Well, thankfully my sweatyness level is pretty much the same with my homemade stuff. I'm still sweating a bit but it's similar to how I did with typical deodorant. Making my own deodorant is now a way of life & I'm not going back to the store bought stuff. (And no, I don't stink.)
So my main reason for making deodorant for myself? Traditional deodorant is BAD. The main ingredient in store bought deodorant is aluminum which is linked to breast cancer and Alzheimer's. Aluminum mimics estrogen which can mess up your hormone levels. I have a family history of Alzheimer's so I've been aware of the link to aluminum for many years but only as I've gotten older have I started looking for ways to cut down my own aluminum exposure.
I've made a couple of different homemade recipes. This one from the Purposed Heart worked pretty well but had complicated ingredients & irritated one of my pits. The other was fine so I guess I have weird pits.
I've researched a lot of recipes and ingredients and today I'm sharing the most simple & frugal I've found. I use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch as it's much less irritating to my pits. If you don't have it on hand you can go ahead and try the recipe with cornstarch but just be warned.
Simple Deodorant
1/4 c. baking soda
1/4 c. arrowroot powder or cornstarch
5 Tbsp. coconut oil
Essential oils (optional – I used 2 drops tea tree as it's antibacterial and 3 drops lavender for a nice scent) *Don't use citrus oils as they can promote hair growth which you probably don't want to encourage in your pits.
Mix it all together in a small container. You may need to warm the coconut oil if it's not soft at room temperature. Pour the mix into a small plastic bowl and place it in the refrigerator to harden. After it hardens it will pop out of the bowl for easy use. I leave it in my fridge all the time since I prefer to keep it cool. I just pop it out to rub on my pits in the morning. The coolness feels refreshingly good during the summer. If you leave it at room temperature it will be soft and you can scoop it onto your fingers and sensually rub it into your pits.
In the winter I may experiment with pouring the deodorant mix into a cleaned out deodorant container. The weather has to remain cooler for the coconut oil to remain solid like a traditional deodorant.
Have you tried to make your own deodorant? Are you willing to try?
This post has been linked to: Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Mama Moments Monday, Living Green Tuesdays, Works-for-Me-Wednesday, The Morris Tribe, Homestead Barn Hop, Make Your Own Mondays, Women Living Well, Your Green Resource
Made this today with tea tree and jasmine oils. Feels great and hubby says I smell amazing! Making some for my daughter tomorrow. Great recipe, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI was making my own for a good while, and found I didn't sweat as much while using it as I had with traditional ones, however, it left a weird brown film on my pits, that cleared up when I quit using it. I am planning to try it again tho.
ReplyDeleteTry adding 2 capsules of shelf stable probiotics. I have no idea why it works, but it does. Also try washing your pits with apple cider vinegar before showering, then skipping that day on the deoderant. That also helps
DeleteI've been using a mixture of the same ingredients except my recipe called for grapefruit essential oil. I did not know about the hair growth thing. Since it's not bothering me and I love the smell, I'm going to keep using it for now. Though I naturally sweat more than your average bear, I don't stink. My husband was put on stink-duty and instructed to tell me if I stink. It's been a couple of months and know red flags have been thrown. The only thing I have not figured out is how to travel with it. I keep one stick of store bought stuff for traveling.
ReplyDeleteOops, that last comment was mine--Julie S.
ReplyDeleteIf you want the mixture to be more solid and fit in a traditional deodorant container, melt in some beeswax!
ReplyDeleteThis is too easy way to make deodorant product at home and I think I can make my own deodorant at home, now I am going to write this formula in my copy and I will make this natural deodorant product today.
ReplyDelete