For many years now I’ve preached about the benefits of safe sun exposure. The keyword here is safe! And while it has a lot of benefits, sometimes on occasion, I’ll pull out the homemade sunscreen. Many of you have asked for a lip sunscreen with SPF, so I finally got to work in the kitchen and came up with one.
Why You Should Not (and Should) Use Lip Sunscreen
I’m not usually a fan of sunscreen for several reasons. We need the sun to make the hormone vitamin D, have a strong immune system, regulate hormones, and so much more. Even something as seemingly simple as sunglasses can interfere with that signalling by blocking light receptors in the eyes.
Most of the time I’ll either seek shade or cover up once my body has had enough sun for the day. While I think the science is clear on the sun’s benefits, it’s also clear that sunburns are damaging! However, if you live in a really sunny climate and you’re outside a lot, out on the boat, surfing, etc., then sunscreen can be helpful sometimes.
My homemade sunscreen recipe is a fan favorite, but many of you have asked if it can be used on lips. Technically yes, but it might leave a white cast, be hard to apply, and taste kind of funky. Even if you’re not eating it (the ingredients are clean though), small amounts of lip balm still end up in the mouth. But we probably all knew that one kid in grade school who liked eating Chapstick…
Mineral Lip Balm With Sunscreen Ingredients
A lot of the store-bought brands use a whole slew of synthetic ingredients I really don’t want in my mouth (or in my kids’!). Certain UV-blocking ingredients go smoothly onto skin and absorb quickly, which sounds great. However, these sunscreen ingredients like oxybenzone and avobenzone are also toxic to coral reefs, which are essential to ocean life and life on Earth. Not to mention what they do to us once they’re absorbed.
This lip sunscreen instead uses non-nano and uncoated zinc oxide. It creates a skin barrier and sits on top of skin/lips, reflecting UV rays. It’s one of the safest UV barriers out there. In fact, it’s one of only two that the FDA considers safe and effective for sunscreen. I don’t always agree with the FDA, but I’m with them on this one. The zinc oxide is at 20%, which translates to roughly 10 SPF when you add up all of the ingredients. 10 SPF may not sound like much, but it blocks about 90% of UV rays.
I’ve also added red raspberry seed oil. It has a slight SPF and it’s full of antioxidants that protect the lips from sun damage. You’ll also find this ingredient in my homemade sunscreen recipe. Shea butter is smooth and creamy, nourishes lips, and helps firm up the lip balm. Beeswax provides a protective layer over the lips.
Lastly, avocado oil provides the bulk of the lip balm and supports collagen to prevent weakened skin cells. Avocado oil also helps calm inflammation, regenerate skin cells, and protect the skin barrier. It’s also rich in carotenoids that offer some UV ray protection.
Tinted Sunscreen Lip Balm
My original sunscreen recipe is white due to the zinc oxide. Some people are ok with a white cast on their lips, but there’s an easy fix. You can add iron oxide and/or mica to give it a bit of color. Mica reflects light so it will give it a little sparkle.
Iron oxides are nature-identical pigments that lend a rich, burgundy red color. Oxides that naturally come straight from the soil also come with lead and other heavy metal contaminants. Things I don’t want in a lip balm! That’s why iron oxides are now made in a lab to be nature-identical.
If you don’t have iron oxide on hand, rose kaolin clay offers a similar effect.
DIY Natural Lip Sunscreen
This smooth and creamy lip sunscreen helps protect lips from UV damage.
Yield: 1.7 ounces
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Add the beeswax, shea butter, and avocado oil to the top of the double boiler or glass bowl. Stir occasionally until melted.
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Turn off the heat and add the raspberry seed oil and essential oils.
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Whisk in the powders: zinc oxide, iron oxide, and mica.
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Remove from heat and stir occasionally as it cools. The powders will want to sink to the bottom so they’ll need to stay mixed in.
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Once the lip sunscreen is mostly cooled, but still soft enough to pour, pour the mixture into your containers.
The iron oxide adds a pink color and the mica adds a little sparkle. You can use both or neither, but it will have a white cast without any iron oxide.
Important Note on Photoxic Essential Oils
Certain essential oils can increase the risk of sunburn and skin damage. Needless to say, they should not be used in lip balms! Photoxic essential oils include bergamot, lime, lemon, and grapefruit. Learn more about this topic here.
More Sun Protection
Here are some more DIY sunscreen recipes, plus info on sunscreen pros and cons.
What’s your approach to sun exposure? Leave a comment and let us know!
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