Zinc ointment as Sunblock?
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Fri May 30, 2008 9:20 am

Would a mixture of zinc ointment (like one of Burts Bees products) and vitamin E be sufficient for sun protection?
Zinc and vitamin E are seriously the only two products that don't break me out, and I desperately need a good sunblock!

Thanks,
~R

P.S. I kind of like the slight pearlescent whiteness that comes with a thin layer of zinc ointment... makes my skin look like a Japanese doll:)

free skin care · Fri May 30, 2008 7:24 pm

Well it will protect you from the sun, but it's not going to be pretty. You're probably better off buying a zinc based sunscreen that you can tolerate. Mexitan and Devita are both good options.

free skin care · Fri May 30, 2008 7:26 pm

Ok, if you like the look of a thin layer of zinc ointment, baybe you'll like the badger balm sunscreen too? I personally didn't like it, but maybe it's an ok choice for you.

free skin care · Sat May 31, 2008 6:35 am

Zinc ointment was the gold standard for sun protection back in the day before all the various sunscreens came on the market. If you want to wear it at the beach etc. it's perfect but for everyday use or under makeup you'll find it's very heavy and you'll look like you've seen a ghost!

Sat May 31, 2008 11:18 am

I'll check out the Mexitan and Badger products.

My skin breaks out from both oil and silicone, but it seems to tolerate Vitamin E. That's why I was thinking of mixing Vitamin E with, say, Burts Bees Diaper ointment (zinc-based). What sort of an SPF would that have?

free skin care · Sat May 31, 2008 4:59 pm

Rogneda wrote:

I'll check out the Mexitan and Badger products.

My skin breaks out from both oil and silicone, but it seems to tolerate Vitamin E. That's why I was thinking of mixing Vitamin E with, say, Burts Bees Diaper ointment (zinc-based). What sort of an SPF would that have?

This is the Mexitan:

http://www.mexitanproducts.com/spf50label.html

It does have vitamin E. But it's not just zinc oxide, it also has some titanium dioxide. The biggest con with the mexitan for me is that it can get flakey. You have to be really careful not to rub it when you apply it.

And the Badger:

http://www.badgerbalm.com/pc-372-6-spf-30-for-face-body.aspx

Active Ingredient: Zinc Oxide 20.5%
Other Ingredients: Olea Europaea (Olive) Oil, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Oil, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Butter, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Lavendula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Blood Orange) Oil, Hippophae Rhamnoides (Seabuckthorn Berry) CO2 Extract, Tanacetum Annum (Blue Tansy) Oil, Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Oil

The Badger is like the opposite of the Mexitan- you really have to rub it, because it's so thick. It's also really clumpy, but if you just rub it between your fingers or in the palm of your hand the clumps do go away. On the bright side, it's not at all flakey no matter how much you rub.

I don't think there's anything irritating in iether the Mexitan or the Badger...

free skin care · Sat May 31, 2008 5:02 pm

Rogneda wrote:

I'll check out the Mexitan and Badger products.

My skin breaks out from both oil and silicone, but it seems to tolerate Vitamin E. That's why I was thinking of mixing Vitamin E with, say, Burts Bees Diaper ointment (zinc-based). What sort of an SPF would that have?

About the spf in something like that, I think you need to contact Burt's Bees and ask for the percentage of zinc oxide in the ointment. Once you know the percentage, you can estimate the spf.

Thu Jun 05, 2008 7:21 am

Thank you for the Mexitan-Badger comaprison and links. I'll have to see if the local Whole Foods carries them...

That's a good idea about contacting Burts Bees about the % zinc, I'll go ahead and do that.

Cool

free skin care · Thu Jun 05, 2008 4:57 pm

Rogneda wrote:

Thank you for the Mexitan-Badger comaprison and links. I'll have to see if the local Whole Foods carries them...

That's a good idea about contacting Burts Bees about the % zinc, I'll go ahead and do that.

Cool

I also really want to buy some kind of zinc paste with a high percentage of zinc in it so I would also like to know the % of zinc in the burt's bees product. (I want it for acne spot treating)

free skin care · Thu Jun 05, 2008 5:18 pm

[quote="Nimue"]

Rogneda wrote:

I also really want to buy some kind of zinc paste with a high percentage of zinc in it so I would also like to know the % of zinc in the burt's bees product. (I want it for acne spot treating)

For spot treating couldn't you just use one of the baby products - that's what I used to do.

Thu Jun 05, 2008 6:27 pm

[quote="Keliu"]

Nimue wrote:

Rogneda wrote:

I also really want to buy some kind of zinc paste with a high percentage of zinc in it so I would also like to know the % of zinc in the burt's bees product. (I want it for acne spot treating)

For spot treating couldn't you just use one of the baby products - that's what I used to do.

Just for clarification, that quote was by Nimue, not myself Wink

But yes, you could of course just use the Baby Bee zinc ointment (diaper ointment). But then you'd have to layer sunblock over it, and that results in an uncomfortably thick layer of sludge over the skin. So it would be preferable if one could stick to just a single product.

free skin care · Thu Jun 05, 2008 7:49 pm

[quote="Rogneda"]

Keliu wrote:

Nimue wrote:

Rogneda wrote:

I also really want to buy some kind of zinc paste with a high percentage of zinc in it so I would also like to know the % of zinc in the burt's bees product. (I want it for acne spot treating)

For spot treating couldn't you just use one of the baby products - that's what I used to do.

Just for clarification, that quote was by Nimue, not myself Wink

But yes, you could of course just use the Baby Bee zinc ointment (diaper ointment). But then you'd have to layer sunblock over it, and that results in an uncomfortably thick layer of sludge over the skin. So it would be preferable if one could stick to just a single product.

There would be no reason to layer sunblock over something that has a lot of zinc in it... The zinc would be more than enough sunscreen.

Mon Jun 09, 2008 2:09 pm

Got an answer from Burts Bees!!

...

"The Diaper ointment contains 40% of zinc oxide in the product. I hope that this information helps, if you have any additional questions and or concerns please feel free to contact us.
Best Regards,
Tiffany K."

So now we know: it's 40%. I wouldn't want to use it strait out of the tube (too white Shock

), but would like to dilute it with vitamin E oil. What would be the proper proportion of the ointment to the oil?

~R

free skin care · Mon Jun 09, 2008 4:22 pm

That's awesome that they answered you! I love it when companies do that. Also, 40% is a good number so that also makes me happy. The Badger sunscreen is an spf 30 and it's 20% zinc oxide, so if you dilute the Burt's Bees by half, you'll have something that's approximately spf 30. Smile

Rogneda wrote:

Got an answer from Burts Bees!!

...

"The Diaper ointment contains 40% of zinc oxide in the product. I hope that this information helps, if you have any additional questions and or concerns please feel free to contact us.
Best Regards,
Tiffany K."

So now we know: it's 40%. I wouldn't want to use it strait out of the tube (too white Shock

), but would like to dilute it with vitamin E oil. What would be the proper proportion of the ointment to the oil?

~R

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