This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.
Coconut oil sunscreen
Did you know that coconut oil is a sunscreen? Seriously! If you’re headed out for a day of sun and want some UV protection all you need is to grab some coconut oil sunscreen from your kitchen!
Native pacific islanders have been using coconut oil sunscreen for thousands of years. So why should we subject ourselves to using toxic chemicals when we can just use coconut oil!
When I first considered giving coconut oil as a sunscreen a try, I thought I would end up burnt to a crisp with my fair skin. But actually, it worked amazingly well and I have never had a sunburn since I started using it.
Coconut oil is a natural sunscreen, it blocks about 20% of UV rays when applied.
Although this may seem like a lower amount of sun protection, when reapplied often and used in conjunction with limiting too much sun exposure, it should be all you need.
Getting some sun is beneficial for your health, you don’t want to block 100% of rays as it is a great way to increase your level of vitamin D!
Most Sunscreens Cause More Harm Than Good
Nearly every sunscreen on store shelves contain toxic and cancer causing ingredients. Dermatologists and the media are always pushing us to use high amounts of sunscreen to prevent skin cancer, when actually they’re telling us to slather on cancer causing chemicals! The most harmful chemicals in sunscreen include Oxtinoxate, Oxybenzone and Homosalate. Anything you put on your skin can be absorbed by your body, particularly these chemicals as they have a high absorption rate. It is best not use anything on your skin that you wouldn’t eat.
If you use sunscreens labeled as “all natural” , be sure to read the list of ingredients as many of those often still contain harmful chemicals. Which is why using ingredients found in your kitchen, such as coconut oil, are the best option.
How to Use Coconut Oil Sunscreen
All you need is a jar of coconut oil, the same one you use to cook with!
1. You can apply it when it is in its hardened form by just scooping out a couple of tablespoons and applying it to your skin. This is my favorite way to apply it as it rubs on as a cream.
2. Or you can use the coconut oil in its liquid form (when melted) and put it into a squirt bottle to apply to your skin.
How Often Should I Apply the Coconut Oil Sunscreen?
In general you may want to reapply every couple of hours to provide the most UV protection, but this can vary from person to person. For me, since my skin is very fair, I reapply about every hour or two. The coconut oil has been great as it allows me to obtain sun exposure without being concerned about getting burned.
*Coconut oil does only block 20% of UV rays: so, if you’re going to be out in the sun for a long period of time, you can add in some non-nano zinc oxide for increased protection.
Have you tried coconut oil sunscreen? How has it worked for you?
Sources: http://www.naturalnews.com/033261_natural_sunscreen_UV_exposure.html
Coconut oil is the best. I also use it for getting rid of acne marks. On top of that, it’s a great moisturizer. So, there’s that! Great post! Love your work
I’m sure if you open me up, you’ll find nothing but coconut in me. That’s how much I love using coconut-based products. Even coconut ice-cream is my favorite. I never thought coconut oil could be used for sun protection. Seriously, NO IDEA!
It’s sound interesting! Coconut oil suncream!!! It’s new to me. I have spent a lot of money to buy different types of suncream with hope that it can proctect my skin perfectly. I try too put them as much as possible on my face but never know that it’s more harm than good. I will try to use coconut oil instead from today.
Great Article you have shared. I definitely try this. Coconut oil has a natural SPF of 4-5 and contains antioxidants that help protect the skin from harmful radiation from the sun.
Hi Lori,
Great Post. I have never used coconut oil as a sunscreen before, but after reading your article I also wanna try it!!
Coconut oil is the best thing for our skin. it helps to prevent different types of allergies and fungus. it is far better than expensive beauty products.
Using coconut oil as a natural sun cream seems a great idea on mild sunny day to me. Thanks for the useful share.
I am allergic to the sun, yes that’s a real thing, doctor diagnosed. Even in cooler temps if the sun is out I get heat stroke within a few minutes of being outside. I am super pale even though I am part Italian. I burn really easily within minutes of being outside. I intend to try coconut oil next time I have to be outside for awhile. I do wonder if some of the people it didn’t work for are sensitive to the sun? I hope it works to keep me from burning. I will be sure to only be outside for a short time which is probably best since I am sure this method won’t stop a heat stroke but hopefully it will stop the sunburn.
I use Coconut oil for face and hair masks. And I really really love them. So I think it would be great to try Coconut oil sunscreen.
Coconut oil is the best!
very effective thing
I went to the beach on Tuesday of last week used sunscreen and got itchy through out the week. I might have gotten sunburned… I researched on the Internet and read that coconut oil can be an alternative. So guess what I tried it. I applied it in the morning and after I got to the beach sat in the shade… Then again but didn’t give it enough time to absorb and went inside the water. Well I had more fun this time around and was in the water for a while and didn’t reapply. Well I came home and sat for an hour watching and realized I burned. ?
It works well if you compere with using nothing, and it works badly with compere with chemical sunblock.
You can expect coconut oil to do the job a sunblock full of hormone controllers does …. now can you?
I aways hated sun blocks, I was born in Brazil and I have quite fair skin for a Brazilian, instead of using sun blocks I use to go to the beach with a tend and still got sun tanned. I use coconut oil these day ( I live in australia ) it works really well but if you want to sit under the sun the whole day its not gonna be enough, You have to protect your self the coconut oil is just one layer of protection.
There are several other that you might need to apply depending of how strong the sun is.
Very true! It’s great for certain occasions. But, if you’re going to be out in direct sunlight for long periods of time, I would use something stronger.
What SPF strength would you recommend for fair skin?
I usually aim for 25, but depends on how powerful the sun is and how long I’m out. I usually try to go in the shade as much as possible instead of using a lot of sunscreen. That way I can use less sunscreen.
Great post. I like Coconut Oil Sunscreen. I will try it. Thanks for sharing!
I read a study where different oils were used and although coconut oil had a very low SPF value the other oils caused more tumors due to the sunlight causing more free radicals to be produced. Coconut oil was the lowest in that regard. I get two 15 minute breaks and a half hour lunch at work and spend my breaks walking shirtless (I wear shorts anyway) and my lunch period outside shoeless just basking. I always use coconut oil and it works wonders for my skin.
Glad it works for you too!
Live in tahoe. Use coconut oil everyday. Super tan and never been burnt. Also cover up when its pass my comfort zone. Love the sun. “They try their best just to smash up the resistance” -vampires
We have experimented with sunscreen and have a product we love. It has coconut oil in it, but it combines other higher SPF ingredients. Take a look, health extremist.
Awesome!
What about adding green tea to the coconut oil or spraying in on top of the coconut oil on your body. Would that add more SPF?
I haven’t researched using green tea to block UV rays so I’m not sure if it would add any more SPF. Drinking it is supposed to prevent UV damage to the skin though.
Hi Lori,
Nice Post. I have never used coconut oil as a sunscreen, but after reading your article I wanna try it!!
Thanks!
Thanks Ann! It works great!
Well this works for me. I work at a camp so I spent almost all my time out side from 8 to sunset and I just use this. I was so pale going into camp that I got called a corpse and transparent but now I’m pretty tan just after a little over a week. My skin type is normal oiliness and my heritage is french german and middle eastern. I can go from vampire pale to extremely tan in a few weeks of being outside p
Glad it works for you too! My skin is naturally very pale as well. 🙂
Sometimes we go to the water park all day and I heard that sunscreen has a lot of harmful chemicals that can give you cancer and blocks out the vitamin D. I want to give my kids something natural but I keep seeing on here that it still gives ppl burns. We are all fair skinned.
There are also other great natural alternatives with more SPF protection. I add non-nano zinc oxide to these sunscreen sticks to help increase protection:https://www.treasuredtips.com/how-to-make-sunscreen-sticks-naturally/
I came upon this website and article because I am literally speechless about coconut oil as a sunscreen.
As I type, I am on vacation at the beach, typing from our balcony with a cool breeze blowing ; )
I am an extremely fair skin person and as white as a ghost. When I try to get “15 minutes of daily sun” at home (not a beach setting), I burn and peel, everytime.
For the past week, I have been at the beach and poolside in the middle of the day for several hours at a time (including getting in the pool) and have only applied 100% organic, unrefined coconut oil (Nutiva brand) as my sunscreen and I have not burned once. Not once.
I have a red “sunburn” color to me, but no pain, no white marks when you push down on my skin and haven’t had to apply anything to my skin after coming in from the sun. Some of the redness has now turned into a light golden color on my skin and I actually have tan lines.
Another reason I know the coconut oil works is because there is a spot on my back where I couldn’t reach good myself to apply the coconut oil, and that is the only spot that hurts like a sunburn, and the only spot that got missed by the coconut oil.
Another example is yesterday, after coming in from sunning all day, we sat on our balcony to relax and I had my legs exposed to the sun to tan them, but had just showered so I didn’t put any coconut oil on them. I was only out there 30 minutes. Big mistake. They are not only burned, but hurt like a sunburn, and so much so, it hurts to touch them and even when I bend over. After a week in the sun, the only part of my body thst hurts or is “sunburned” was where I did not apply coconut oil. That’s what would have happened to my entire body had I not used the coconut oil.
FOR ME, the coconut oil works and I’m saying that based on parts of my body exposed to the sun that had coconut oil on them and ones that didn’t. The ones with coconut oil didn’t burn and the ones without did.
Another factor may be my diet. I eat a clean, unprocessed diet with lots of healthy fats (including coconut oil daily), so that could have made a difference too.
But everyone is different.
Now, for the coconut oil bashers (not the ones who actually gave it a try and it didn’t work for them), the ones who are quick to dismiss natural remedies (including the mainstream “doctor” Wendy above and Tim…you people will just not get it. Ever.
You are the same people who aren’t “using using your brain” as Tim puts it and probably buy your groceries from Walmart, eat fast food, drink soft drinks, say there is nothing wrong with GMO’s, eat processed foods with toxic ingredients, think fluoride and vacines are safe and run to the doctor everytime you have a runny nose ( and for the “doctor”, prescribe you a pill or antibiotic for every ailment instead of just telling you to eat right) That’s what is going to kill you…not coconut oil, lol.
Here’s what you people remind me of:
“I’ll eat fast food, drink neon colored energy drinks and take all my prescriptions, but I need to do research before I try coconut oil as a sunscreen”.
As soon as I read the “doctors” demand to take down the article, I had to roll my eyes. Seriously? What a hypocrite!! If she was so worried about your health and safety, she wouldn’t be dishing out the prescriptions and pillsand mainstream medical advice that only perpetuates and causes more ill health.
You people think it’s perfectly ok (and a better choice) to rub toxic chemicals on your skin and then bake in the sun.
Your skin absorbs 70% of whatever you put on it. So not only are you dousing it with chemicals, but heating it up in the sun for hours at a time. That sounds like a really good idea.
You obviously aren’t living a clean, toxic-free lifestyle (or you wouldn’t be making the comments that you are – like “ignore this advice, commercial toxic sunscreen is a better choice”) so you definitely have no business making ignorant comments about things you know nothing about.
This is a blog about healthy living. Maybe you should take your mainstream mentality and advice over to the Banana Boat or Coppertone website and dish your wisdom out over there.
I couldn’t agree more! Thank you Believer!
Agree!! I am fair skinned so is my daughter. Coconut Oil works just fine for us.
Awesome…..now tell me how you really feel…..Haha!….i totally agree with you…………..
Well believer, I’m glad you think this worked for you. Sounds to me like you had a sunburn. I can’t say, I’m not a doctor. I do know though that my doctor recommends the use of sunscreen. This recommendation is based on science and education. “Noooo, not the “science” word! Science is just a method of determining truth through observation and reproducible results, not great anecdotes and this worked for my brothers cousins best friend stories. Don’t be comforted by the “natural” fallacy. Everything we have comes from natural resources one way or another. Where do you draw the line? Do I use processed coconut oil or raw coconut oil? Does your skin really absorb 70% of everything you put on it? You might want to research that one. Now I’ll get back to my Gatorade and Big Mac.
You want to be rash and personal? Okay.
A true scientist takes into account all the factors present. You do not. That said, the aforementioned claims made by the woman who posted this article (and posts by various commenters) have been “proven” via the scientific method and peer review. There are plenty of scientists and doctors, though, who do not support the evidence. Unfortunately, many of them either are paid by drug companies, do not know any better, or do not care.
Also, someone like you has little chance of living to full potential health-wise. Eating garbage (McDonalds) and drinking fake electrolytes (Gatorade) has bad effects on the body in the long run.
Not to mention the spiritual damage caused by slathering on certain chemicals and consuming trash. Not everything is influenced by physical factors, and not everything influences physical factors. Seeing as you’re too lazy to even try “natural” things, spirituality is probably too much as well, even though it’s just as important in maintaining good health.
There’s a reason why no one is responding to you, and it has nothing to do with whether or not you’ve disproven them.
Just found interesting and says co 10 spf which amts to 90% protection factor… How much raspberry or carrot seed oil would u add to add protection or what kind/type of zinc? Was wondering can add just zinc oxide from store, like used on babies bottoms? 🙂
Oops! here’s link I meant to post. Sry! http://www.undergroundhealth.com/ditch-the-toxic-sunscreen-use-coconut-oil-instead/
Great idea to add another oil with SPF. I haven’t tried using carrot seed or raspberry oil myself yet. I prefer to use non-nanoparticle zinc, so far I’ve only been able to find it online.
Hi, I really enjoy your site! Being a Coconut lover myself there are so many uses for Coconut Oil that most people don’t even know I have 1001 ways Coconut Oil benefits us~ you must use Virgin Cold Pressed Coconut Oil for the proper results. I import from Samoa Virgin Cold Pressed Coconut Oil body care products and there is a big difference between most store bought products that are labled Coconut Oil.
I used coconut oil for a recent trip to Mexico and did not burn at all not did I get any color. My moms used it for yard work in the sun and burned. I guess it works on an individual basis.