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Super Contributor
Posts: 1,354
Registered: ‎11-30-2011

Has anyone made their own sunscreen/sunblock with quality zinc oxide powder? I've seen several "recipes" online.

Super Contributor
Posts: 890
Registered: ‎12-06-2011

I've been very temped, but never took the plunge. I'm not sure it's something that I really want to try, so that's one I'll leave to the labs.

ZO can be ticky to work with. I have an ultra fine powder that I use to make a "finishing powder" mix and use as a final sweep after my liquid sunscreens. It is and stays really white, so I need to add rich, pigmented colors to off set it. Aside from that, it's stubborn and can be hard to mix into an aqueous soln.

My main concern about DIY is getting the % correct for optimal protection. I think it should be done by weight and not by volume to avoid any potential % errors.

Super Contributor
Posts: 1,951
Registered: ‎02-05-2014

I tried pure ZO when I was burning from Retin-a. It was not easy to use. I used it to help my skin heal and then gave up on it. It was very white, very thick and hard to spread.

Super Contributor
Posts: 1,354
Registered: ‎11-30-2011

Okay, thank you for the great replies. I watched one of my YouTube videos and the lady gave a quick tutorial on making her DYI Vitamin C serum. I wondered if ZO would be just as easy (looking, not tried). Doesn't seem likely.

I appreciate your replies.