Do some lipid oils provide sunscreen protection?
I see a lot of posts about this in “clean beauty” blogs and posts. You should ditch the sunscreens full of “harmful chemicals” and use natural oils or butter like shea or coconut oil instead.

Well, you can.

Just be prepared to look like a wrinkled old prune and possibly cause irreversible skin damage to your cells.

You can choose which products to switch between wisely. The main aim should be skin protection and the prevention of disease.

Want to get a bit geekier about how it all works and what your skin actually does when you sit in tithe sun for too long?

What happens when you sit in the sun for too long?

When the skin is overexposed to ultraviolet radiation, it causes sunburn (erythema), which is damage on the cellular level that triggers an inflammation response in the body. This reaction is natural and vital in the body's healing process. 

What is inflammation?

Inflammation happens when the body detects a potential injury or harm. This can be from various sources, like bacteria, toxins or trauma (bumping your hand or even a paper cut). In this case, we are talking about heat damage which triggers the response. 

The damaged cells respond by releasing chemicals that combat that potential threat. These chemicals cause swelling by leaking fluids from the blood vessels into the tissues. It's a kind of containment field that goes around the injured area to isolate it and begin the healing process around it.

When skin injury happens, like sunburn, the tissues swell up and sometimes even blister. T-cell response, which would typically help in the healing process, is impaired and can delay the healing of injured skin tissue.

Lipid oils can offer a certain level of protection to the skin structure when exposed to the sunlight; however they are not a barrier to the damaging rays that can cause sunburn-like sunscreen can, so they should not be used in place of a properly formulated sunscreen.

Ideally, apply your facial oil first to help hydrate and protect your skin and follow up with a good quality lightweight sunscreen that helps to protect your skin from damage over the long run.