Want to smell like a can of Betty Crocker frosting after a break-up, or Dobrilo Nenadić on a sunny day in Arilje?
When traveling, bring a TSA-approved bottle of your own raspberry seed oil sunscreen. Highly water-resistant and spectrophotometrically calculated to have a high SPF, herbal oils protect you from tropic sun while others burn to a crisp.
If you prefer traditional non-comedogenic sun creme, scroll down for a buttery, all-natural recipe. It’s cheap, quick, and makes the whole apartment smell amazing.
A word of caution: Homemade sunscreens may not be effective for everybody. However, according to this EWG study, commercial sunscreens aren’t always effective either! In vitro studies show comparable efficacy with titanium dioxide, but results do not necessarily translate to human skin (as is the case with raspberry oil). We can only speak from personal experiences in tropical and desert climates, but we stay out of the sun, and cover up with clothing and a hat.
To protect against the sun’s rays, wear tightly woven fabrics, denim, and dark colors, not gauzy cover-ups or basket-weave hats, and keep clothes dry, since wet garments transmit more UV radiation.
Since posting this, we’ve read as many scientific studies touting the sun protection potency of natural products as not. Never risk your health for the sake of zero waste. Proceed with care!
Water-Resistant Red Raspberry Seed Oil Sunscreen
Protects from UVB and UVC rays only.
Ingredients:
- All ingredients purchased in bulk,
- 50 mL raspberry seed oil
- 100 mL carrier oil (I used coconut)
- Optional: 5 mL carrot seed oil
Instructions:
- Combine in a dark amber bottle.
- Seal tightly.
- Reapply every two hours.
Homemade Broad Spectrum Sunscreen
Recipe:
- 30 grams non-nano, uncoated zinc oxide.
- 60 grams beeswax.
- 60 grams shea butter or mango butter
- 60 grams coconut oil
Instructions:
- Combine melted beeswax and zinc oxide powder with shea or mango butter and coconut oil.
- Store in a tightly sealed glass jar.
- Use within six months.
- Add more beeswax for enhanced water resistance.
DIY Mango Butter
- Scrub mango pits under running water.
- Dry in the sun, approximately one week.
- Use a butter knife.
- Carefully cut pits open lengthwise.
- Find the little groove at the top.
- Insert knife.
- Slowly work around the exterior so as not to break the seed. The seed is very slippery and looks like a peanut.
- Grind seeds into fine white powder using mortar and pestle, blender, or food processor.
- Add a little water for natural mango butter, or a few drops raspberry seed oil for toothpaste. Used alone, it’s an effective tooth powder.
Where to Buy Plastic-Free Natural Sunscreen
We are yet to list the zero waste sunscreen brands that are good.