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Siel Ju

Don't make your own sunscreen

While do-it-yourself projects can be very green, DIY sunscreens may not provide the protection you need.

Wed, Jul 08 2009 at 12:12 PM EST
 8

I’m a huge fan of do-it-yourself projects, whether homemade bread or cardboard laptop bags, because they often mean creative upcycling and unique, handcrafted goodies that are free of weird ingredients or materials. So when I saw directions for making homemade sunscreen on Instructables (via Lifehacker) right after writing about some of the not-so-healthy chemicals that are used in many store-bought sunscreens, I thought, maybe I should give this a shot! After all, as the directions point out, “By making your own sunscreen, you control exactly what goes in!”
 
Weighing sunscreen ingredients
 
But before investing in gloves, a mask, and titanium dioxide, I thought it best to check with the experts to see if DIY sunscreen really is a good idea. So I put the question to Sonya Lunder, senior analyst and Environmental Working Group. Her response: “The long and short of it is that it is better to trust the pros than try to make this stuff at home.”
 
Why? “Formulating sunscreens is an art and a science,” says Lunder. Since homemade concoctions can go on unevenly leaving portions your skin vulnerable to the sun, and since even some essential oils can make skin more sensitive to the sun, expert mixologists are really the best people to be crafting these sunscreens.
 
Lunder especially cautions people against buying nano forms of zinc and titanium powder. “The particles are much more absorbed by the lungs and nasal passages — which is why we don’t recommend people use powder or spray sunscreens.”
 
So there you have it: Don’t worry about getting a sunscreen-dedicated mini mixer and just get your sunscreens from the store. Here again are the details on the safest, easy-to-find sunscreens.
 
Photo courtesy of scoochmaroo / Instructables
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anonymous
krin 06/23/2011 06:20 AM

sure is good to sell out (to the author)
afcourse "the experts" will say it better to buy their sunscreen.

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anonymous
bangbang 01/21/2011 17:19 PM

Actually I just finished my own sunblock this morning!
I used Vani Cream as base, and Everyday Mineral powder with my shade
Then I just mix both together, and there we go! SunBLOCK with zinc and titanium that doesn't leave me white cast anymore but provide the same protective!!

I used 1 pump of Vani cream and dust enough powder to make the cream turn into a semi solid color sunblock, then apply .
I just used my fingers to mix both together too, there was no un-even-ness. It went on.... More

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anonymous
Sarah 07/03/2010 23:33 PM

While true there is no way of knowing what the exact SPF is of your homemade sunscreen, that's about the only downside. Thorough mixing of your product is about all it takes to make sure your zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide is dispersed evenly.

While I'm sure the intentions of the EWG are heartfelt, they often jump off the deep end with their warnings, and tend to use scare tactics based on incomplete or misinformation, rather than actual unbiased science.

I've been.... More

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anonymous
Maria 05/13/2010 10:13 AM

Commercial sunscreens are dangerous, some are selling that don't even have expiration dates, over inflate prices. I've been making sunscreen for 10 years, and not one single time have I been burned or any family member. It's simple as can be, you can even get you a plain bottle of lotion, and mix your sunscreen in with that, add any oil that you want.

This article is hogwash.

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anonymous
Sisi 05/22/2010 17:37 PM

which ingredients do you use to make your own sunscreen? I tried it just once and it became so greasy....I used zinc oxide ( approximately 15-20%), sheabutter, jojoba oil and carnauba wax. Now I'm trying to find a non-greasy formula! so if you can help me... please!

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anonymous
stacey 09/23/2009 06:55 AM

When they bring the prices down that are so overly inflated for sunscreen and sunblocks, then maybe I'll consider buying over the counter sunscreen again. My sunscreen/sunblock is perfect. My sunscreen spreads evernly, and certainly is not as you described. Mask and gloves and an aprom work just fine. I don't believe even the so called pros even know what they are doing. I'll be so glad when and if the FDA steps in on some of these so called professional companies, who sell us inadequate.... More

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anonymous
Maria 05/13/2010 10:14 AM

I absolutely agree.

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anonymous
Wabi Sabi Baby 07/22/2009 10:42 AM

The Instructable you mentioned does not do homemade sunscreen justice. There are so many things wrong with it and although the author referenced my blog, this is not the way I make sunscreen. First off, I use conventional, not micronized, zinc oxide. It is much easier to work with, you do not need gloves, and it is very safe (and inexpensive). Zinc oxide is one of the main ingredients in powder makeup (blush, eyeshadows) and medicated ointments (Johnson’s Medicated Baby Powder). Lots of.... More

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