Saturday, June 21, 2014

Fun in the Sun

                    No matter how much I bitch and whine, summer has officially arrived.  No amount of kvetching on my part is going to change that.  Sunshine, starry nights,  and warm, lazy days are here to stay.  So, I will just have to suck it up and have some fun with Feisy Pants and Dinky Pants and Cheweverything Pants in the sunshine.   So I thought I would make this post about some diy sunscreen .   Store bought ones are fine, unless you don't like endocrine disrupters, which I don't.  So we will try to diy it this summer.  
                    On caveat though, I don't use any on me.  I'm part Native American (and only heaven knows what else).  I simply don't burn.  Ever.  (I'm best described as vaguely ethnic) So I don't personally use it on me.  Hippie Pants, however takes after her father (Goo is a paleface.)  So she does burn.  Feisty Pants is somewhere in between.  She rarely burns.  I mention this to explain that we are a bit cavalier and slapdash about sun protection.  But we are not fools and do take some precaution with the kids.
                        The following are recipes that work for us.  But we are not vampires  or Celts, so take whatever precautions you may need based on your skin type.
 
1) The uber simple approach- simply wear light colored sleeved shirts and hats.  Stay out of the sun between 11am- 2pm.  Easy, sensible, and impossible to really do with kids.
 
2)Another simple approach -
           with a low spf- Use coconut oil.  It has a natural spf of 4-6.  Virgin coconut oil smells awesome but if you don't like the scent of coconut use refined coconut oil which has no scent.
            with a higher spf- Use carrot seed oil. It has a natural spf of 35-40.
 
3)Sunblock lotion- 20spf
     Melt together the following:  (Many sites suggest putting all the ingredients in a mason jar and place in a pot of water on the stove over low heat to melt)
4 oz Shea Butter
4 oz Coconut Oil
When melted remove from heat stir in 2 oz zinc oxide and 15 drops tea tree oil.
Cool completely before use.
  
Enjoy the sun, enjoy your summer.  May your days be whine free and your nights full of fireflies.
                 

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