In all my years of needing to wear diapers it never occurred to me until recently that there aren’t any diaper powders for adults available on the market.
Sure there are all kinds of baby powders and body powders but once I began to look specifically for a “diaper powder” I had trouble finding any. Specifically a diaper powder for adults.
That is how I ended up creating Dynamo’s Diaper Powder. A diaper powder for adults that wear diapers! Designed to help prevent and treat diaper rash it is made of arrowroot powder, baking soda, zinc oxide, and kaolin clay. This formula soothes inflamed skin, reduces diaper rash bumps, while also making it silky smooth!
Adults that need to wear diapers have many concerns and there are quite a few of these concerns that a good diaper powder can help address.
It wasn’t until I was set down a path to create my very own diaper powder formula that I began to really think about these needs in greater depth.
The Making of Dynamo’s Diaper Powder Begins!
There were a number of pressures that lead me down this path that you can read about here in “The Story Behind Dynamo’s Diaper Powder”.
Once the idea took root in my mind I knew I needed to take action right away before it just became a passing thought.
The first thing I did was I started searching for how to make a homemade baby powder. I found a few videos on YouTube and read some blog posts. I took a few notes on the ingredients they were using, the tools they were using, and what sort of recipes they were recommending.
After that I began by making a list of all the baby powders and body powders I could find.
| Burt’s Bees | EraOrganics |
| Nature’s Baby | Farmstead Apothecary |
| Ora’s Amazing Herbal | Bee All Natural |
| Hello Bello | California Baby |
| BabyLabs | Swanson Certified |
| Squeaky Cheeks | Caldesene |
| Butt and Body Rescue | Dude Powder |
| Lucky Super Soft | Sweat Block Super Fresh |
| Anti Monkey Butt | Brickell Body Powder |
| Ginger’s Garden Body Powder | Gold Bond Triple Action |
I looked at every powder and all the different ingredients being used.
I had no clue what many of these ingredients even were much less how to say some of them or even what they did. That didn’t matter. I would figure all that stuff out eventually.
All I knew at this point was I needed to get some ingredients to experiment with and that this was the best way to figure out what those ingredients might be. I would be my own test subject!
I have been sensitive and prone to diaper rashes for many years. Pretty much ever since I started needing to wear diapers full time.
Battling the emergence of red diaper rash bumps is a constant concern for me. This would be what I would try to address with my powder.
This is when I KNEW I would NEED to make a diaper powder for adults that wear diapers designed to treat and prevent diaper rash!
I also knew that I needed to know the entire market as deeply as possible.
Who were these players? How much were they charging for their products? How and where were they showing up in search results?
Where on the internet and what platforms can they be found on?
Most importantly, what were the claims of their products and how effective were they?
I needed to know as much as possible as quickly as possible!
Finding Good Ingredients To Try!
The next thing I had to figure out was what are the best ingredients to go with that would help prevent diaper rashes from occurring at all?
What combinations of ingredients would it take to provide a high level of additional comfort AND help to prevent rashes from forming?
At this point all I knew was I needed to get some ingredients and start conducting experiments on myself.
The first thing you’ll learn when searching for baby powders or diaper powders is that no one uses talcum in their products any more due to concerns with asbestos. That is a topic for a different page.
I took my list of potential ingredients from my initial research and started trying to figure out what I should order. In order to do that I had to start researching each ingredient on the list.
Since cornstarch is used in a lot of products I of course looked at that first. Corn is plentiful and a domestically grown resource. (I’m in the U.S.)
Cornstarch does also have some benefits to the skin. It absorbs excess oil and can help remove impurities from your skin too. It really isn’t a bad option as far as powders go but since it is the most widely used option I wanted to make sure to try others.
Arrowroot powder is another common base powder used in many organic baby powder brands. The effects it has on the skin seemed a lot more attractive to me in description. (later I would find in practice too!)
Of course I had both of these ingredients on my initial shopping list of potential ingredients to use.
I also had baking soda, bentonite clay, kaolin clay, non nano zinc oxide, calendula flowers, french lavender, chamomile powder, plantain leaves, and calamine clay.
Once I made my wishlist of ingredients I needed to start experimenting. I was fortunate enough to have the support of my Patreon members gift to me everything I needed to get started!
Thank you so much if you were one of them and you’re reading this now. I would not have made it this far without you!
If you checked out the backstory leading up to this point you may already know this has been a very hard year in a lot of ways. You can check that part of the story out here if you haven’t read it yet!
How I Figured Out The Winning Formula!
Since I had very little idea of what I was actually doing I had to go through a number of different mixtures and powder compositions before I stumbled upon the right ratios that would actually work.
I started by mixing in equal parts of everything only to end up with a nasty rash on my skin. I’d have to wait for the rash to get better before I could try another mixture.
With each new mixture I would experiment with different ingredients. Then I would notate how much of each ingredient I used and carefully observe the effects it would have on my skin.
What felt better? What felt worse? Were there any noticeable effects on diaper rash bumps?
I did this for a few months basically enduring rash after rash because the ingredients I was using would knock the pH balance of my skin in the wrong direction.
At first I used too much bentonite clay in one of my mixtures. Bentonite clay has absorption properties that lead it to drawing out the toxins and opening up the pores on your skin.
Bentonite clay itself is a common clay used for face masks that dry out the skin, exfoliate it, open up the pores, and draw out the toxins. If you have ever done a bentonite clay mask on your face then you’ll know that it’s not good to have straight bentonite clay on your skin for more than 15 minutes.
After conducting a number of experiments using bentonite clay in various portions I decided this wasn’t an ingredient I wanted to use. I wanted a pure white powder and as far as I could find there was no pure white version of bentonite clay.
Any amount of it used in my mixture would leave a gross looking tint in the diaper I didn’t want. Plus I also didn’t find it an optimal ingredient in way of its effects on the skin. Perhaps in small amounts it would be okay but it still gives the powder a grayish tint I didn’t want.
At this point I was starting to hone in on Kaolin clay as one of the ingredients since it has some similar properties to bentonite clay when it comes to absorbing toxins. Plus, it’s an off white color so it mixes with the other ingredients a lot better.
Of course in every one of these mixtures I was using either cornstarch or arrowroot powder. With each new mixture the ratio of cornstarch or arrowroot would go up while the ratio of other ingredients would go down.
Then I decided to just use arrowroot for a number of recipes in a row when I began to notice how much softer and smoother my skin was in my diaper area. This is an effect I have NEVER gotten from using any cornstarch or talcum based powders.
Noticing that nearly sealed the deal on using arrowroot since I found this effect very pleasant and arrowroot to be one of the more unique ingredients for a body powder of this type.
I then tried various mixes using chamomile powder, french lavender, and ground plantain leaves.
Plantain supposedly helps skin regeneration but I didn’t like the specs it would leave in the powder. If I experiment with this ingredient at all in the future I will need to get an already ground version of it that is a nice powder already.
Grinding it up myself did not lead to the fine looking powder I was hoping to get to. I had the same problem with trying to use the calendula flowers.
Adding in the lavender and Chamomile would make for a nicely scented mix but my main focus at this point began to become finding the right powder mixture that will ACTUALLY have a noticeable positive effect on the skin.
It’s also about the time I became adamant about finding that particular formula before I come up with any specific kind of fragrances for my powder.
I know we diaper wearers are very sensitive to how we might smell to others. We don’t want to smell like urine but we also don’t want to smell like a baby either.
So this is when I knew I had to nail an unscented formula as my first product.
More than that, it would be great if it had an odor neutralizing component to it. This is when I realized that the baking soda I’d been using in most of my formulas main purpose was to help neutralize odors.
It also does have some effect on the pH balance of the skin as well and I found out having too much in my mixture was a bad thing for the purposes of rash prevention. Plus it is a gritty powder that doesn’t feel great on the skin where there is too much of it.
Eventually I found the right ratio of baking soda to use.
How Can I Prevent Diaper Rash?
Since I knew I needed this powder to not only prevent diaper rash but also help combat it when it does occur that was where I turned my attention to next.
In all my years of wearing diapers all of the products that have had the most impact on my diaper rashes have been products that contained zinc oxide. This I KNEW had to be a part of my mixture.
More specifically, NON NANO zinc oxide. This is important because there is some concern that nano sized zinc oxide particles can get absorbed into your skin and into your bloodstream.
A nano sized particle is any particle measuring 100 nanometers or less. Non nano sized zinc oxide ensures the particles stay above this scale.
Non nano zinc oxide remains large enough to stay on the surface of your skin. That said, there are conflicting studies out there on this topic.
Some say that nano sized particles of zinc oxide pose no threat and do not penetrate beyond the skin while others say they have measured trace amounts of zinc oxide in urine indicating there was some level of penetration into the body.
Even this study linked above that found trace evidence of zinc particles being absorbed through the skin notes that this amount of zinc is barely notable considering the amount of zinc that is naturally found in the body.
I decided it was best to air on the side of caution and just use non nano zinc oxide. This ensures it would sit on the surface of your skin and do what we need it to do.
What exactly does zinc oxide DO to begin with?
It was clear to me it had an impact on reducing the red bumps on my skin BUT WHY?!? What is it about zinc oxide that does this?
After much searching and digging I was able to collect a number of studies together and deduce what zinc oxide was and what it does that makes it effective.
First off, zinc oxide is a compound molecule comprised of one part zinc and one part oxygen. (ZnO or OZn).
It has several effects on the skin that help with diaper rash. It has been shown in studies on leg ulcers that it promotes tissue growth and combats bacteria. These studies also showed its anti inflammatory properties as well by reducing inflammation in the applied areas.
All of these effects can be observed with the use of zinc oxide on diaper rashes as well.
While typically applied in creams and ointments the powder form is just as effective at reducing redness and stimulating the skin to heal.
According to newdirectionaromatics.com, It does these things by transmitting an electric charge which seems to stimulate the support of protein synthesis and metabolic function. It also forms a protective coating on the skin as well creating a barrier against environmental irritants.
So I started experimenting with different ratios of these 4 ingredients following the same process as before. I’d make my mixture, test it out, observe its effects on my skin and make adjustments accordingly.
Once I started finding the right ratios I began to see some positive results on my skin! I knew I was on to something!
My skin was softer and smoother than it had ever been from using any other product I’d used over my many years of needing to wear diapers. That was definitely the arrowroot powder causing that effect.
I also noticed a mild visible reduction in some diaper rash bumps I had. THIS! THIS WAS WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR! That was the zinc oxide having it’s impact!
I was now starting to get excited by this thing, this product I was creating. Red diaper rash bumps are the bane of my diaper wearing existence and if I could create a product that could address this particular problem I know others will benefit from it too.
This is how I was able to hone in on arrowroot, baking soda, zinc oxide, and kaolin clay as my main ingredients for my product.
The Mild Formula Is Just The Start!
This current formula that I’m selling now is what I would consider to be the mild formula. I will be creating a strong and extra strength formula as well so as best to accommodate all levels of skin sensitivities AND offer an array of tools to combat diaper rash.
As one who has needed to wear diapers for many years I can tell you first hand that preventing and combating diaper rash is a constant challenge.
Using diaper rash pastes that contain zinc oxide in them isn’t always ideal for every diaper change. These pastes can be difficult to wipe off and often times lead to your skin drying out.
Especially when the percentage of zinc oxide in the formula is a lot higher.
Now, as the creator of this product I am obviously biased, but I feel I accidentally stumbled my way into creating something significant here.
By creating a mild powder formula that you can easily use in every diaper change, whether there is a diaper rash present or not, I think I may have created one of the best diaper rash solutions to date!
If it isn’t yet at that level, I fully intend to get it there as I develop it further and add more variations of this product to my lineup.
It helps make your skin smooth and soft, it helps prevent and treat diaper rash, it helps prevent friction rashes and heat rashes, and it doesn’t give you any additional odors to feel self conscious about.
So far I’ve gotten nothing but positive feedback!
“I was surprised that when it touched the inflamed skin. It was instant relief. The itching, and burning stopped instantly. The rash cleared up in just a few days.”
Don Wolverton
Hey Marc, just wanted to let you know. The powder is dope!!! I love the way it feels on me and my skin.
Kenzo Onyx
I’m still up in the air on its potential odor neutralizing effects but I have gotten some feedback from those testing it out for this potential use too.
Like on Ada KiGaines channel here where she says it does help with combating odors post diaper use too!
I will be testing out this out more and designing specifically for it as time goes on. Especially once I start creating my own fragrances to put into the powders. This would be primarily for helping to neutralize or cover up odors you may be concerned about while wearing your diaper.
My overall game plan from here is to get enough feedback on my mild version of the powder to take it out of beta and make it the official first formula. After that I need to scale it up a bit and figure out how to sell more of it so I can work on developing the next two levels of strength.
The next two levels of strong and extra strong are already in my head. I just need to make them and try them out for myself.
After making all three strengths available then I can move on to learning the art of perfumery and how to create my own fragrances. I know exactly what you guys want and need to increase your confidence, comfort, and pleasure!
I intend to help make wearing diapers an enjoyable experience rather than one you dread and feel shame over. This first powder is merely the beginning of the product ideas I have to bring to you.
If you need a product that you can use during every diaper change to prevent and combat diaper rash try Dynamo’s Diaper Powder today!