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Cautions about homemade sunscreen

I’ve written about sunscreen on this blog. A lot. Including my own homemade recipes. But this summer I have seen a lot of cautions in the news about using homemade sunscreen. I wanted to make sure that you, my readers, saw those cautions as well.

cautions about homemade sunscreen title over photo of tow jars of homemade sunscreen.

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Why are homemade sunscreens dangerous?

From the articles I have read, the biggest issue with homemade sunscreen is claims about SPF, or Sun Protection Factor. The only way to actually know the SPF is by testing. In reality, according to this CNN article, this failure to meet SPF claims is actually an issue with store bought sunscreens, too. But even moreso with homemade sunscreens, where people are really just guessing what the SPF will be.

It sounds like several recipes out here on the internet make claims about their homemade sunscreens having certain SPFs. This can lead the users into a false sense of security that they have different (more) sun protection than they actually have. Even if a homemade recipe has the same active ingredient in the same amount (percentage by weight, as I do in my recipes) as a store-bought sunscreen, that active ingredient may not be evenly dispersed throughout the whole homemade sunscreen, so each application of the sunscreen may not contain the anticipated SPF.

Other articles mention the benefits of (synthetic) chemical sunscreens because they can’t be washed off the surface of the skin like a physical barrier active ingredient sunscreen – zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. I still personally choose to avoid synthetic chemicals due to my personal sensitivities and environmental concerns, but I understand the reasons some doctors recommend them. One article pointed out that homemade sunscreen may contain uncommon ingredients that people are not used to, and may cause allergic reactions. References: Penn State News, Huffington Post, PBS.

Why did I make my own sunscreens if they are dangerous?

First, when I started making my own sunscreen, I didn’t realize these potential risks. Due to my skin sensitivities and difficulty of finding natural sunscreens even as recently as 2015, I was making my own sunscreen and body products before it was as common as it is today in 2019.

homemade natural sunscreen finished product
one of my homemade sunscreens

Second, I am careful. I do not blindly trust on the SPF that I have guessed in my sunscreens (nor do I blindly trust the SPF rating on sunscreens I buy, for that matter). In my first homemade sunscreen post I just put an estimated SPF in one of the paragraphs towards the end of the post, and in the second homemade sunscreen post I didn’t even bother estimating. I am not trying to guarantee myself or anyone else that these sunscreens will meet a certain SPF. I was just seeking to give options other than the sunscreens with “bad” ingredients: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate, octinoxate, or para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) when it could be tough to find sunscreens without these ingredients in stores.

Additionally, even when I was using my homemade sunscreens, I was never relying on just the sunscreen to protect my skin from the sun. I wear sun glasses pretty much all the time. I am always layering on SPF clothing (I love my Columbia button downs!) and avoid being out in the sun, or at least seek out shade when I need to be outside, during the mid-day hours when the sun is most intense, from about 10 in the morning until 2 in the afternoon. If I’m going to be outside long, I often wear a hat to protect my scalp, shade my face, and maybe shade my ears and neck, too.

Columbia sun shirts
Some of my button down sun protection shirts. I live in these in the summer.

Do I still use homemade sunscreen?

Occasionally. Today there are so many options to purchase natural sunscreens that I personally have no need to make my own sunscreen. And honestly, I have not been able to create a formula that is even close to as smooth and nice feeling while offering as good sun protection as some of the products that can be purchased in stores today. Back in June I wrote about my favorite sunscreen, and it is the one I use almost exclusively, and have used Goddess Garden brand almost exclusively for over a year.

bottle of 3.4 oz and 6 oz Goddess Garden Baby SPF 50 Sunscreen

I do, however, still occasionally use my light coconut oil-zinc oxide sunscreen. I typically just use coconut oil as a moisturizer, so when I want a little sun protection and don’t expect to be sweating, swimming, or wiping off the sunscreen, such as in the winter (when I will only be outside for 10 minutes on my commute), I use this sunscreen instead of plain coconut oil.

My verdict on sunscreen

I take my health very seriously. I use sunscreen and other sun-protection products when I go out in the sun. Usually I use a SPF 50 sunscreen for added protection, but I mentally treat it like an SPF 30 sunscreen, knowing that I probably did not apply perfectly, that it might have separated a little, or that it just might not have quite been as high as advertised. For myself, I plan to primarily continue using my favorite Goddess Garden sunscreen, with the occasional use of my light coconut oil-zinc oxide homemade sunscreen on myself only. For my family, and my recommendation if anyone asks, would be to buy and use a sunscreen from a trustworthy manufacturer.

Additional information about sunscreen

Since I have been educating myself about homemade sunscreens, I realized that I needed to educate myself more about sunscreens in general. I had seen this guide from the Environmental Working Group in the past, and decided to read it in detail this summer.

The EWG guide isn’t targeting homemade sunscreens specifically, but goes into extensive detail about sunscreens in the US and Europe. The article explains terms like UVA, UVB, broad-spectrum. It discusses differences in regulations, wavelengths we’re trying to block and the damages they do to our bodies. The EWG guide discusses sun protection ingredients that block the different wavelengths and how sunscreens are tested. The misleading nature of ultra-high SPF is explained, as well as recommendations for consumers to be aware and to stay safe regarding sun exposure.

I was happy to see graphic 2 show that clothing (“shirt”) is the best at blocking all wavelengths – I always use clothing as a first defense against the sun – and that zinc oxide is a decent broad spectrum ingredient, since that is my go-to active ingredient in sunscreens I use. For those particularly interested, this EWG guide is worth a read, or at least a skim. It’s definitely a lot to take in!

Happy summer and stay safe!

How to remove garlic smell from a dishwasher

I finally upgraded my 20+ year old dishwasher to a new, energy efficient one. The specs say it uses 2.6 – 7 gallons (9.9-26.6 liters) of water per wash, depending on the wash cycle and sensed dirtiness level. There is no electric heat dry option like my old dishwasher, just condensation dry; no more wasted electricity when the water would evaporate dry anyway, and it’s gentler on my dishes. On top of those environmental benefits to my new dishwasher, it also cleans my dishes way better, and is much quieter. I consider it quite the win!

photo of a dishwasher and container of citric acid with text "how to remove garlic smell from a dishwasher"

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Immediately after getting a new dishwasher, I finished a jar of minced garlic. Being a big fan of upcycling and glass jars, I wanted to reuse this. I rinsed the jar and lid then placed them in my new dishwasher. After running the dishwasher the first time, the dishwasher and everything in it that was not glass, ceramic, or stainless steel reeked of garlic. It was bad. Really bad. This was literally a brand new dishwasher and I garlic-stunk it the FIRST time I used it. I was pretty annoyed with myself, but also determined to find a solution that did NOT involve strong, potentially harmful synthetic chemicals.

I remove garlic smell naturally – with citric acid

First I tired running the dishwasher with 2 cups vinegar on the hottest setting. This didn’t seem to make any difference. Then I found a suggestion to use lemon juice. I didn’t want to waste use that much lemon juice, but remembered that I had citric acid from dishwasher detergent/soap recipe experiments. Not wanting to waste more water or electricity running the dishwasher empty again, I erred on the side of caution and made sure I only had glass, ceramic, and stainless steel in the dishwasher. Then I put my usual dish soap in the soap dispenser, and 1/4 cup citric acid in the dishwasher tub. I ran the dishwasher on the “heavy” cycle – this used the hottest water of any cycle. After, the smell was SIGNIFICANTLY decreased. Not completely gone, but no longer overpowering. Win!

open dishwasher with container of citric acid and a 1/4 cup measuring cup

At this point, I decided to switch to using my dishwasher as I normally do – no limitations on what items went in (e.g. I put my silicone spatulas in the dishwasher), and run on the normal cycle – however I kept adding 1/4 cup citric acid to the dishwasher tub right before starting the wash, until the smell was gone. For me, it took 4 wash cycles until I felt the smell was gone. But now, I am back to having a stink-free, nearly brand new, efficient dishwasher!

Process for removing garlic smell from dishwasher

If I hadn’t had a brand new dishwasher and known that the garlic smell was not coming from trapped food particles, this is the process I would have followed to attempt to remove the smell. Once the smell has been removed, the process can be stopped and following steps can be skipped.

  1. Empty contents of dishwasher – glasses, plates, utensils, etc.
  2. Remove and clean the filters from the bottom of the dishwasher tub, following the dishwasher manufacturer’s instructions. There is a chance the smell is coming from food particles trapped in this filter.
  3. Inspect the inside of the dishwasher to see if food particles are trapped anywhere else. Check the spinning dishwasher arms where the water comes out, along the door seal, any seams in the tub, or crevasses along internal water pipes. Remove any trapped food particles.
  4. If steps 2 and/or 3 did not uncover likely a likely culprit for the smell, pour 1/4 cup citric acid into the dishwasher tub before running the dishwasher. *It seemed to work fine for me to do this while washing dishes and using my normal dish soap in the dishwasher’s soap compartment).*
  5. Repeat step 4 until the smell is gone. It took me 4 washes with citric acid for the smell to be removed.
  6. Enjoy a stink-free dishwasher, and the satisfaction that it was cleaned without harmful synthetic chemicals!

This citric acid in the dishwasher tip may be effective to remove other smells as well. I have not had other opportunities (fortunately!) to test, but if ever I need to remove smells from my dishwasher, I plan to try this process first.

dishwasher with container of citric acid and scoop of citric acid in the tub
I put the 1/4 cup of citric acid in the tub of the dishwasher

Cost

Since this garlic smell remover can be safely added to a regular dishwasher cycle with dishes, I am including only the cost of the citric acid. Now that I know the solution that works, I know that I won’t have to wash my dishes or run my dishwasher any differently for this effective garlic smell remover to work. Also, I use food grade citric acid (I purchased this variety so I could use it in my food recipes, too – I like multi-purpose item!), so if by any chance any of the citric acid does not fully rinse off my dishes, it will not be harmful. Prices listed are current at the time of the writing of this post.

Citric acid: $14.99 for 5 lb=2268g. 1/4 cup citric acid weighs about 57g. ($14.99/2268g)x(57g/.25cup)=$0.38 per 1/4 cup.

Cost per dishwasher cycle with 1/4 citric acid: $0.38

Cost for me to remove garlic smell from my dishwasher (4 dishwasher cycles, 1 cup citric acid): $1.52

Another Lesson Learned

I learned another lesson with this whole experience. If I ever used jars of minced garlic again, I will hand wash the empty jars. And I’ll use some citric acid when I hand wash, to remove the garlic smell!

A note about frugality

This blog, and most others that I have found, discuss frugality almost entirely in terms of money. I find it very important to consider frugality in terms of my time, as well. For me, typically money is the first consideration to frugality, then money, but both are considered. This post is a perfect example. It would cost less money to hand wash my dishes than to buy a dishwasher. Even considering the cost of water, and heating the water. Even if I used twice as much, or 5 times as much water, probably even if I used 10 times as much water to wash the dishes that fill my dishwasher.

While my money is valuable, so is my time. Having an efficient dishwasher that consistently cleans my dishes thoroughly without requiring me to pre-rinse or pre-wash my dishes (I just scrape and large food pieces into the trash/compost/sink with garbage disposal) is extremely valuable to me because it frees up my time to do things that are more valuable and more fulfilling to my life.

Purchasing this dishwasher was a time-frugal choice that I made. I am very satisfied with this decision. It is decisions like this that improve the overall quality of my life in small but meaningful ways. Something like this might give me 5 or 10 more minutes each night to spend quality time with my family, that that’s what really matters.