In the Northern Hemisphere, the recent calendar page turn from April to May marks the official start of the spring-summer season, the return of shorts and of sand-filled Saturdays.
It is also skin cancer awareness month.
The thinning ozone and rising temperatures mean it’s more important than ever this year to exercise good sun habits from our first beach day straight through to September.
Stockpiling on suntan lotion can be cheaper and more natural if you choose to try making your own!
Peppermint Suntan Lotion
What You Need:
- 2 tbsp organic coconut oil
- 4 tbsp organic sesame oil
- 1/3 cup lanolin
- 4 drops peppermint essential oil
- Blender
- Rubber spatula
- Resealable container
- (Optional: essential oils for scent.)
Method:
- Blend the coconut oil, sesame oil, lanolin, and peppermint essential oil in a blender on a low speed.
- Store in a sealed container no longer than a week.
– TLC
Coco-Beeswax Suntan Lotion
What You Need:
- 1/2 oz. beeswax granules/pastilles
- 1/4 cup shea butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp. zinc oxide powder
Method:
- Add the two oils and beeswax to a glass bowl.
- Place glass bowl on top of a pot with boiling water turned to a low simmer.
- Once the oils are melted, remove the glass bowl and add in the zinc oxide powder.
- Using a stick blender or regular hand mixer, thoroughly blend in the zinc oxide until there are no clumps.
- Once smooth, transfer mixture into glass mason jars.
– Recipe from My Buttered Life: Summer Edition via Keeper of the Home.
About skin cancer:
- One in every three cancers diagnosed worldwide is a skin cancer, 80-90% of which are caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
- There are more new cases of skin cancer each year than the number of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers COMBINED!
- Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, where more than 3.5 million skin cancers in over two million people are diagnosed annually.
- Over 80,000 cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in Canada each year, more than 5,000 of which are melanoma, the mostly deadly form of skin cancer.
- Melanoma skin cancer is one of the most common and deadliest forms of cancer in young people between the ages of 15 and 29.
- One in five Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime.
- Half of all adults report at least one sunburn in the past 12 months.
