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homemade sunscreen bars
  • Beauty

Homemade Sunscreen Bars

Katie WellsMay 2, 2012Updated: May 22, 2020
Reading Time: 3 min

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Wellness Mama » Blog » Beauty » Homemade Sunscreen Bars
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • What You'll Need+−
    • Sunscreen Bar Ingredients
    • Sunscreen Bar Instructions
  • Address the Inside Too!

I’ve had fun lately creating a several different varieties of lotion bars. I started with the basic recipe and realized that the options were truly endless for variations.

Another of my favorites so far is the sunscreen bar!

It’s basically a bar version of my homemade sunscreen, and it avoids all the chemicals and potential carcinogens in regular sunscreen. It’s also easier to apply, since it is in a bar (use it almost like soap) and easier for kids to do themselves. I would recommend keeping it in the cooler if you take it to the beach, because it will start to get soft when the temperature hits the high 80s, but it will store well at room temperature.

I’d also encourage experimenting with how much coverage you want based on how much Zinc Oxide you add to the recipe, as this will be a smoother and thinner (and more waterproof) coverage than the basic sunscreen recipe. When possible, it is also important to spend some time in the sun without sunscreen for vitamin D production and there are some supplements and high nutrient foods that will help you avoid burn when you don’t use sunscreen.

What You’ll Need

  • Coconut Oil
  • shea butter, cocoa butter or mango butter (or a mix of all three equal to 1 cup)
  • beeswax
  •  non-nano Zinc Oxide
  • Optional: Vitamin E oil to preserve
  • Optional: a few drops of vanilla or essential oil for scent (do not use citrus oils!)
  • A double boiler or glass bowl over a small pan
  • Silicone molds or empty deodorant containers for an easy-to-apply solution

Sunscreen Bar Ingredients

  • 1 cup coconut oil (I get mine here)
  • 1 cup shea butter, cocoa butter or mango butter (or a mix of all three equal to 1 cup)
  • 1 cup beeswax (can add an extra ounce or two if you want a thicker consistency, which leaves less lotion on the skin when used)(I get mine here)
  • 2 tablespoons (or more) of non-nano Zinc Oxide
  • Optional: Vitamin E oil to preserve. I added 1 tsp vitamin E oil for this recipe made with 1 cup of each ingredient)
  • Optional: a few drops of vanilla or essential oil for scent (do not use citrus oils!)

Sunscreen Bar Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients (except zinc oxide and essential oils if using) in a double boiler, or a glass bowl over a smaller saucepan with 1 inch of water in it.
  2. Turn the burner on and bring water to a boil. Stir ingredients constantly until they are melted and smooth:
  3. Remove from heat and add the zinc oxide powder and essential oils.
  4. Gently stir by hand until essential oils are incorporated.
  5. Carefully pour into molds or whatever you will be allowing the lotion bars to harden in. I used these silicon baking cups, though any mold would work. This recipe exactly filled 12 silicon baking cups when I made it.
  6. Allow the lotion bars to cool completely before attempting to pop out of molds. These could be made in different shaped molds for different holiday gifts (hearts for valentines, flowers for Mother’s day, etc.) or made in a square baking pan and then cut into actual bars.
  7. They can be stored at room temperature or in the fridge or freezer for longer term storage. Keep below 80 degrees or they will melt! Adjust coverage to your needs and be careful not to burn while determining how long you can spend in the sun with these.

Address the Inside Too!

It is also important to protect your skin internally by making sure that your body has the nutrients it needs to avoid burning, even when you don’t use sunscreen.

About this time of year, I start taking a specific regimen of supplements that help reduce inflammation and improve sun tolerance. The supplements I take are:

  • Vitamin D3 (I take about 5,000 IU/day)- Emerging evidence shows that optimizing blood levels of Vitamin D can have a protective effect against sunburn and skin cancer
  • Vitamin C (I take about 2,000 mg/day)- A potent anti0inflammatory, and it is good for the immune system too.
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil melted in a cup of herbal tea per day- the Medium Chain Fatty Acids and saturated fat are easily utilized by the body for new skin formation and are protective against burning
  • Fermented Cod Liver Oil/High Vitamin Butter Oil Blend  (also great for remineralizing teeth)-Probably the most important supplement for sun protection. I take double doses during the summer and the kids take it too. Since adding this and the coconut oil daily, none of us have burned. It’s also great for digestive and oral health. (Amazon finally has the capsules back in stock)
  • Astaxanthin– A highly potent antioxidant which research shows acts as an internal sunscreen. It’s also supposedly an anti-aging supplement. I don’t give this one to the kids though.

Do you use sunscreen? What kind do you use? Share below!

These sunscreen lotion bars contain zinc for a natural sunscreen without the chemicals. The natural coconut oil and butters provide SPF and moisturize skin.

Category: Beauty

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About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a wife and mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

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Reader Interactions

Discussion (331 Comments)

  1. Pam Randolph

    May 10, 2012 at 10:28 PM

    Sorry if this seems like a stupid question but I live in a small town and the only zinc oxide cream I found was in the form of desitin and it is only 40%  zinc oxide, is this okay to use? I am assuming that it would be the lesser of two evils out of commercial sunscreen….

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      May 11, 2012 at 10:02 AM

      You could try it… I haven’t tried with a cream, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. It just might be hard to not leave a white film, so play around with the ratios…

      Reply
    • Sharon Fritz

      April 24, 2016 at 9:20 AM

      Amazon carries all these products.

      Reply
  2. Kimberly

    May 9, 2012 at 2:01 AM

    Could I use a cleaned out deodorant applicator instead of a baking pan?  I’m just trying to think of ways to easily apply/transport.  And I think having the ability to roll up the amount I need would be beneficial. 

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      May 9, 2012 at 9:35 AM

      absolutely! This is how I did the deodorant bars I made and it works great.

      Reply
  3. Julie

    May 8, 2012 at 11:46 PM

    Could you use zinc oxide cream instead of powder in this recipe? I can’t find the powder anywhere except on line.

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      May 9, 2012 at 9:35 AM

      You could, just make sure there aren’t any other dangerous ingredients with the cream…

      Reply
      • Nichole

        May 28, 2014 at 11:07 AM

        Would the bars still harden, with using the zinc oxide cream?

        Also, the only beeswax I can find is sold in pellet form. So per 1 cup coconut oil, would it be 1 cup of pellet beeswax, or one cup of melted beeswax?

        Reply
        • Katie - Wellness Mama

          May 28, 2014 at 1:28 PM

          It will still harden. I use one cup of pellets.

          Reply
  4. Rachael

    May 6, 2012 at 3:06 PM

    One of my kids is allergic to coconut products :(…is there another type of oil that you can substitute for the coconut oil?

    Reply
  5. Nvorlovsky

    May 6, 2012 at 9:57 AM

    How do you know when to reapply or what SPF it is? I have tattoos that need protecting.

    Reply
  6. sarena

    May 6, 2012 at 6:09 AM

    These look great! Thanx. Curious, how about using a crockpot geared especially for this purpose?

    Reply
  7. Mary

    May 5, 2012 at 6:07 PM

    Do you have a suggestion for a oil to use other than coconut oil?  (due to allergies)

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      May 5, 2012 at 8:39 PM

      I’d try almond if you can or even olive oil.

      Reply
      • amanda

        March 30, 2015 at 8:32 PM

        Why no citrus

        Reply
        • Tanita

          May 30, 2015 at 3:13 PM

          Citrus EO’s are known to cause skin to be photosensitive, meaning more prone to sunburn, for about the first 45 mins after applying them to skin.

          Reply
  8. Mary

    May 5, 2012 at 10:59 AM

    Okay, I have another technical question.  If I order a pound of one of the butters, do you have any idea approximately how many cups that would be?  Same for beeswax? (An rough estimate is fine, I’ve never worked with these products, so I have no clue.)

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      May 5, 2012 at 5:00 PM

      I would guess about 2-3 cups or more per pound. My one pound jars of each are about the size of a quart mason jar

      Reply
      • Mary

        May 6, 2012 at 11:19 AM

        Thank you again!

        Reply
      • Brenda

        June 28, 2016 at 3:51 PM

        I’m really excited to make these! I am a bit confused, though…. Were you saying (in using 1tsp Vit E with each 1C of ingredients) that in using 1C Shea, 1C Coconut oil & 1C Beeswax, I should use a total of 3tsp Vit E?

        Reply
  9. Edward Hutchinson

    May 4, 2012 at 1:36 PM

    I’m sure most people are aware that generally  speaking what you put on your skin surface can be detected in your urine later that day (apart from Zinc oxide where the particle size is too big to pass through skin). 
    So limiting  sunscreen ingredients to those you may find in food is sensible. 
    Far better than the ingredients you find in typical sunscreens. 
     http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/127/1/Sunscreen—protection-or-poison.htmlSome of these are really very worrying. 

    Reply
  10. dawn

    May 3, 2012 at 4:20 PM

    Do you need to make these in a mold that you won’t use for food?

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      May 3, 2012 at 7:46 PM

      Technically all of the ingredients are non-toxic. They will leave a small film that is tough to wash, but this actually works as a non-stick coating on it…

      Reply
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