If you are looking for an effective and 100% natural sun protection for you and your children, one that is not only non toxic, but actually nourishing for your skin and body, this experimental post may be of interest for you.
Sylvia on the Facebook page ‘Wholesome Living‘ shared a very interesting post showing a natural SPF sunscreen experiment. She (and her husband whose back was used) divided his back into separate squares with masking tape (ouch!) and applied different oils on each exposed part.
The oils Sylvia used are not essential oils but thicker, more viscous, spreadable plant oils. They are not essential oils that have no SPF, but they are carrier oils that have SPF.
(Before anything else, I still absolutely recommend avoiding the sun or wear protective clothing between 11AM and 3PM, or even a wider portion of the day if you are fair-skinned. Nothing ‘under the sun’ is perfect (except maybe masking tape!).
Now you can see their results:
Full, Original Images
I share her full text with her permission:
A number of plants produce natural oils with sun protection properties, and I have been using them exclusively as sun protection for the past 3 summers here on Mallorca (Spain), including on the skin of my now 20 month old daughter, who has never been touched by commercial sun screen.
Few days ago I decide to test a bunch of them as sun protection on my husband who agreed for me to use his completely pale skin as a test subject, and you can see the results on the attached pictures. This is from 1 hour of exposure, 15:00 to 16:00 on Mallorca, Spain.
Brands and Oils Tested for Sun Protection:
1. Carrot oil by Fushi – (I used Carrot Oil and not Carrot Seed oil)
2. Organic Wheatgerm Oil – Naissance
3. Raspberry Seed Oil Cold Pressed by Naissance
4. Nothing – bare skin
5. Coconut Oil Bio – Natursoy
My Sun Protection Experience:
Carrot Oil Properties
Rich in Carotene and Vitamin-A, both of which are powerful anti-oxidants, it helps promote youthful and supple skin.
1. Organic, Cold-Pressed Carrot Oil – Fushi
Orange in color with a delicate smell of beta carotene (you know it if you ever took beta carotene supplements).
This oil requires a little care in handling because of its color, which can rub onto your clothing.
The good news is, in my experience it does not stain permanently and washes off without a problem and it also gives your skin a nice sun-kissed glow.
I’ve used it to maximize the sun protective factor or diluted with coconut or wheatgerm oil.
I use it on my skin during the mid-day sun, without ever getting burned.
Wheat Germ Oil Properties
Wheat Germ Oil contains high levels of Vitamin E as well as other vitamins, minerals, protein, linoleic, oleic, palmitic, and stearic fatty acids. This oil helps dry and cracked skin, Eczema, stretch marks, dull complexion, scars and sun burns.
2. Organic Wheatgerm Oil – Naissance Convive
Light brown in color with a nice and fresh smell of un-ripened wheat grain if you ever had the pleasure of smelling it. It give the skin nice glow. (I also found this Wheat Germ Oil which has more than over 90% Amazon 4 star and 5 star reviews, many for its effective sun protection).
Raspberry Seed Oil Properties
This oil is a very rich source of essential fatty acids and Vitamin E. The polyphenols help improve skin tone and elasticity and aid skin regeneration. It also helps maintain moisture while offering anti-inflammatory properties.
3. Raspberry seed oil – cold pressed Naissance
Light gold in color and with an appealing, fresh and leafy smell similar to the aroma of freshly dried hey.
This one is ideal to use on the face and on areas that tent to get burned easiest such as nose and shoulders. It undoubtedly has a very highly sun protective properties and I would recommend it to anyone with pale and sensitive skin, including babies.
(I found this Raspberry Seed Oil 100% Virgin. Cold Pressed, which is a favorite for sun coverage with a high SPF.)
4. I used nothing as a control, and
5. coconut oil
As we all have different skin color and sensitivity to sun, I would encourage you to start with the oil with higher factor like Carrot Seed Oil or Raspberry Seed Oil and observe your skins tolerance and reaction to find what works for you.
Re-applying is also essential.
Note: There is a recorded synergistic effect of mixing the oils which makes them even more effective against photo damage thus it maybe work getting two instead of one. Grapeseed is a another great UVA absorber according to one study.
What She Used
Environmental Concerns
Most importantly, what I would like you to get out of this is that, there are safe and natural alternatives to commercial sun screens, which can be purchased in health food stores or online (I get mine from Amazon).
It is estimated that between 4,000 to 6,000 metric tons of sunscreen end up in the oceans worldwide, resulting in 10 percent of coral reefs being threatened by sunscreen-induced bleaching.
Last year Hawaii went as far as trying to ban sunscreen all together to protect their coral reefs. By adopting new practice of using natural oils over commercial sunscreen and by sharing this information with our family and friends we can help protect the oceans and ourselves from unnecessary toxins.
My list of safer commercial sunscreens if you are not interested in using natural oils.
Stay Tuned For UVA and UVB Lab Tests
Sylvia has also been compiling studies testing the photo-protective properties (UVA and UVB) of the oils in a laboratory setting.
It seems like a logical thought that oils would cause skin to burn by intensifying the sun’s rays. What could make a difference is the content of photo-protective compounds these oils contain. She is seeking confirmation if they protect from UVA and UVB, and they will be published here and on her FB page once its ready.
After working for 12 years in a luxury travel industry, Sylvia retired from working for the rich and famous to start a family. Becoming pregnant pushed her into researching the many chemicals our modern lives are full of and subsequently made her turn to natural and non toxic alternatives. She now devotes herself to being the best mom to her amazing (unvaccinated) daughter by going back to her roots of attachment parenting, growing veggies, making sourdough bread, cooking healthy pants based meals and turning to natural remedies when needed.
She recently started a Facebook page called Wholesome Living where she shares studies and articles promoting health and well-being of body, mind and spirit while respecting mother nature and our place in it. She settled with her husband and daughter on the Spanish Island of Mallorca, where they live off the grid, producing their own electricity using solar and wind energy to minimize their impact on the environment.
“What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.” ~Ecclesiastes 1:9
Chris N
Thank you very much for sharing your experiment. Very helpful! I just wanted to point out that the picture of the “after” does say carrot seed and carrot seed is the term used when discussing mixing oils. Since you were very clear that it was carrot oil that one needed I thought you should be aware of that difference.
Jacqueline
I know, Chris! I just made the change this morning! I am so sorry I didn’t really “see’ that until just recently. My apologies.
Thank you for your help and encouragement,
Jacqueline
Janet
I’ve been hearing a lot lately that having proper Vit. D levels can also be sunburn protective. I feel it’s working for me as I’ve got my D level to 60 with supplements mostly, and try to get about 30 min – 1 hour of sun during mid-day to keep it there. After that I put a shirt on (always wear a hat) when I’m outside in the garden. So far I’ve avoided a burn, but when it’s a bit too pink I put on apple cider vinegar and then after it dries, some coconut oil. I have to be very careful due to plenty of childhood sunburns, but so far, so good this year.
Jacqueline
I didn’t get into vitamin D levels, but it is true that is is sun protective to a good degree! and the apple cider vinegar and coconut oil sounds very soothing after a bit too much sun! Thanks, Janet!
Charlotte Moore
Thanks for sharing this. Amazing!
Laura Jeanne
Hello Jacqueline,
I wanted to let you know I was very excited about the possibility of using raspberry seed oil in place of sun screen after reading your article. I ordered some from Amazon, and it came this past week. I couldn’t wait to try it! So yesterday I was outside watering the garden during a a heat wave – the sun was blazing hot. I was wearing a tank top for the first time this year and I knew my shoulders would get a bit pink. I put a good amount of the raspberry oil on one shoulder, and the other shoulder I left bare. The results after one hour in the sun: Both shoulders were equally burnt! I couldn’t notice any difference whatsoever in the shoulder that had been slathered with raspberry seed oil. It did seem to work for the fellow in the photos here, but it didn’t do a thing for me. I kept trying to see even a little difference between my two shoulders but there was none. I really wanted it to work, but it just didn’t. It was cold pressed, organic, extra virgin raspberry seed oil I used.
Jacqueline
Oh, man, Laura!
I will have to report this to Sylvia!
I personally have not tried it myself, but her tests have been repeatable so far. I am sorry!
She is doing more research now to come to some firmer conclusions. Even the Amazon reviews on raspberry seed oil have been rather exciting to read: https://www.amazon.com/Red-Raspberry-Seed-Oil-Raspberries/dp/B00WP5IQHC/ref=sr_1_5_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1530482737&sr=1-5&keywords=raspberry%2Bseed%2Boil%2Bsun%2Bprotection&th=1
I wonder what brand you used (though I am not doubting the company)? I have read the reviews of Berry Beautiful and several others and the reviewers have many good comments. Again, I am sorry you burned! Thank you for sharing your findings and I will leave it here so others can weigh it with the others.
Blessings,
Jacqueline
Laura Jeanne
Hi Jacqueline,
This is the brand I used:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01CJ3TVTQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It’s inexpensive because it’s a small bottle – I didn’t want to invest in a larger bottle until I had tried it.
The oil does have a lovely texture and soaks into the skin easily, and I will certainly use it as a moisturizer, but for me it did not offer even a hint of sun protection. Perhaps I will try another brand in the future and see if it works for me, but for now I’m going to have to say that I am somewhat doubtful that raspberry seed oil really works as a sunscreen. If I notice anything different, I will come back here and let you know. 🙂
Laura Jeanne
Hi again Jacqueline,
I just wanted to mention that I experimented again today – I slathered a really good quantity of the raspberry seed oil over one shoulder, and left the other bare, then went outside for an hour in the hot sun. Both shoulders burned equally. So I can definitely say that the oil I bought has no sun protection properties at all. In the future I may buy a different brand and see if I get different results. In the meantime I would love to hear about any further research being done on plant oils used as sun protection, so please write another post on this topic if you discover any new information. Thank you for all the fascinating information you share here on your blog – I have been a reader for a good many years but very seldom commented.
Jacqueline
Laura Jeanne, thank you for the encouragement! I do hope Sylvia is able to write about her findings! She has spent a good bit of time researching and I, too, am interested myself! Blessings! J
jenny taylor
A thorough, intelligent and entertaining article. Thanks for testing these oils so we don’t have to! I have the Naissance one. I didn’t spot that it was refined until I’d purchased. I like Soapery unrefined raspberry, as it has a slightly fruity smell and darker colour – like the one you linked. I prefer unrefined with most oils and butters, to get the full properties. However, the Naissance one did a fair job on your back, and I’m only looking for a medium SPF to use with the new ‘vintage’ Carmen sunlamp I found on Ebay! Having been sunless through the winter months through this current ‘Lockdown’, I’ve lost my base tan and so must proceed with caution.
Elizabeth B
Are we at all concerned about using an oil with vit A? It seems unwise as there are studies demonstrating the phototoxicity of natural and synthetic vitamin A.
Jacqueline
I noted that the oil with the least redness or burn was the carrot oil, high in natural Vit A. There is so much we don’t know yet.
I know Sylvia continues to experiment.
Geri
I’m not concerned about using these as sun protection, but some of them sound like their properties would be fantastic for your face! Have you used them on your face?
Jacqueline
Hi, Geri!
No I haven’t used any of them for my face, but would not be afraid to test a small spot and proceed if the one I chose didn’t react or clog pores..
I use so little on my face except what is in this post : https://deeprootsathome.com/mistakes-aging-women-maturing-face/
I hope you find one that feels great and blesses your skin!
Sending a big hug your way,
Jacque