For nearly a century zinc ointments have been a common natural skin care treatment for dry skin, acne, dermatitis, rashes, cuts, eczema, and just about every other skin problem. However, the newer products on the market contain so many harmful chemicals that they are no longer safe alternatives. Thousands of doctors now recommend adding shielding lotion to your natural skin care arsenal for prevention and treatment of many of the above problems.



How does zinc work? Its most important role is to stimulate the activity of enzymes. Enzymes consist of proteins, vitamins and other nutrients and are responsible for regulating the millions of complex processes that occur every minute within the body. There are thousands of enzymes in every cell, and without them, many of the processes we take for granted could not be performed. Eating, digesting, seeing, speaking and even breathing would become impossible.

Zinc accelerates the function of about 100 of those enzymes – specifically those that monitor taste and smell, synthesize DNA, and maintain a healthy immune system. About 20 percent of the zinc in our bodies is in the skin, and it is vital element for any natural skin care routine.

As a supplement, and as an ingredient in topical creams and ointments, zinc helps prevent and treat infections and other skin conditions. However, the addition of harmful chemicals like propylene glycol, mineral oil, and methyl and propyl parabens have effectively removed many of these products from the list of safe natural skin care remedies.

What are your alternatives? As zinc deficiency is often the cause of dry skin and other skin problems, eating foods high in zinc is a good start. These include shellfish, liver, oxtail, corned beef, nuts, whole grains, cheese, wheat germ, tofu, halva and figs.

For topical use you may be able to find zinc ointment that doesn’t contain harmful chemicals but, if you’re not deficient in zinc, chances are good that your skin problem is a result of exposure to irritants found in household cleaning products, soaps, body care products and cosmetics. Under these circumstances, zinc ointment is not the solution. The better choice is to switch to natural soaps and natural skin care products wherever possible, and to use a shielding lotion to protect you against the chemicals that are unavoidable. If you adjust your diet to handle zinc deficiency and use a shielding lotion, healthy skin could be just around the corner.