Living in the Land of Eternal Sunshine

Did you know that I have spent most of my life afraid of the sun?  I mean, I love, Love, LOVE the sun, but my skin has a different relationship with that fiery ball. 

I Love the sun AND maypoles!

 I grew up with a my mother, The Sun Worshiper.  Some of my earliest memories are of laying with her on a sheet in the grass listening to Steely Dan's Rikki Don't Loose That Number.

 Every year, as the snow began to melt, my mother would watch out the window for those glorious sunbeams.  When the outside temperature hit the mid 50s it was on!  

This is my family in Oregon last March.
The temperature was nearing the high 50s.

After my sister and I set up a fort around her lawn chair (she didn't want the neighbors to see her sunbathing) she was out there in a string bikini, lathered in baby oil.  As I got older I became the hose girl who would splash her feet and rub oil on her back. She spent most of her time making sure her lines were straight, and barely there.  

I love the rocky riverbank! 

While the whole thing seems like a lot of summer fun, the truth was, I couldn't stand all the sun.  I was terrified by the old MTV commercials where the kids wore gas masks and looked at the sun through windows while saying things like, "My mom used to LAY in it!"  

Credit: Image is courtesy of: NASA/SDO/AIA

I have always burned like crazy- it must be a curse.  I would go to Raging Waters  (when did it become Seven Peaks?) with my hair in pigtails and come home with haystack blisters along the part of my head.  The summer of my Junior year I went on a cruise with my best friend, Becky.  We went to the Caribbean, and of course I was finishing a round of antibiotics making me extra photosensitive.  Boo!  My saving grace was the fact that Coppertone had recently come out with that sunscreen that has a purple hue so you know you are covered.  I layered that lotion on , and was pleased to find a multicolored beret at a street market- I wore that damn hat every day (Becky, do you have a picture of this?  I will post it if you can send me one!)  Looking back it was ridiculous, but the memories are good.    

Lovely moon.  Perfect night.

As you can imagine, it can be hard for me to live here in paradise.  Ha!  Okay, I don't feel bad for me either.  However, it is true that I have a hard time going to the beach all the day- especially the ones without any shade.  Sizzle, sizzle, burn, burn.  

I LOVE to hang out at the harbor, but it feels like you are sitting on
 the surface of the sun.  I was thankful the clouds rolled in!

Now we know that I like to be as natural as possible, but sunscreen has never been something I wanted to make.  I figure I shouldn't take such risks with my skin.  I'm getting old, and I need to do everything I can to protect this birthday suit of mine.  Then people started catching on fire after applying sunscreen.  Why did it take something like burning people to wake me up?  Why have I been spraying this flammable concoction on my girls?  

I just ADORE these Lovelies!  Thanks, Brian, for our sweet babies!

And so, I decided to try making my own.  My friend, Jenny, came over to help.  We used the recipe we found on wellnessmama.com

Natural Homemade Sunscreen Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil 
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (natural SPF 4)
• 1/4 cup beeswax
• 2 Tablespoons Zinc Oxide (This is a non-nano version that won’t be absorbed into the skin. Be careful not to inhale the powder). This makes a natural SPF of 20+ 
•  2 tablespoons Shea Butter (natural SPF 4-5)
• 20 drops of Essential Oils (we used Balance & Serenity)

Directions:

If your beeswax is in bars, cut it into smaller pieces so it will melt faster!

1. Combine ingredients except zinc oxide in a pint sized glass jar (we used a small pan with our double boiler system). 
2. Fill a medium saucepan with a couple inches of water and place over medium heat.
3. As the water heats, the ingredients in the jar will start to melt. Shake or stir occasionally to incorporate. 

It will look weird and watery.  Just trust the process, t will solidify as it cools.

4.  When all ingredients are completely melted, add the zinc oxide, stir in well and pour into         whatever jar or tin you will use for storage. Small mason jars (pint size) are great for this.      It will not pump well in a lotion pump!

Remember to cover your face, breathing zinc oxide is not good for your lungs!

5.  Stir a few times as it cools to make sure zinc oxide is incorporated.  We used an immersion blender and got this beautiful, thick and creamy lotion.

Stir, Lola, Stir!

6.  Use as you would regular sunscreen. Best if used within six months.

♥♥♥  Just a few notes.  Please be cautious!  I am not making any claims that this will keep you fully protected form the harmful effects of the sun.  Use caution and common sense; use a sun hat, wear a light and airy shirt or beach cover up, drink plenty of fluids, and avoid the sun at the hottest parts of the day.  Remember to apply often (especially after sweating or getting out of the water.)  Do not rub the sunscreen into the skin- this is a sunblock!  Be prepared to have a whitish glow to you!

XOXO

Ashes