How to Make Your Own Sunscreen and Save Your Skin and the Planet

A hot day in the Valley of the Sun is enough to take your breath away. The golden sunlight envelops the landscape, the deep blue sky stretching for miles on end. The heat has a special glow that brings out the vivid shades of green in the trees and flowers’ colors. Annie paused at the kitchen window as she sipped a cold green tea. She and LJ were planning a day trip to Arcosanti to tour the experimental town. The tour was mainly outside, which meant a lot of sun exposure. She turned from the window as LJ walked into the kitchen.

“Babes, we’ll need sunblock and lots of it to tour Arcosanti.”

LJ nodded thoughtfully, “I’ll make a run to the pharmacy, but I don’t think we need a lot; it will be fall in a few weeks, so we won’t need it then.”

Annie shook her head. “According to the American Cancer Society, the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays can damage our skin and cause skin cancer at any time of the year. And rates of melanoma are increasing in all racial groups, regardless of skin color. Unfortunately, melanoma is often diagnosed at a later stage and has a lower survival rate for Black and Hispanic people. The CDC reports that melanoma is the fifth most common type of cancer in the US. If left unchecked, melanoma can be deadly. With global warming, we need to be even more vigilant and never…