Shea Butter as Sunscreen.

[WorldsBestMom]

I swore I saw a thread on here about Shea Butter. Anyways here is the question can Shea Butter be used as a sunscreen substitute?

[MaryMarg]

Just read in Julie Gabriel's The Green Beauty Guide that shea butter is equivalent of SPF 6 but shouldn't be used as a true sunscreen/sunscreen substitute.

[mkmoro311]

I don't even bother with anything under spf 50.

[JessicaS]

Shea is not an effective sunscreen. It is awesome for very dry skin but I wouldn't use it for sunscreen.

Here is a list of personal care products for kids

http://watoxics.org/healthy-living/h...-care-products

[WorldsBestMom]

Ok thanks guys

[NatureDad]

Shea Butter Sunscreen Success

I'm interested in others actual experience using it because we had great success. Due to concerns over sunscreen ingredients, I used it exclusively for my family (parents, baby and 4 year old) last summer. We had no burns at all and I intend to do the same thing this year. Due to the reportedly low SPF we also wear hats and limit overall exposure when possible, but the summer included a beach trip. There was a day when mom did NOT bother to apply the Shea Butter (opting for hat only) and she got burned while the rest of us did not.

I'm wondering if there are no studies on the effectiveness due to the lack of corporate backing? If anyone can cite a study I would be grateful.

[Alison's Mom]

This is good information to know. Depending on one's natural skin tone, plus location, time in the sun, and clothing worn, etc 5-6 SPF may be enough for some people. If we are outside for short times, or mostly in shade, and have hats, long sleeves, etc, we often don't wear sunscreen. I have some great shea butter that I'm using as moisturizer right now that I will try out as a light sunscreen this summer.

[blessedwithboys]

it wouldnt work for me and for one of my kids. i dont trust sunscreen/block anymore. anyone see the recent EWG eval and its conclusion about cancer? we wear hats, glasses, and protective clothing from coolibar.com.

oh, i do use shea butter as a skin softener though

[Akua Wood]

Originally Posted by blessedwithboys

oh, i do use shea butter as a skin softener though

just melt in the palm of your hands and apply to the skin. You only need a little bit.