Natural Sunscreen? I like it!

Sunscreen is a necessity in our house. We just put in an in ground pool last summer and plan on spending every daylight hour possible in the backyard. :)

I've been doing a lot of reading about the make up of sunscreen lately because Tatum broke out in a rash a couple of weeks ago and I'm pretty sure that sunscreen to blame.
I have found a couple of sites with a DIY sunscreen recipe and I'm going to try it out and then test on myself. I couldn't find any information on the SPF rating for the recipes, but everything I read says that you can probably spend 2 hours in the sun without getting burned.

Here are the 2 recipes I plan on trying... I will test them out and post how everything turns out and hopefully come out with a favourite! It's storming here right now, but hopefully we will get a really sunny day soon so I can get a good test! Maybe I will put half one side of me and half on the other... if one doesn't work out, this could make for some interesting tan lines!

This one is from The Soap Guru:

• 5 oz grapeseed oil (feel free to infuse with herbs like Calendula or Plantain)
• 1 tablespoon shea butter
• 1/2 oz beeswax
• 4 0z lavender hydrosol (or any other hydrosol you like)
• 2 tbls zinc oxide powder

Mix the oil, shea butter and beeswax in a 2 cup pyrex measuring cup, put in a pot partially filled with water (to act as a double boiler), melt over medium-high heat. Add the zinc powder. Allow to cool until a crust starts to form around the edges. Using a hand blender, begin to slowly pour the hydrosol into the oil. Keep mixing until all the hydrosol is fully incorporated and the cream is smooth. Put into a clean, sterilized jar. Store in the fridge.

and the second one is from ehow.com. It's very similar. The directions are a lot longer, so just click on the link to check it out for yourself if you want.

I really hope these work. If not I found this Purple Prairie product that has had some good reviews. They also have a bug spray!

Do you know what the SPF rating on sun products actually means? I had to look it up. I did learn what it means way back when in esthetics school, but I couldn't remember. This article explains it pretty well and also explains why 2 people who put on the same product at the same time can have different success.

Wish me luck!