According to interesting info I receive from coconutresearchcenter.org, they claim that coconut oil is the original suntan/sunscreen lotion. It amazes me how many uses there are for health in regards to coconut oil, but with regard to sunscreen, generally sunscreens we use have chemicals like oxybenzone, that disrupt the hormone system and certainly are not good for children (unless listed as organic). This may be a great alternative to try the next time you are in the sun.
They explain that people living on islands have been using it for this purpose for generations. When sunscreen lotions were first sold commercially the main ingredient was coconut oil. Over time, however, coconut oil was replaced with chemical sun blocking agents.
Sunscreens are rated by their sun protection factor or SPF, which is a measure of how much UV radiation is blocked. SPF numbers usually range from 15 to 100. The higher the SPF number, the greater the effect. You might think that an SPF of 30 to be twice as good as an SPF of 15 and that an SPF of 60 is twice as good as SPF 30, and so on. But that is not how it works. An SPF of 15 blocks about 94 percent of the UV radiation, an SPF or 30 blocks 97 percent, and an SPF of 45 blocks about 98 percent. SPF values above this are really meaningless.
Coconut oil is a proven sunscreen that is still used by millions of people in the tropics as their sole source of protection from sunburn and skin cancer.
How does it compare to commercial lotions? In India the oil is a popular lotion used for this and other purposes. A group of Indian researchers set out to find the answer to this question. They measured and compared the ability of various edible oils in absorbing or blocking the transmission of UV radiation. The oils they tested included coconut, peanut, castor, sunflower, sesame, olive, cod liver, and neem seed oils. The oils that blocked the most UV radiation (40 percent or more) were neem seed, sunflower, sesame, and cod liver oils. Cod liver oil was the most effective, blocking up to 90 percent. In contrast, the other four oils blocked less than 40 percent. Next to castor oil, coconut oil allowed the greatest penetration, blocking only about 20 percent of the UV light.1
Judging from this study, the SPF of coconut oil would probably be rated very low. At least lower than most other oils and especially lower than sunscreen lotions. While at first glance this study seems to question the usefulness of coconut oil as an effective sunscreen lotion, but in reality it shows its superiority.
SPF essentially measures how much UV radiation is blocked. When you block these natural wavelengths you can cause more harm than good. Getting adequate natural sunlight is beneficial and healing. Sunlight helps balance hormones and is necessary for the production of vitamin D.
Vitamin D has been gaining a lot of attention in the scientific community in recent years and for good reason. Vitamin D is necessary for the formation of healthy, strong bones and for the prevention of osteoporosis, rickets, and osteomalacia. It is essential for proper immune function and is needed to help fight off infections, inhibit the development of autoimmune diseases (diabetes, lupus, MS, etc.), and block the formation of cancer. In addition, vitamin D helps regulate blood sugar levels, moderate blood pressure, ease chronic inflammation, helps prevent dementia, and can even ease risks associated with exposure to radiation.
Unlike other vitamins, vitamin D is produced by the action of UV rays from sunlight interacting with cholesterol in our skin. There are very few good dietary sources of vitamin D. The best sources are organ meats, particularly liver. If you don’t eat liver or fish liver oils then you must get your vitamin D from sunlight. Unless you regularly eat organ meats, it is impossible to get enough vitamin D from food alone. Dietary supplements are a poor substitute for natural sources of vitamin D, and usually do not provide an adequate amount to satisfy needs. Therefore, sunlight is your best option.
Consequently, most of us are vitamin D deficient. Many of the health problems people battle with nowadays are either caused by or at least intensified by a vitamin D deficiency. Simply getting more exposure to sunlight could make a very significant difference in many people’s health.
This problem has been compounded by an obsessive fear of skin cancer which has been drilled into us by the medical community and sunscreen marketers. We are continually warned to avoid getting too much sun and always put on protection when we do. It is wise to avoid getting sunburned, but not to avoid the sun altogether as many people seem to do. If you put on sunscreen, you block out the UV rays needed for vitamin D formation. With sunscreen covering your body, you can bask in the sunshine for hours and produce little vitamin D.
Coconut oil protects the body from sunburn and skin cancer without blocking the beneficial UV radiation. Coconut oil doesn’t rely on blocking out the sun’s rays, it works by preventing free-radical reactions which lead to all the consequences caused by overexposure to the sun. So the SPF number of coconut oil is meaningless.
If you live in a climate that is cool during the winter, you probably do not get much exposure to sunlight for a good part of the year. If you’ve been indoors for six months and immediately go out in your swimsuit on a sunny day, your skin will be very sensitive to the sun even if you put coconut oil on. You need to “season” your skin before spending too much time in the sun at the beginning of summer. The way you season your skin is to rub a thin layer of coconut oil over all your uncovered skin, go in to the sun for 15-30 minutes, just long enough for your skin to become faintly pink, but no longer. Repeat this process in the next day or two, staying out five or 10 minutes longer. Repeat again staying out a little longer each time. Long term sun exposure is not safe on your skin unless protected by clothing or hats. Even though this method of sunscreen is reported to be your safe answer to protection from dangerous sun rays, please go by your own skin type and experiment with coconut oil to be sure that its effective for you. There is also the alternative organic sunscreens available without avobenone or oxybenone which is unhealthy for you.
Reference Sobhana, T., et al. Ultraviolet transmission through a few edible oils in the context of changing solar insolation. J Ind Geophys Union 2004;8:267-271.
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Thanks for your comment. Yes virgin organic coconut is what most of the local health food store companies are selling overall.
Great article! I have found from experience that just coconut oil doesnt do much good but coconut oil paired with zinc oxide and aloe does wonders. I found out the hard way that hydrating/foods werent enough. Regular sunscreens would severely irritate my skin but i’ve had alot of success preventing sunburn with coconut oil. http://coconutoilinformation.com/coconut-oil-homemade-sunscreen-recipe/ has the best recipe natural remedy using coconut oil that i’ve been able to find.
I buy a mason jar full of pure coconut oil from my chiropractor. Originally got it to use as a food but feels so good on my hands that I started to use it as a lotion. I but it all over including on my face everyday. Matter of fact I am in the sun a lot and I was wondering why I haven’t gotten sunburned all summer. After reading this article I now know why. It work’s as a sun protectant too. well that explains a lot. My skin has never felt better. Im hoping my wrinkles will also benefit LOL.
Thanks for your comment to my Blog. I’m glad we can find a natural easy way to beauty!
I am enjoying your posts, Linda. do you know if one can put coconut oil on your face?
I have sensitive skin and am wondering if it would be a good moisturizer.
Thank you, Cheryl
Hi Cheryl: Yes, you can use it everywhere on the body even hair as a leave in conditioner if you use it lightly. I use it every night. Thanks for reading! Linda
I’m a new user of virgin coconut oil.. Putting it all over.. Including my face.. Very sensitive skin & acne prone with patches of dryness.. My skin is amazing now!! It’s calmed my red irritated skin & helped clear up acne.. Apparently the coconut oil also acts like a antibacterial too
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I struggle with whether or not I should put sunblock on my kids on a daily basis. Thank you for this great information.
Thanks for your comment question. Yes, you should apply sunblock but make sure its organic and free from Oxybenone which is in most non-organic sunscreens.
Whats the best thing to use to naturally increase energy?
Kim: There is no One Thing to increase energy. There are many factors in that issue. Possibilities include thyroid dysfuntion, poor eating or intolerances/allergies to certain foods, environmental situations, liver toxicity, sleep or adrenal issues, etc. I would have to know more….Thanks, Linda
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I love coconut oil and am glad to find a new use for it. I have been wondering about this very subject lately. After my daughter turned a year old I still have the pregnancy mask which is caused by the pigments overreacting to the sun. The only natural way to get rid of it is to limit sun exposure. This means I have to wear a bonnet or stay out of the sun completely. I have four kids and have to do the yardwork and gardening myself, so this is difficult. I don’t like the Idea of wearing chemicals on my face, so I was looking for an alternative in the natural area. Have you heard if coconut oil is effective in blocking sun for melasma?
Jamie: I have not heard whether coconut oil can help melasma, I believe the only thing that helps are bleaching creams or getting a laser treatment. I suffer from that myself and have yet to actually find a cream that works. It is frustrating. I would be curious if you try the coconut oil and tell me the outcome. Thanks, Linda
If I understood your response to a reader above, you would recommend using an organic sunscreen instead of coconut oil for children? Why?
Thanks for your comment Giavanna, I personally would use organic sunscreen and then use the coconut oil for moisture after bathing my child to keep the skin healthy. Zinc oxide type organic sunscreens are perfectly safe for babies and children.
The reason for not using coconut oil on babies as the only sunscreen is that I have never personally tried it on a baby and would cautious. Its fine for skin care as far as rashes, irritations or moisture increasing on babies, but for sunscreen, I would use an organic baby sunscreen formula available at a health food store and the apply the coconut oil after finished in the sun. That is just my personal opinion. Thanks for your question!
Coconut oil is the only sun protection I’ve used on myself since 2009 and the only sun protection I’ve used for my kids in their lives my daughter is almost 3 and my son is 14 months (and blonde, blue eyed), and the only time they each got a very light burn was when I forgot the coconut oil.
Sooo… Coconut oil WORKS. and yes, is safe on babies. We live in a desert climate and get a lot of direct sunlight, and as long as I don’t forget it, the oil protects their skin. Even organic commercial sunblock is still full of chemicals I don’t want anywhere near my babies.
(Also they sometimes dip into the oil as a snack. Haha)
Thanks so much for your information and for reading! Linda
How well does coconut oil work for someone with very fair skin? I’m a redhead and both my parents have had skin cancer. I use organic sunblock but I find the idea of coconut oil more appealing. I just wonder if it’s more of a sunblock for people who tan?
Thanks for the great article!
Thanks Carl for your comment here. I said in this article that you would have to “season your skin” for timing so that your skin can get used to the coconut oil without burning. So if you happen to have enough consecutive days where you will be in the sun, you have to start out slowly buy using it for only 20 minutes and then put on your organic sunscreen. After that you can add about five extra minutes at a time before you put on your sunscreen. This conditions the skin for the coconut oil to work best without burning. I personally would rather just use organic sunscreen and re-apply every hour and a half and save the coconut oil for just moisturizing the skin or hair instead of a body or hand lotion or mix it with your favorite organic body lotions.
Thanks for all the posts. Very helpful. I too have been using coconut oil as moisterizer all over my body including my face and LOVE IT. My skin is very soft and knowing it is completely natural is awesome! Today was the first time I really used it as sunscreen and I went to the lake. Perfect. Thanks coconut!:)
Hi Leah: I’m happy you had a good report from using the coconut oil as a sunscreen. For those with fair, tender, sensitive skin or for children, it should be used in short time frames daily to get the skin used to it before just trusting it alone for longer periods. They say to go with 10 minute sessions in the sun with it and then increase the timing daily until your skin has adapted. Otherwise if not possible, use organic sunscreen. I agree that using it for skin moisturizing is wonderful. thanks!
Hi. I have two beautiful Chinese daughters with dark skin. We are usually in our pool nonstop during the summer and after about 10-15 minutes in the sun on the first day, they both look like it’s the end of a very long summer soaked in bronzing liquid…it is crazy how dark they get very very quickly. I know this means that they need to spend more time in the sun to get enough Vit D conversion. I have never used sunscreen on either of them. (They both have very sensitive skin and I don’t even use lotion on them…only coconut oil after showers or swimming) Should I use it on them as a sunscreen as well? I am debating about getting some sort of organic sunscreen for this coming week as we will be spending a week at Disney and I thought that since we will basically be 5 nautical miles from the surface of the sun while there…maybe I should use something else? They will both be wearing wide brim hats. Anyway…do you have any thoughts on this?? I just want to do the best thing for them.
Blessings
Shelley…Mom to two Asian beauties
PS- I was amazed how amazing their skin looked when I stopped using lotion on them and only coconut oil after showers….they NEVER have dry or ash colored skin any more!!!
Hello, I posted earlier with a question about my Chinese daughters and using Coconut on their sensitive skin. The comment has been removed. Did I do something wrong?
No, I don’t know what happened…I was away for a week and had a power failure during my absence. As long as you can “season” the skin for short periods daily getting the skin used to being in the sun with the coconut oil alone, then it is useful. If that is not possible then I would use any organic sunscreen along with it., the seasoning process would be using it for only 10 minutes on bare skin and adding 5-10 more minutes each time on bare skin until the skin has been responding to using it alone. That seems difficult to do, that is why I suggested if you can’t, use organic sunscreen. Thanks for your reading!
Do you have a certain type of coconut oil you would recommend? I have only been able to find oils that have coconut oils in them. Thank you!
Hi Emily: If you can go to either Trader Joe’s, Vitamin Shoppe, The Better Health Store or Whole Foods Market, you can get whatever they carry as “organic coconut oil” in a glass jar. Many brands are fine in those particular stores. Thanks for reading!
I used coconut oil at the beach, but I still got sunburn (I did go at noon when it was super hot). Should I have applied it with another type of suncreen?
Thanks for your question, in my article about this topic I explained about “seasoning” the skin for short periods that you stretch out daily to get the skin prepared for using it. Starting out at only 10 minutes and increasing 2-5 minutes a day until the skin has browned from it slightly. You can’t just use it “cold turkey” from the beginning. Using an organic sunscreen is always safe if the coconut oil does not work for your sensitive skin. Now that you are burned, you can use the coconut oil as a “healing oil” to get your skin back to normal by applying liberally 3 times a day.
I used. The coconut oil seems just fine on my arms and neck and face. I used it on my back andchest. I got burned on my sholders in about 1 hour or so. But no where else, I failed to read of seasoning your skin. As my face and arms were already seasoned from my daily activities. So aas long as you don’t burn is it a ssunscreen that can prevent skin cancer? I. Had a family friend who died from skin cancer but he never put sun screen on and his job had him in the sun all day long.
Thanks for your question, but I don’t know the answer to that…I am not sure there are enough studies to even prove that or not. I would use both until their is more available to educate as to whether it can prevent skin cancer. Thanks for reading!
Well, we are back from our week at Disney. I rubbed the girls down with Coconut oil before we left each morning, they ditched the hats after about 10 minutes on the first morning, and after the first hour they both looked like the dark bronzed beauties they look like each summer. I did continue to apply coconut oil each morning, but I used nothing else. They both just kept getting darker with each passing day. I use Nutiva Organic Coconut oil, by the way. Thanks for the tips.
Thanks for your reading and your comment.
I discovered this as well recently, and have never looked back. What I find interesting is another change I made in my forever-journey to live without giving my money to the chemical industries. About 8-9 months ago, I stopped using soaps at all when I shower. I occasionally scrub myself down with a sea salt/olive oil scrub when I stink or am dirty. For my hair, I’ve been scrubbing with baking soda and rinsing with plain vinegar.
When summer came this year, as usual, I don’t remember to put on sunscreen until after my first burn. Normally, this happens when I’m prepping my garden beds in late march. This year, I didn’t get my first burn till I was in teh sun for 3-4 hours at a beach, and that was only on my upper thighs where I didn’t have much previous sun exposure.
My ancestry all originates from northeastern Poland. Normally I fry in the hot midwest sun. I was stunned by my lack of burns this year and can’t help but to credit the lack of soap. Obviously, this is all anecdotal, but it is good to see more people breaking free of the chemical companies!
You can also use baking soda mixed into coconut oil as an exfoliating shower scrub. It is WONDERFUL!!
Great Advice Brooke! Thanks.
I must respond to Jiigigaw’s revelations! I too have been using these natural products for a couple years. Baking soda is amazing as a facial scrub especially mixed with grapeseed oil. Honey is a wonderful mask without even mixing it with yogurt or oatmeal . I used coconut oil for quite a few years, but have switched to grapeseed oil as a moisturizer for face and body, for hair(mine is dry enough) and to remove eye make-up. Vinegar, baking soda , grapeseed oil and honey have so many other uses. I use these same products to clean my house!!
Hey you! Look at all the terrific ideas you have! Love Ya
In response to the concern about children. I don’t use sunscreen on myself or my children, or coconut oil as I just learned about this right now. I do use my intuition and smarts. If we need a break from the rays, we go in the shade. Or, if I feel the kids have had a lot of sun and we need to go out in it more, for a time I feel will push their little bodies too far, I cover them up with light long sleeved shirts and hats.
In honesty the less product we use, the better. I’ve read articles expressing that even “organic” sunscreens aren’t truly organic, that there is no true regulating them. If you feel you *must* use sunscreen, a great alternative would be to make your own. I would experiment with using zinc oxide and lanolin, with a bit of coconut oil in the mix. I think it would work marvelously, and you will know *exactly* what you are putting on your child’s skin. And use caution. Make sure they get sun time w/o any covers so that they benefit from it’s beautiful healthful beams!!
Mostly, have fun and don’t worry too much! Trust your gut and listen to your children!
It’s hard to seek out educated individuals on this topic, however you sound like you already know what you’re speaking about! Thanks
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I love coconut oil (organic virgin coconut oil especially) and mix it with other oils ( olive, safflower etc) and butters ( unrefined shea and unrefined cocoa butter). I do this as I have sensitive skin and my children have severe eczema. I like to just chuck it in our baths and my sons previous crocodile skin is smooth and silky. i have found that over time their skin has acquired a tanned look but they dont burn…my children were quite fair. We live in New Zealand and spend alot of time at the beaches over summer and outdoors over winter. I started making my own natural soaps as well and twice a week I use just almond oil as a full body cleanser, just massage it all over, leave while I wash my hair then wipe off with a flannel.
To use natural oils as sunblock raspberry seed oil has an spf of between 30 – 50 mix with other oils like coconut, olive etc and cocoa or shea butter( for the emolient which helps to lock it in) and wallah, sufficient sunscreen and promotes healthy skin too:)
Thanks for reading and your great tips! Linda
Great info. I started using coconut oil as an alternative to my hand lotion since I’m going paraben free. It works great and I’m going to use it when I go in the sun since my sunblocks have parabens too.
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Thanks so much for your comment. I really like your Blog and appreciate like-minded thinking in health. Keep reading and I will do the same on your Blog. Linda
wonderful information…. thank you
Hi, unfortunately summer hasn’t arrived yet this year. But I have been eatin a tsp of coconut oil a day for a week and a half and using it as a facial moisturiser every night when I go to bed and already I have found my skin to be very soft my dry skin has disappeared and the blackheads I have on my nose have reduced as well as a smoothing of my facial lines. It’s amazing for cooking and although it was in a march sun I spent 4 hours on the beach with it on and came back with a lovely brown face. Love the stuff
My mother used to give me the exact same advice
My experience with oils shows that my body works best with Sunflower oil. I work in the Sun all day long with Sunflower oil and don’t get burned and don’t get acne. With coconut oil I still get burned and I get arm acne. No way I’ll put that stuff on my face unless it’s my only option. I still get vitamin D from the Sun, because I’m in the Sun ALL DAY and Sunflower doesn’t block 100% UV. Also Sunflower has loads of Vitamin E, which prevents oxidation and is moisturizing (acne forms when the skin isn’t moist and body produces too much sebum, which clogs pours). Also it contains Zinc, which is another antioxidant that provides Sun protection. Zinc also helps cell division and the immune system. So Sunflower oil prevents oxidation, builds new collagen and reduces fine lines and wrinkles. The only place coconut oil has in my life is in smoothies and on the stove. Without doubt it’s the best oil to cook with, but I’m not going to cook my body with it under the Sun.
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I’ve used coconut oil as hand lotion. And I’m all for using coconut oil as sunscreen. I don’t use traditional chemical laden sunscreens.
I really enjoyed your post. Very well presented information. I always tell my audience members they should have coconut oil in 3 rooms of the house….the bathroom (for aftershave, dry skin and sunscreen) in the kitchen (yum yum) and in the bedroom (oh yeah)
Thanks again for the great article. I am going to share it with my Power of Food audience.
Adam Hart
Thanks for your comments Adam!