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Sun Jan 21, 2007 11:49 pm  |
Hi, I recently developed an allery to chemical sunscreens and have been on the hunt for the hg of physical sunscreens - without much luck. As I have slightly oily skin, and perspire a lot in hot weather, I found them all too thick or greasy.
I finally found a way of getting the protection I need and reducing the white cast as well.
I bought plain zinc oxide cream (Faulding brand 32% zinc oxide in an aqueous cream base) and mixed 30% of this with 70% of a regular moisturiser. This will give you a cream with just over 10% zinc oxide which is more than you will find in many of the commercial physical sunblocks. It can be a little hard to get them to mix together thanks to the thick texture of the zinc oxide cream, but they will eventually mix together. Lastly to add a little bit of colour I poured boiling water over ground tumeric and let it sit until cold, strained it, and added just a drop to the cream, stirring well. I have light olive skin (yellow undertones) and so the slight yellow tint complements my skin tone.
You have to be very careful adding the colouring as it is quite strong and it won't work for everyone. However, even without the colouring, this cream leaves no more of a white cast than the commercial sunscreens I had used and you can choose a moisturiser to suit your skin type. I have given this recipe to a couple of friends to play with. One has very dry skin, so she basically just mixes the zinc oxide cream with sesame oil, another has normal skin and uses a generic brand vitamin e cream for the mix.
Tumeric has been used for centuries in India as a skin care product. It is anti inflammatory and is being used in many developing countries to treat cancers. If you don't want to colour the cream, or have fair skin and this doesn't work for you, the easiest way to get rid of the white cast is simply to dust a light coating of your regular face powder over the top five minutes or so after applying the cream. I don't know how this would work under foundation as I rarely use foundation during the day.
Remember to get zinc oxide cream in an aqueous base, not zinc and castor oil cream. This will be too difficult to work with. Secondly remember zinc oxide is quite drying so experiment with the moisturiser you use to mix it with. You may find you need something a little oilier than one you normally use, so experiment with small amounts of different creams you already have hanging around the house.
If you can't find zinc oxide cream at the chemists, ask for it at the counter. Sometimes they don't have it on display. I assume various brands will have differing amounts of zinc oxide, so check the label and take that into account when mixing it with a moisturiser. |
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Mon Jan 22, 2007 12:30 am |
Hi Lickylouie-
I have recently decided that I don't want to use chemical suncreens anymore. Just wondering what kind of moisturizer do you use?
Now I all I need is to figure out a DIY lip balm with physical SPF  Unfortunately, I just ordered the Murad lip stuff with spf that has a chemical suncblock. |
_________________
28 Fair skin, brown hair, blue eyes & acne prone combo skin |
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Mon Jan 22, 2007 12:56 am |
I currently use a cream called Youth Elixir, australian made, so I don't know if you can get it in other countries. Google it to find their website so you can look at the ingredients list.
Just use whatever moisturiser suits your skin for daytime use. |
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Mon Jan 22, 2007 5:55 am |
An update on my homemade cream. I have just tried making it using a fairly light textured cream designed for the body called Rosken firming and nourishing cream. This is working much better than my original moisturiser of choice. Once again this is an australian product so you may not be able to get it, but will easily be able to get something similar.
The fourth ingredient is dimethicone (silicon) and this is making the difference in texture and appearance of my homemade concoction. The silicon gives a slip that makes it easier to mix and minimises any white cast by making the zinc oxide particles lay smoothly on the surface of the skin rather than settle into fine lines, pores and catch on dry flakes.
So my updated suggestion would be to use a cream that has a high proportion of dimethicone to replicate the texture and ease of application. |
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Mon Jan 22, 2007 8:09 am |
Hi luckylouie,
Why bother with a pre-mixed zinc oxide ointment? Zinc oxide isn't very expensive as a powder ... and it should mix in with the moisturizer fairly well I would think.
I believe that it's water soluble ... so it should mix into most lotions well. You could probably ask the chemist for the powder ... I've purchased it directly from the drug store before.
At any rate, I would think that getting the 10% zinc oxide would be far easier if you began with the zinc oxide powder ... wouldn't it?
Mary |
_________________
Over 50, combo, OCM. Originator of Pearl Paste ... www.silkenpearl.com |
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Mon Jan 22, 2007 9:57 am |
| I always thought about just using zinc oxide for sunscreen. Think this is a great way to do so. Great suggestion and will definitely look into this as I have always wanted to use a all physical ss that didn't skimp on the zinc oxide. |
_________________
26, combination skin with oily t-zone |
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Mon Jan 22, 2007 7:06 pm |
| In Australia chemists only stock zinc oxide premixed in an aqueous base cream. If I want to buy zinc oxide powder I can only get it online from New Directions, or if I really want to go all out I can buy microfine zinc oxide powder from the Garden of Wisdom website and get is shipped over from the U.S. This is probably what I will do, however now you know why I simply opted for zinc oxide cream. It was all I was readily able to get hold of. |
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Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:23 am |
I myself have come to the conclusion that I must make my own sunscreen. I'm only interested in coated zinc oxide microfine powder and am currently searching for a supplier. Now my question is how to incorporate it into my AM routine, which is:
Vit. C
Pearl Creme
rosehip seed oil
foundation
silk dust
I could see mixing it in with the pearl, but I'm not sure whether it would hold up under the oil/foundation/powder, whether it would get lost under the layers and oil and end up being ineffective. Don't think it would mix well with just rosehip oil. I could mix it in with my foundation, but don't want to destroy the consistency/look of that. I do not want to apply it in powder form. Any experts out there, any suggestions?
Thanks!! |
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Thu Feb 22, 2007 1:57 pm |
Hi, Oriana808
| oriana808 wrote: |
| I myself have come to the conclusion that I must make my own sunscreen. I'm only interested in coated zinc oxide microfine powder and am currently searching for a supplier. |
You can get microfine coated zinc oxide from this supplier: http://www.theherbarie.com/Z-Cote-HP1-pr-188.html
[/quote]Now my question is how to incorporate it into my AM routine, which is:
Vit. C
Pearl Creme
rosehip seed oil
foundation
silk dust
I could see mixing it in with the pearl, but I'm not sure whether it would hold up under the oil/foundation/powder, whether it would get lost under the layers and oil and end up being ineffective. Don't think it would mix well with just rosehip oil. I could mix it in with my foundation, but don't want to destroy the consistency/look of that. I do not want to apply it in powder form. Any experts out there, any suggestions?[/quote]
I have been using my own sunscreen for the past three months. The zinc oxide I have recommended will disperse in oils, so it would mix well with rosehip oil. I don't know how your pearl cream is formulated - it could make it gunky and quite hard to spread. Zinc oxide needs to be disperse in oil first, before being blended into a cream.
The power of the physical suncreens (ZO, TiO2) to protect from UVA-UVB is also a function of how well dispersed it is in the medium and the "spreadability" of the medium. So you probably need to mix your DIY sunscreen well in a blender/mixer as I did.
This EDS thread has some very interesting discussions on the topic: http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=18749&highlight= |
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Thu Feb 22, 2007 8:10 pm |
You are right Mary,
Zinc Oxide powder added directly to CeraVe lotion or cream makes a nice home made sunscreen. I don't have the white film forming on the skin, although I used 15% of zinc oxide. |
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Thu Feb 22, 2007 8:25 pm |
| Do you think I can use the zinc oxide cream alone? |
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Thu Feb 22, 2007 8:30 pm |
| Sundew wrote: |
Hi Lickylouie-
I have recently decided that I don't want to use chemical suncreens anymore. Just wondering what kind of moisturizer do you use?
Now I all I need is to figure out a DIY lip balm with physical SPF Unfortunately, I just ordered the Murad lip stuff with spf that has a chemical suncblock. |
What is a chemical sunblock..?  |
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Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:16 pm |
poohlisey,
There are chemicals, like paraaminobenzoic acid (i think I got that right), aka PABA, that absorn UV light rather than just deflect it or deflect all light. Those are chemical subscreens.
I have not used these, but, for anyone who does not want to DIY, alternate options are sunscreens with Z-Cote, a zinc ozide supposedly without the whiteness, and/or Colorescience powder sunscreen. Do any of the mineral make-ups have a powder sunscreen? |
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Thu Feb 22, 2007 9:24 pm |
| Chemical sunblocks consist of chemical ingredients such as avobenzene, octyl methelcinnamate, octylcrene etc which absorb the suns rays to prevent the skin getting burnt. Physical sunblocks contain either titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, inert minerals which physically reflect the suns rays instead of letting them reach the skin. Most people tolerate chemical sunscreens, but a few people develop sensitivity to them, and some other people would prefer to use a physical sun block as they want to reduce the number of chemicals they use on their skin. |
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 3:41 am |
| How do you know for sure if your sensitive to chemical sunscreens? Does your skin go blotchy? I ask because sometimes i find if i use a strong sunscreen ,say like 50+ my skin goes kind of red. Ive just been using a physical one this past week. |
_________________
39, in Australia, using retin a, Skin actives I Bright and Antiaging Cream, change sunscreen regularly currently. |
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:30 am |
In my case I developed a sensitivity to chemical sunscreens when I switched from a moisturiser with spf 15 to one with spf 30. Over the next four weeks my thread veins got worse, the skin on my neck, chest and back of hands became very thin and crepey and my age spots got darker instead of lighter. I stopped using all other products on my skin and never suspected that the sunscreen was causing the problem. However I went to the doctor who sent me to a dermatologist and he said that chemical sunscreen sensitivity is becoming more common because people are now being exposed to larger amounts of the chemical absorbers. These days nearly all moisturisers contain chemical sunscreens, and most foundations too.
If your skin is getting blotchy when using the higher spf then you may have some sensitivity. My suggestion would be when using makeup just choose a moisturiser with spf 15, and when you expect to be exposed to lots of sun, choose a physical sunblock if possible.
Also remember that the extra protection you get from using an spf 30 or more, as opposed to an spf 15, is actually pretty minimal.
An SPF 30 does not provide double the protection. The difference is only in time. To demonstrate this difference, see chart below:
For example, if your skin starts to burn in 10 minutes without any sun protection then a product labelled SPF 15 gives you 15x or 150 minutes of protection. SPF 30 gives you 30x or 300 minutes of protection.
SPF 15 = 150 minutes SPF 30 = 300 minutes
10 minutes 10 minutes
However, the amount of UVB rays that are absorbed is NOT double. It is calculated as follows: SPF 15 - allows 1/15 or 6% of the UVB rays to get through to your skin, giving you 94% UVB protection. SPF 30 - allows 1/30 or 3% of the UVB rays to get through to your skin, giving you 97% UVB protection.
If you work indoors an spf 15 should be plenty. Apart from issues of sensitivity, the other advantage of the physical sunblocks is they don't degrade. The effectiveness of a chemical sunblock put on at 7.30 in the morning could be almost gone by the time you leave the office at 5.30pm as the chemical absorbers tend to degrade over time. The physical sunblocks will continue to provide protection for as long as they remain on the skin. In fact instead of applying more sunscreen to my face (which is slightly oily) I am using a dusting of translucent face powder, which due to the titanium dioxide and zinc oxide it contains, will give my skin a little extra protection, in case I have rubbed or sweated off my sunscreen during the day. |
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 5:09 am |
| alibabka wrote: |
poohlisey,
There are chemicals, like paraaminobenzoic acid (i think I got that right), aka PABA, that absorn UV light rather than just deflect it or deflect all light. Those are chemical subscreens.
I have not used these, but, for anyone who does not want to DIY, alternate options are sunscreens with Z-Cote, a zinc ozide supposedly without the whiteness, and/or Colorescience powder sunscreen. Do any of the mineral make-ups have a powder sunscreen? |
Thanks for telling me. I never knew PABA does that.  TKB Trading sells Z-cote zinc oxide powder! I guess I'll get that!
http://tkbtrading.com/index.php?item=409&ret=http%3A%2F%2F72.37.149.157%2Findex.php%3Fpage%3D2%26category%3D13 |
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 5:36 am |
| luckylouie wrote: |
In my case I developed a sensitivity to chemical sunscreens when I switched from a moisturiser with spf 15 to one with spf 30. Over the next four weeks my thread veins got worse, the skin on my neck, chest and back of hands became very thin and crepey and my age spots got darker instead of lighter. I stopped using all other products on my skin and never suspected that the sunscreen was causing the problem. However I went to the doctor who sent me to a dermatologist and he said that chemical sunscreen sensitivity is becoming more common because people are now being exposed to larger amounts of the chemical absorbers. These days nearly all moisturisers contain chemical sunscreens, and most foundations too.
If your skin is getting blotchy when using the higher spf then you may have some sensitivity. My suggestion would be when using makeup just choose a moisturiser with spf 15, and when you expect to be exposed to lots of sun, choose a physical sunblock if possible.
Also remember that the extra protection you get from using an spf 30 or more, as opposed to an spf 15, is actually pretty minimal.
An SPF 30 does not provide double the protection. The difference is only in time. To demonstrate this difference, see chart below:
For example, if your skin starts to burn in 10 minutes without any sun protection then a product labelled SPF 15 gives you 15x or 150 minutes of protection. SPF 30 gives you 30x or 300 minutes of protection.
SPF 15 = 150 minutes SPF 30 = 300 minutes
10 minutes 10 minutes
However, the amount of UVB rays that are absorbed is NOT double. It is calculated as follows: SPF 15 - allows 1/15 or 6% of the UVB rays to get through to your skin, giving you 94% UVB protection. SPF 30 - allows 1/30 or 3% of the UVB rays to get through to your skin, giving you 97% UVB protection.
If you work indoors an spf 15 should be plenty. Apart from issues of sensitivity, the other advantage of the physical sunblocks is they don't degrade. The effectiveness of a chemical sunblock put on at 7.30 in the morning could be almost gone by the time you leave the office at 5.30pm as the chemical absorbers tend to degrade over time. The physical sunblocks will continue to provide protection for as long as they remain on the skin. In fact instead of applying more sunscreen to my face (which is slightly oily) I am using a dusting of translucent face powder, which due to the titanium dioxide and zinc oxide it contains, will give my skin a little extra protection, in case I have rubbed or sweated off my sunscreen during the day. |
Thanks for that  I have especially noticed a difference in my chest area since stopping with the chemical filters. My chest area looked very red with lots of cappillaries showing. Since using a physical filter ive noticed in just a week that the area looks heaps better. The cappillaries are still there of course but it is so much calmer and not so red looking. |
_________________
39, in Australia, using retin a, Skin actives I Bright and Antiaging Cream, change sunscreen regularly currently. |
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 6:39 am |
| poohlisey wrote: |
| alibabka wrote: |
poohlisey,
There are chemicals, like paraaminobenzoic acid (i think I got that right), aka PABA, that absorn UV light rather than just deflect it or deflect all light. Those are chemical subscreens.
I have not used these, but, for anyone who does not want to DIY, alternate options are sunscreens with Z-Cote, a zinc ozide supposedly without the whiteness, and/or Colorescience powder sunscreen. Do any of the mineral make-ups have a powder sunscreen? |
Thanks for telling me. I never knew PABA does that. TKB Trading sells Z-cote zinc oxide powder! I guess I'll get that!
http://tkbtrading.com/index.php?item=409&ret=http%3A%2F%2F72.37.149.157%2Findex.php%3Fpage%3D2%26category%3D13 |
Please start small!!!, because I don't know anything about products that actually have Z-Cote, or about using it in DYI.
wikipedia can point you to ideas if you look at the "sunscreen" entry. |
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 9:52 am |
| nyonyakay wrote: |
I have been using my own sunscreen for the past three months. The zinc oxide I have recommended will disperse in oils, so it would mix well with rosehip oil. I don't know how your pearl cream is formulated - it could make it gunky and quite hard to spread. Zinc oxide needs to be disperse in oil first, before being blended into a cream.
The power of the physical suncreens (ZO, TiO2) to protect from UVA-UVB is also a function of how well dispersed it is in the medium and the "spreadability" of the medium. So you probably need to mix your DIY sunscreen well in a blender/mixer as I did.
This EDS thread has some very interesting discussions on the topic: http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=18749&highlight= |
Thanks for the tips nyonyakay! I also found this info at http://www.makingcosmetics.com/store/index.html?lang=en-us&target=d107.html
"Ingredients Influencing The Efficacy of Sunscreens
Emollients and emulsifiers are well-known to influence the activity of sunscreens. It is has been shown that emollients (mainly oils) with diminished spreadability and low skin penetration properties enhance the activity of physical sunscreens. In addition, pure lipid emulsifiers (e.g. polyglycerol methylglycose distearate) can better retain physical sunscreens on the skin than conventional emulsifiers (e.g. glyceryl stearate). Following oils have been tested:
SPF decreasing emollients: castor oil, linoleic acid, oleic acid, sesame oil, almond oil
SPF enhancing emollients: coconut oil, corn oil, mineral oil, peanut oil, isopropyl myristate, butyl myristate, olive oil, apricot pit oil, cyclomethicone, trigylceride"
I don't think the rosehip would be suitable. They also provide a good table for percentages. Now I'm not sure if I have the energy to make something from scratch (too much info needed) - wishful thinking that it could be so easy. Perhaps getting a base cream that would work would be the answer - I'm just trying to keep the layers minimal but it ain't gonna happen <sigh>.
There is also this new encapsulated octinoxate (SunCaps) that is supposed to "increase SPF with fewer chemicals"-taken from skinceutical |
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 9:54 am |
| poohlisey wrote: |
| Do you think I can use the zinc oxide cream alone? |
Are you referring to the basic cream sold at pharmacies? I think it would be a great sunscreen, but very white. |
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:22 pm |
| oriana808 wrote: |
| I don't think the rosehip would be suitable. They also provide a good table for percentages. Now I'm not sure if I have the energy to make something from scratch (too much info needed) - wishful thinking that it could be so easy. Perhaps getting a base cream that would work would be the answer - I'm just trying to keep the layers minimal but it ain't gonna happen <sigh>. |
It depends on what your baseline is for "from scratch"!. Let me explain what I did.... I got a nice base cream that I liked (Canvas from SkinActives.com) - added my favourite anti-oxidants to it, then added a blend of rice bran, jojoba and rosehip seed oils, then added the ZO and TiO2 and whipped this up in a little electric mixer (4oz in total).
Your choice of oils is entirely up to you - for more "spreadability", go for the "oiler" oils.
This is just my two cents!  |
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:28 pm |
| oriana808 wrote: |
| poohlisey wrote: |
| Do you think I can use the zinc oxide cream alone? |
Are you referring to the basic cream sold at pharmacies? I think it would be a great sunscreen, but very white. |
Thanks. I'm going to get the Z-Cote zinc oxide at tkb. Do you know if the zinc oxide with low-micro is good enough for lotions? |
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 5:50 pm |
Interesting info on Z-Cote from the manufacturer:
Z-COTE is uncoated micronized zinc oxide and has an amphiphilic nature. It is
preferentially incorporated into the water phase of a formulation.
Z-COTE HP1 consists of approx 98% micronized zinc oxide and approx 2% of
hydrophobic coating material (silicone derivative). It can be dispersed into the oil
phase of a formulation.
Z-COTE MAX is an innovative microfine zinc oxide grade that allows formulation
freedom not possible with current zinc oxide products. It consists of approx.
96 – 99% micronized zinc oxide and 1-4% polar/hydrophobic coating (silicone
derivative).
The biggest advantage of Z-COTE MAX is its better compatibility with acrylatebased
thickeners e.g. carbomer. Furthermore, it is dispersible in a wide range of
oils and easier to disperse at high and low shear. (bold mine)
http://www.cosmetics.basf.de/pdf/statements/Technical%20Information/Cosmetic%20Ingredients/MEMC%20050103e_UV%20filters.pdf
Z-Cote is not necessarily coated unless it's HP1 or MAX. The MAX sounds best, of course.
GoW sells Z-Cote HP1 |
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Fri Feb 23, 2007 7:58 pm |
| nyonyakay wrote: |
Hi, Oriana808
| oriana808 wrote: |
| I myself have come to the conclusion that I must make my own sunscreen. I'm only interested in coated zinc oxide microfine powder and am currently searching for a supplier. |
You can get microfine coated zinc oxide from this supplier: http://www.theherbarie.com/Z-Cote-HP1-pr-188.html
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Yeah, they sure do!
As a rule, the coated forms of ZO and TiO2 are valued added suncreen ingredients which cost more. They are supposed to do a better job then uncoated. They are also harder to source for DIYers.
I have been looking for ZP-Cote Max for a while now, and have had no success.
Anyone know where I can get DIY portions (100g or under) of ZP-Cote Max? |
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