Better Shea Butter Uncoated & Non-Nano Zinc Oxide Powder for DIY (1lbs)

I bought this powder to make my own sunscreen because store bought natural zinc oxide sunscreen is stupidly expensive. Though I came across other, cheaper 1 lb. bags of zinc oxide in my search, the fact that Better Shea Butter says clearly in the description that their powder is made in the US, non nano, and uncoated, I figured it was worth the extra money for the peace of mind. With most sunscreen recipes calling for only a few tablespoons of zinc oxide for an eight ounce yield, this bag will make about a gallon of sunscreen, if my math is right. Is it right?1 TBSP = .5 oz, 16 oz in a pound, 2 TBSP per 8 oz of sunscreen, 16 cups in a gallon-yes.AT ANY RATE, it will make a lot.This is the recipe I followed/modified (though, I'm sure a lot of people have already come across it): http://wellnessmama.com/2558/homemade-sunscreen/I used:¼ cup grapeseed oil¼ cup olive oil¼ cup shea butter1/8-1/4 cup beeswax (I used leftover bits of old tealights)3 TBSP zinc oxide (I wanted a higher SPF...though how much higher it is, I have no idea)I followed the instructions about heating and everything came together nicely! It's a pretty thick consistency but it spreads easily, sort of like Vaseline. I will note that I was impatient and made the base before my powder arrived, and mixing it in after the fact yielded a slight lumpiness, but it's not too bad and is my fault completely. I suppose I could have reheated it but eh!Obviously, there's no reason not to just add this powder to a lotion you already have, but I already had all of this stuff on hand and wanted the slight waterproofing effect of the wax.FULL DISCLOSURE: I have not actually tried this sunscreen yet, but there's no way it's any different from other sunscreens, except that it's cheaper and has the ability to make other, lesser people fear your DIY prowess, probably.UPDATE:I went to the beach for two days, slathering my skin with this sunscreen the entire time; it was fairly heavy and sort of streaky, but seeing as I wasn't heading to a SI bikini photo shoot, I didn't really mind.I was out for about three hours the first day and I reapplied once; I got burned. The second day, I was out for four hours and reapplied at least three times, but ended up getting burned worse.It's possible that perhaps the sun was just insanely strong or that the beach was the wrong place to expose my skin for the first time in about a year, or that I didn't dump enough powder into my mixture, but I would just be wary. I've used Badger sunscreen at the beach before without much incident, but that was in September, so who knows! Maybe natural sunscreen just plain isn't as effective as chemical. Don't stray too far from the shade if you go this route!

My friend told me about purchasing Zinc Oxide for foot odor. It worked!!! I would not believe it if I had not tried it! I treated my tennis shoes that had the smelliest foot odor from using my shoes 6 hrs a day on the court. I treated my feet for four nights and rubbed this powder on my feet before I went to bed. It is like rubbing baby powder all over. I placed my socks on and went to bed. I also treated my shoes with a thick coating under the insert on the inside base of the shoe and then coated the insert both under and over. It looked like major powder in my shoe but after I used them the first tme...the powder did not show anymore. It absorbed in my shoe. This is an antibacterial powder. It works wonders. I would not believe it if I hadn't done it!!! After 4 days not only did my feet not smell anymore...neither did my shoes. Believe me...they were so bad, I had to put them in the garage every night just to help my family not gag ha ha!!! Now I have my shoes in my closet with no smell!!! It is amazing!!! I am not embarraced anymore when I go to peoples homes and have to take off my shoes. I feel confident this will work for you!!!! There are so many other uses for Zinc Oxide but this is one they should actually market for stinky feet!!! It is curable!!!! If not...you may want to see medical help LOL!! Oh I forgot to mention...I have had to wear a knee brace because I tore my mcl and meniscus and the brace was starting to smell so bad no matter how many times I washed it. I thought...hey if it cured my stinky feet, it may work for the brace. So I super coated it with Zinc Oxide and rinsed it off. It has not smelled since either. I just wonder now if I soaked my athletic clothes that after so many uses...just naturally stink....if it would take out that smell too. My next project. There is so much Zinc Oxide that comes in the pouch...it could last for a lot of things and making your own sunblock too :)

This zinc oxide powder was exactly what I was looking for to make a homemade foundation and powder makeup. From what I've read, the non nano, uncoated is the best kind to get so that your skin doesn't absorb the zinc oxide but you still get the spf protection. I used a tablespoon in the foundation and a teaspoon in the powder for 20 spf coverage.Here's how I made the Foundation:-3 Tbsp of Almond Oil or Olive Oil (or other unrefined carrier oil)-2 Tbsp raw, unrefined Shea Butter-1 Tbsp raw, unrefined Cocoa Butter-1 Tbsp of Beeswax-1/8 teaspoon of Vitamin E oil-1 Tbsp Zinc Oxide Powder, non nano and uncoated- Cocoa Powder-1/8 teaspoon CinnamonUsing either a double boiler or a mason jar sitting on a hot pot of water, melt oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, beeswax, and vitamin E oil, stirring occasionally. Once everything is liquid, allow to cool for about 2minutes. Add your zinc and stir well. Then add your cinnamon. Add Cocoa Powder (1/2 Tablespoon for a light foundation, 1/2 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoons for a medium foundation, and 1/2 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons for a dark foundation.) Pour into your selected container and allow to cool.Here's how I made the Mineral Powder:- 1/4 cup of Arrowroot- 3-5 Tbsp of Cocoa Powder (depending on your skin tone)- 1/4 teaspoon Ginger-1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg- 1 teaspoon Zinc Oxide Powder, non nano and uncoated-1 teaspoon cinnamon- 2 teaspoons Bentonite Clay- 10 drop vitamin E-12 drops of lavender essential oilCombine all ingredients in a glass or plastic container (Do not use Metal, as the Bentonite Clay should not come in contact with Metal).

As a mother of a 4-month-old, I am naturally super-duper-careful of everything that comes in contact with my baby boy. I have always been a label-reader... and now I do it even more.Well... I had been struggling with all the choices of lotions and potions to put on his delicate skin. Diaper rash one day, out in the hot California sun the next day. And when you start reading labels, you start to realize that all the "natural" products out there aren't really that. Call me neurotic, but when I saw all that un-pronounceable junk they put in "baby" sunscreen, diaper rash cream, and even "baby" lotion, I decided to make my own concoctions.Soooooooo.... here we go!I started my experiment with sunblock and got a bunch of very effective and natural recipes on the internet. Since zinc oxide is the core ingredient of any good sunblock, I wanted the good stuff. So I started researching that, too. I had no idea that there were different qualities! From my research I learned, you want to stay away from the "nanonized" stuff because it is absorbed by the body and could potentially cause cancer. The jury may still be out on this, but I don't like to take chances when it comes to my little one.So I got this stuff.But does it work?I made my sunblock at what I estimated to be about 30SPF and I tried it on myself first. My Irish skin is prone to eczema breakouts and cooks to a bright red hue in about 2 minutes flat in the California sun (especially June). I put on a thin layer but due to the nature of zinc oxide, couldn't get my skin to absorb the stuff completely. So I took my clown-face outside... and 1 hour later I'm still a pale-faced Irish girl :) I have worn many sunscreens, and even Neutrogena's SPF 100 doesn't protect me this well.So yes, I would definitely recommend this product... it works almost even too well!

I mix this in my lotions for a affordable and minor sunscreen (long sleeves and sun protectant clothing still applied of course)And I think by far this is the easiest and best zinc oxide I’ve had in being able to blend them in! Great quality and doesn’t clump up.