little “whiter” as the non-nano zinc oxide sits on your skin and is not absorbed.  Although regular sunscreen also does this, you will notice it more with the homemade version.

So that’s it! It really is that easy, rewarding, fun and pleasant! By the way, there is no scent, just the scent of the base lotion you use!

See more Homemade Products

See our Homemade Products Pinterest Board for more ideas