DIY sunblock

[ambimammular]

Has anyone had luck making their own sunblock?

It's time I grow up and start using a daily sunscreen, but the good zinc oxide ones are outrageously priced for teeny tubes.

I purchased zinc oxide (non-micro) and mixed it with coconut oil. It feels great on my skin and leaves me glowy in a way that ironically I've not been able to achieve with make-up. Ha! So that's great, but I'd really like to know its efficacy. Without a test condition it's hard to know and I'm not willing to paint myself with stripes to see how good the block is.

Anyone with experience trying a DIY recipe?

[ND]

I am a vampire, so I buy the "family-sized" bottle of sunblock, and it lasts for years.

Does this DIY recipe clog your pores?

[ambimammular]

So far my complexion has been good. But I usually use jojoba oil as my only facial moisturizer, so a switch to coconut oil and zinc oxide hasn't been a big change for me.

[letired]

Personally, I would never trust a diy sunscreen, precisely because there is no way to test how effective it is. Given the 'recommended dose' for commercial sunscreens, I am very dubious that I could get effective concentrations of the UV filters on my skin from a DIY product. (also, coconut oil makes my skin FREAK OUT). Also, doesn't oil concentrate sunlight/uv? Isn't that why folks used to slather themselves in various oils when they went sunbathing? I will DIY a lot of stuff, and a lot of stuff for my face even, but never sunblock.

I have a lot of feelings about sunblock, since anything with aveobenzene makes me want to claw my eyeballs out. For days with intense sun exposure, I like the Coppertone for babies/kids tear free SPF50 (the name changes), which is cheap as all heck. For daily face wear, I get a fancy Biore sunscreen from Japan off amazon. Not exactly cheap, but if I'm going to fuck around with wearing daily sunscreen, I'm going to use something that actually works.

[ambimammular]

<img src="http://i2.wp.com/greatbodyskin.com/wp-content/uploads/468787_546844138701540_1772185778_o-1024x1024.jpg?resize=550%2C550" alt="vegetable oils and their spf"/>

Here's one of the links about UV protection from oils that I was using as a guide. I suppose I'll find out how effective it is by checking my farmer tan. 

[lbmustache]

if I'm going to fuck around with wearing daily sunscreen, I'm going to use something that actually works.

I agree. With that said, I use this crazy expensive (ugh) sunscreen - it's all natural which was a big priority for me. On the plus side, sometimes you can find it on sale for 10-15% off.

http://www.josiemarancosmetics.com/argan-daily-moisturizer-spf-47-with-sunboost-atb.html#.WROeLVKZNE4

[letired]

if I'm going to fuck around with wearing daily sunscreen, I'm going to use something that actually works.

I agree. With that said, I use this crazy expensive (ugh) sunscreen - it's all natural which was a big priority for me. On the plus side, sometimes you can find it on sale for 10-15% off.

http://www.josiemarancosmetics.com/argan-daily-moisturizer-spf-47-with-sunboost-atb.html#.WROeLVKZNE4

Oh man! That is pricey!

I'm not sure how you are defining 'all natural' since that ingredient list looks pretty standard to me, but if you are interested in looking for alternates, this and this post on 'physical' sunscreen filters might be a helpful place to start. I didn't care for the CeraVe sunscreen (very thick, heavy white cast, poor absorption, etc), but my friend has liked EltaMD stuff. I'm really into the Biore Aqua Rich sunscreen at the moment for my face, though I'd like to try a Coppertone one soon.

[ysette9]

I agree with others that this is not an area I have any interest in DIYing. To each their own though. I'd recommend doing some reading on Wikipedia about different sunblocks though. Each ingredient will do a different job blocking different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. Ideally you want to mix more than one together to get coverage of both the so-called UVA and UVB ends of the spectrum. One causes sunburns and the other cancer, so you can be at risk for later damage even if you aren't burning. You should be able to look up the UV spectrum for each active ingredient and mentally superimpose then to find a combo that coves most wavelengths.

[ambimammular]

Nice! Thanks for that, ysette9! I will look into the UV spectrum and add something to help cover more of the range.