Everything You Need To Know About Our Tuff Stuff Natural Zinc

In this blog we'll cover how Tuff Stuff works, what makes it so effective, and some product tips and tricks to help you incorporate this product into your skincare routine. 

What is Tuff Stuff used for?

Tuff Stuff is a purpose drive product and was originally formulated for surf instructors (holla at our Surf Sister gals). Picture yourself spending all day at the beach. You're in and out of the wind and water. And you're doing this up to 5 days a week. What are you going to need most?

UV protection and water resistance. And a lot of it. 

The purpose of Tuff Stuff is to keep your skin protected during activities where you will be consistently exposed to harsh environmental conditions. The sweat and water resistance properties of Tuff Stuff makes it ideal for activities such as swimming, surfing, boating, skiing, hiking, camping, working outside, etc. Because our covering cream is a thicker formula, it can’t be easily wiped or washed off and will keep your skin protected and hydrated leaving you safe to enjoy being outside without the looming threat of applying heaps of aloe vera to your face afterwards.

What makes Tuff Stuff so effective?

The active ingredient in Tuff Stuff is zinc oxide, a mineral UV blocker. Mineral sunscreens are occasionally called physical sunscreens as they provide a physical barrier between your skin and the suns rays. Physical blockers, such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, lie on the skin’s surface and reflect UV rays away from the skin. You can think of it as thousands of tiny shields working to prevent skin damage by bouncing away all those pesky UV rays. 

This is in contrast to the mechanism of “chemical” sunscreens which work by penetrating the skin and absorbing and dissipating UV rays. The active ingredients in chemical sunscreens convert UV rays into heat through a chemical reaction and release that energy from the body. 

Because mineral UV blockers sit on top of the skin and deflect heat and energy from the sun, physical sunscreens are ideal for people with sensitive skin, those recovering from skin procedures, or for people with heat-activated skin (ie, rosacea and redness).  As a bonus for those with rosier skin, the slight white cast you may see with physical sunscreens also helps to minimize and camouflage any redness.

Another benefit of using mineral UV blockers is that zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are more reef-friendly ingredients compared to oxybenzone, octinoxate, butylparaben, and 4-methylbenzylidine camphor found in chemical sunscreens. Tuff Stuff is good for your skin, but good for the earth too. 

Tuff Stuff is tinted to blend more seamlessly into skin. Although Tuff Stuff isn't a make-up product (zinc has never traditionally been "skin-coloured" so the tint helps to contribute to a less obvious look on the skin), as Green Room expands, it is our goal to make more tones so that everyone can wear Tuff Stuff as subtly as possible. Regardless of skin colour though, rest assured that a solid white nose is a thing of the past.

Tuff Stuff tips and tricks

1. Warming the product up before application on colder days will make it softer and easier to apply evenly to your face. Store your Tuff Stuff in your pocket or warm it up a little bit using friction from your fingers. 
2. Tuff Stuff is water resistant for a reason and you will find that even at the end of a full day, you may need more than just a quick rinse to get it off. Use a gentle cleanser or oil-based product (cleanser, balm, etc.) to lift the Tuff Stuff so you can easily wipe it off and wash your face. The science behind using another oil-based product for Tuff Stuff removal is “like-dissolves-like”, meaning that compounds of a similar chemistry are soluble within each other. We have a video explaining this here!
3. After some time you may start to notice your Tuff Stuff harden slightly or form small lumps. Shea butter can start to crystallize if it is subjected to fluctuations in temperature (which is completely normal as we transition from summer to winter and back to summer). Luckily, there’s a super quick and easy way to fix that: Set your oven to the lowest possible bake temperature and pop your Tuff Stuff on a slotted baking tray. With the lid off, place it in the oven for ~5 minutes. Once you can see that the formula has melted slightly, remove the Tuff Stuff and let it cool completely to room temperature with the lid off before reapplying the lid. For a quick fix in a pinch, you can also hit the surface of your Tuff Stuff with some heat from a blow dryer. Your Tuff Stuff will now be as smooth as the day you opened it!