In recent years one of the biggest sites to rise in the social media scene is Pinterest.
The site allows people to share their ideas of cooking, art, and other household appliances that can be created and used by anyone.
While the site has lead to some fascinating ideas on how to create our own natural remedies for sickness and other possible scenarios. Much like much of the internet, the untrained eye could also be lead to possible misguided information. This is where the danger of homemade sunscreen takes place.
Not as Easy as It Seems
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An experienced person who has studied to become a pharmacist would know more about what they’re doing when creating medical pills as opposed to someone with no medical experience trying to reconstruct the same concept using only oils and baking soda. The same logic applies to sunscreen.
The process that one requires to make sunscreen includes not only chemicals of zinc and titanium but also consists of a compound known as “oxybenzone.” This chemical has had an unpleasant reputation in the process of sunscreens in the past. Simmular to how harmful asbestos was in house installation’s, oxybenzone is a chemical that has now been seen as detrimental to both humans and the coral reef.
However, those who are not educated enough may not think of this when constructing the process for others to follow. Resulting in more people using a dangerous substance without knowing.
Similar to the earlier days of Wikipedia, anyone could go on the site and edit the information whether or not it was accurate, which is why the same thing on Pinterest can lead the way for disaster While the company DIY may have some experience in cosmetics, the risk is just as likely.
The Not So Pleasant Side Effects
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One of the most significant issues when trying to create your own sunscreen, on top of the hazardous chemicals being used, is that there is no way to test it properly. For all the consumer knows, the person who posted the instructions for that “do it yourself” sunscreen might not have been tested the creator themselves.
This can result in the consumers taking risks upon themselves for allergic reactions such as skin rashes, hives, and many other side effects that come off more a problem then the sunburn that they were trying to prevent.
Speaking of which, it’s also essential the sunscreen should be at least at SPF 30; otherwise, the product may not be of any use.
That is why it always important to use store-bought sunscreen because not only are the products tested and approved by professional cosmetics and chemists, but they also allow you to know more about what your body is getting into.
A Final Disclaimer
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I will now take this time to mention in no way am I slandering Pinterest, DIY, or any other creator out there. This post is made strictly to warn unsuspecting people about the risks brought on when one chooses to create their own sunscreen versus using store bought.