As a surfer and outdoor enthusiast, I spend a good deal of time in the sun. A hat and other protective gear are great, but a good, quality sunscreen is essential.

For years I researched sunscreens that only used mineral-based UV filters with lower toxicity concerns, such as zinc, without hormone disrupting chemicals such as oxybenzone. I mostly rely on EWG for my sunscreen research nowadays (read more here).

In my quest for the perfect sunscreen, I found some excellent brands such as Think Sport and Suntegrity, but with the amount of sunscreen that my husband and I consume, the cost adds up. So I started to make my own. I still complement my homemade sunscreen with other brands I trust, but I have been partial to the DIY at home sunscreens lately.

Here’s a recipe I like:

What You Need

• Double boiler

• Protective mask to avoid inhaling the zinc, and, if you want to avoid zinc on your hands, gloves

• Old newspaper or protective cloth to cover your table

• Non-nano zinc (I use about 1 tbsp or .5 ounce in each 2 oz container; this is about a 1 to 4 ratio or 2.25 ounces for every 9 ounces)

• Raspberry seed oil (about 1 full dropper or 15 drops)

• Shea butter (1/2 cup)

• Almond oil (1/4 cup)

• Vitamin E (1 tsp)

• Beeswax (don’t forget this one; I tried without it once, and it doesn’t work, trust me) (2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup, depending on how thick you want it).

• 2 oz glass or bpa free plastic containers

Instructions

Boil water in a pot. Add the shea butter, almond oil, vitamin E, and beeswax in the double boiler and place the double boiler in the pot. Stir until everything is melted. (I use a thin wooden stirrer, about the size of a chopstick, which I found around my house and use only for these purposes.) Once melted, remove from the heat and add the raspberry seed oil.

Lay down newspaper or protective cloth on your table to catch any oil spills or powder from the zinc, and place the containers on top of this.

Pour the liquid into the 2 oz containers about 2/3 full. (You want to leave room in the containers to add the zinc.) Add the zinc and stir. Let the liquid cool off while you’re stirring so that the zinc doesn’t settle to the bottom. Continue to stir the contents while the liquid cools so that the zinc disburses evenly. (If you only stir once or twice when the contents are hot, the zinc will settle on the bottom.) Once the contents begin to harden, give it a couple of more stirs to make sure that it looks white and the zinc disbursed evenly throughout. (I’ve read that some people freeze the containers for 20 minutes and then refrigerate them to prevent the contents from separating. I haven’t tried this, however, as I stopped having problems with separation once I started to stir the contents as they cooled and continued to stir them until the contents hardened.)

Usually I make about 2 batches of the above and store the containers that are not being used in a cabinet, away from direct light. The sunscreen lasts for months.

• Please note that I can’t verify the SPF of this recipe, and make no claims about it. But, from my tried and tested experience, it has kept me from getting burnt in high heat while surfing. And other surfers have asked me where I buy my sunscreen, as it leaves a thin white film on my face while surfing (keeping my skin protected). That is enough validation for me. I hope it works for you too!