What is the natural SPF of olive oil?
By Lennel Stroud from Hilton Head Island, SC
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
Olive oil should not be used as a sunscreen, it will merely intensify the sunburn you are bound to get!
It has no SPF. As NewSue stated, it will increase the likelihood of sun damage to your skin. It is a great moisturizer, but not a sunscreen.
And the reason olive oil (or even baby oil) is not at all protective is because it 'attracts the sun rays into' your skin. Chemicals in sunscreen lotions absorb the rays into the chemicals and sunblocks deflect the rays away from the skin.
Olive (or any other) oil doesn't attract or intensify sun rays. The rays strike your skin through the oil just as they would without any oil, that's all.
With all due respect, Katie A, the oil of 'oils' (including suntan oils) does indeed attract and intensify the sun UV rays because they are moisturizing whereas sunscreens or sunblocks are not moisturizers. Ask a professional dermatologist about it and then perhaps site your information for Lennel and others wanting to know about how it does not attract or intensify the sun rays for their safety sake would be a good thing to do?
We all remember the baby oil days. And, unfortunately, many in my age group (50+) are paying for it. Glad to say I was never much of a sun worshipper.
The SPF of olive oil I have found to be from 4-15, but recent studies show an SPF of 7.5. Chinese scientists carried out a study on mice and found that when applied after radiation, olive oil prevented tumor growth and reduced tumor size, in short words: cancer. Plant oils do have an SPF value, meaning they absorb UV rays up to certain extents. For example, red raspberry seed oil has an SPF of 28-50 while coconut oil seems to have an SPF of 4. Perhaps the most popular is carrot seed oil, with a range of spf 38-40. Again, different experiments find different results but here is my source www.hybridrastamama.com/
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
