I am creating this list as a resource for Anarres' students. This article does not in any way replace the need to take a workshop on creating sunscreens! If you see new research or info, please email me at Tracey AT AnarresHealth DOT ca .
* Vegetable ingredients are non-comedogenic, meaning they don't clog pores.
* Adding zinc oxide 10-20% to your oils will thicken your mixture or formula and add UVA protection.
My youngest see-through child at age 10 months on the beach in Mexico using only shea and cocoa butter for sun protection. At age 11, she now only uses Sun Blessed Lotion http://www.anarreshealth.ca/product/lotion-sun-blessed-0 She used to prefer Elemental Protection Lotion http://www.anarreshealth.ca/product/lotion-elemental-protection-nut-free Pictures below, we are at Burning Man in the high desert, wearing only cocoa butter. We never burned!
The skin is protected from sunburn in a variety of ways, and in my opinion it is best to combine these ways:
BY HYDRATING (DRINKING WATER!) A wet wash cloth will not burn easily while a dry one will! Drink 2 to 3 litres of water a day.
BY MOISTURIZING THE SKIN All butters and oils will help the skin to retain water and will also help the body to create vitamin D from the sun's UVB rays.
BY CONTRIBUTING ANTI OXIDANTS Anti-Oxidants like tocopherols aka vitamine E preserve oils, and repair free-radical damage in the skin, thus preventing skin cancers in the long term. All unrefined oils contain vitamin E, and those particularly high in vitamin E are traditionally considered to be sun protecting.
BY BLOCKING UVA AND UVB RAYS Clothing, sun hats and shade does this, and so does zinc oxide. Your skin cannot make vitamine D when you use zinc oxide sunscreen, so use this when you are going to be unavoidably out in the sun midday such as when boating.
Remember the days of SPF 4 with an extreme high of SPF 8?
Here I am rocking the coconut oil in my childhood.
Note that oils must be a natural sunny colour to be sun protecting according to tradition (Doctrine of Plant Signatures). Rather than blocking, I say that the traditionally sun protecting ingredients "help the skin to receive the sun". For 4 years, I and my children have spent a week in the high altitude desert sun using pure cocoa butter primarily, and Safe Sun Protection Cream http://www.anarreshealth.ca/node/481 midday without burning. I am olive skinned and my children's skin is transparent.
Below are some confirmed (by contemporary Western science spectrophotometrically)
and traditional (confirmed by thousands of years of use)
sun protecting natural ingredients.
CARRIER OILS
Almond oil (SPF 5)
Avocado oil, unrefined (SPF 4 to 15) http://www.anarreshealth.ca/node/235
Castor oil (SPF 6)
Cocoa butter natural grade http://www.anarreshealth.ca/node/220
Coconut unrefined (SPF 7) Reportedly SPF 2-8 http://www.anarreshealth.ca/content/oil-coconut-virgin-organic-food-grad...
Hazelnut oil (SPF 15 unconfirmed; widely used in natural sunscreens)
Hemp Seed Oil green unrefined, Reportedly SPF 6 http://www.anarreshealth.ca/node/1279
Olive oil, extra virgin (SPF 8) Reportedly SPF 2-8
Pumpkin Seed oil, green, My best guess similar to hemp seed oil
Sesame oil unrefined, Reportedly SPF 4 http://www.anarreshealth.ca/node/243
Shea butter natural grade, Reportedly SPF 3-6 http://www.anarreshealth.ca/node/219
Soybean oil, non GMO (SPF 10)
ENRICHING OILS
Carrot Root Infused Oil http://www.anarreshealth.ca/node/407
Jojoba oil (SPF 4) http://www.anarreshealth.ca/node/539
Macadamia nut oil (SPF 6)
Red raspbery seed oil (SPF 28 to 50) Reportedly protects against UVA & B rays!!! http://www.anarreshealth.ca/content/oil-red-raspberry-seed-social-enterp...
Sea buckthorn oil http://www.anarreshealth.ca/content/oil-sea-buckthorn-social-enterprise
Tulsi (SPF 7)
Wheat germ oil (SPF 20)
ESSENTIAL OILS Beware of skin irritation and be educated about how much essential oil to use. Research each essential oil before formulating with it.
Carrot seed oil (SPF 30) Reported SPF 38-40 “Pharmacognosy Magazine”, 2009
Lavender (SPF 6) http://www.anarreshealth.ca/node/87 http://www.anarreshealth.ca/node/188 http://www.anarreshealth.ca/node/806
Lemongrass (SPF 6) http://www.anarreshealth.ca/node/335
Peppermint (SPF 7) http://www.anarreshealth.ca/node/102
EXTRACTS
Green Tea
Watermelon traditionally ingested as a sun protectant http://www.anarreshealth.ca/node/555
Spectrophotometrically calculated sun protection factor values of herbal oils
http://www.phcogres.com/viewimage.asp?img=PhcogRes_2010_2_1_22_60586_b3.jpg
Natural Sun Protection by Karen Sinclair Drake
http://www.drfranklipman.com/natural-sun-protection/
Much more than you ever wanted to know about SPF and more than I ever wanted to explain
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunscreen
Sun Protecting Foods!!! The SPF Diet
http://www.self.com/fooddiet/2010/05/the-spf-diet