The Best Mineral Sunscreen for 2021
Summer is here! As we gear up for the next couple of months of heat and sunshine it is so important to make sure you have your sunscreen handy. It can get a little overwhelming when trying to find a cleaner option for sunscreen because there is so much information out on the market. I happen to turn to mineral sunscreen because it is better for you and your body. Today I am going to share with you my top 3 sunscreen choices that I love.
I have tried dozens of different sunscreens and it has been quite the task finding one that does not leave me pasty white and is not a struggle to get off. But, before I get into that I want to share with you a few things that are important to know when buying a natural sunscreen. I have made the mistake of jumping into a store, running to the sunscreen aisle and being completely overwhelmed by the sunscreen options because I didn’t know exactly what to look for. My tip to sift through these sunscreens fast is to be aware of the active ingredients, inactive ingredients, and how to read the label.
Active Ingredients
You want to look for the active ingredients because this is what is going to actually block the UVA and UVB rays from your skin. There are two types of ingredients that fall into the category: a mineral ingredient and a chemical ingredient. These will act like barriers on the skin.
- Mineral ingredients include zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
- Chemical ingredients include oxybenzone, avobenzone, octocrylene, octinoxate, and octisalate.
I like to look for zinc oxide when I am looking for a sunscreen. It is a good indicator, for me, that it is a cleaner sunscreen and I prefer to put that on my face/body. The UV rays will literally bounce off of your skin when using a zinc oxide and it does not absorb into the body like other chemical ingredients. The FDA has also weighed in on this topic and recommending zinc/titanium dioxide as cleaner sunscreen options.
Inactive Ingredients
Inactive ingredients are the ingredients that bind and hold the products together in your sunscreen. The inactive ingredients are what help create the lotion or make it a spray. The problem with inactive ingredients in conventional sunscreens is that you will see ingredients such as parabens, mineral oils, synthetic fragrances, phthalates, retinyl palmitate. These ingredients can wreak havoc on your endocrine system. That is why it is also important to look at the inactive ingredients on your sunscreen and make sure it has better ingredients than those listed above.
Some alternatives to look for are:
- Vitamin E (tocopherol)
- Sunflower Seed Oil
- Neem Oil
- Pumpkin Seed Oil
Here are my top 3 brands for mineral sunscreen:
1). Suntegrity – Natural Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30
I have been using Suntegrity for a few years now and I absolutely love it. It does not leave my skin with a white cast on it and blends well. They use a non-nano size zinc oxide 20% to provide broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection. They have nontoxic ingredients in addition to the zinc oxide such as organic aloe vera leaf, organic green tea, pomegranate seed oil and sunflower seed oil. It is also comes in a scented version. Over the years they have added makeup to there list that included sunscreen as well making it very easy to incorporate them into your beauty routine.
The beauty of this brand is that it is putting skincare into its products and you know I love skin loving ingredients. It contains a non-nano zinc oxide of 20% with a proprietary blend of vitamins such as C, D, E & omegas 3 / 6 which are found in: Kakadu Plum, Pomegranate, Ashwagandha, Perilla Leaf, Raspberry Leaf Extract and Sunflower Oil. Solara also has an illuminating mineral sunscreen that will give you a glow!
This is a smooth formula that blends easily. This one has an SPF of 50 and uses 20% non-nano zinc oxide in there mineral sunscreen. It contains inactive ingredients such as castor oil, vitamin e, olive oil, and jojoba oil.
Last year I put together my top 3 sunscreens and what I enjoyed using the most was the sunscreen that I made myself. It was very easy to do and I didn’t burn once all summer.
DIY SUNSCREEN INGREDIENTS:
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 1/4 cup shea butter
- 2 TBSP Non-Nano Zinc Oxide
- 3 drops each of Doterra Essential Oils – Frankincense, Hawaiian Sandalwood and Lavender.
The oils and the zinc oxide should be organic and good quality. Combine the coconut oil, avocado oil and shea butter in a glass pyrex bowl and apply it to the double boiler so that they can melt down. Once melted, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool down for a few hours. After it has cooled off then add 2 tablespoons of the zinc oxide and Doterra’s essential oils to it. Blend thoroughly with a silicone spatula. Place in a glass jar and store in the fridge so that it can solidify. You will get an spf of 25-30. Easy peezy!!
So, tell me what is your favorite clean spf?
