Make Your Own Sunscreen
Greetings, dear readers! Picture a scorching summer… You hardly even feel like doing a light make‑up look! Adding yet another layer of cream to your skin? Is that really what we women dream about when the hot season arrives? Perhaps we could skip it and use cream only when we’re right next to the surf? Or is that a bad idea? Could a home‑made sunscreen be an alternative? And would it truly protect a woman’s youthful skin from premature ageing?
Table of Contents
-
Make Your Own Sunscreen
-
The Simplest DIY Sunscreen
-
My First Tip on How to Make Sunscreen
-
My Second Tip
-
My Third Tip
We careful, sensible women start asking ourselves these questions as soon as the first scents of spring appear. Yet do we remember the marks those long‑awaited sunbeams can leave on our skin and health? Are we aware of how destructive ultraviolet radiation is for our beauty? Today my aim is to show you how you can make sunscreen with your own hands—and to convince you to do it!
Make Your Own Sunscreen
First you should learn how to protect your eyes from the sun, because UVA and UVB rays can damage the DNA inside cells, slowing the birth of new cells not only in the skin but throughout the body.
Along with directly harming cells, ultraviolet light also dries out the spaces between them, literally splitting lipids apart and “evaporating” nourishing moisture even from deep skin structures.
Buying sunscreen in a shop is easy, of course, but the ingredient lists often scare us with a swarm of chemicals. How will they affect our health? These fears keep many women from applying special products every day; they buy sun‑care only for seaside holidays.
The safety and effectiveness of chemical UV filters are still fiercely debated. Studies in the USA and Western Europe show that most chemical filters disrupt hormonal balance. We can confidently say they do more harm than good.
The cream I’m going to suggest contains no extra synthetic chemicals yet still hydrates and shields the skin from the sun—making UV filters safer for both your skin and your health overall.
The Simplest DIY Sunscreen
The easiest recipe is to take any light oil‑free shop moisturiser and mix in one micronised mineral—titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. I’ve already described these minerals in my articles on mineral make‑up and on making it at home.
Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are natural minerals that act as light‑reflecting filters in mineral cosmetics. They protect the skin from UV as physical filters.
This cream fulfils the two main duties of a day cream: hydration and sun protection.
For reliable protection, apply the finished cream to your face, neck and décolletage, pat it in gently and wait at least 20 minutes before going into the sun.
My First Tip
Transfer the bought cream into a mixing bowl. Add the mineral and blend very thoroughly—otherwise protection will be uneven. Mix until perfectly homogeneous, then put the cream back into a jar (volume will rise by about 20 %).
Remember: titanium dioxide and zinc oxide lighten the skin, so the cream will leave a pale cast like a light powder. Apply it in daylight; if you look too pale, dust a little bronzer or darker powder on top.
| Micronised mineral | Percentage / SPF | Low | Medium | High | Very high |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titanium dioxide | 2 % / < 4 | 4 % / 8–10 | 6 % / 12–15 | 10 % / > 20 | |
| Zinc oxide | 3 % / < 4 | 7.5 % / 6–8 | 12 % / 11–12 | 20 % / > 20 |
Example: with 100 ml of moisturiser, add 10 g titanium dioxide or 20 g zinc oxide to reach SPF 20+. SPF 20 lets you stay safely in the sun for at least three hours.
To find how long you can stay out, multiply SPF by the number of minutes before your unprotected skin begins to redden. If your skin pinks after 10 min, SPF 20 × 10 min = 200 min (≈ 3 h). If you have darker skin that reddens only after 20 min, SPF 10 is enough for 3 h—use half the mineral.
After swimming, re‑apply, because our base is an ordinary moisturiser.
My Second Tip
No mini‑scales? Ask a jeweller to weigh the mineral for a small fee. Bring a tiny zip‑bag, weigh the empty bag first, then add the mineral and subtract the bag weight.
If you ordered minerals from an online DIY‑cosmetic shop, they usually come pre‑weighed in 5‑, 10‑ or 20‑g packs—no jeweller needed!
My Third Tip
Buying micronised minerals is easy:
-
Many craft stores for soap‑makers stock them.
-
If not, Google “micronised titanium dioxide”—you’ll find a supplier that can ship to you within a week (in Ukraine I receive mine within five days).
Homemade cosmetics have become hugely popular, so private businesses offer plenty of natural ingredients online.
I hope making your own sunscreen won’t be difficult. Your skin won’t be burdened with an extra layer full of unknowns. Give my advice a try!
The sun is the joy of the day—make that joy safe!
