Success!!! All Natural Deodorant

I went through the two week antiperspirant detox process and my old recipe was still not working to my satisfaction. I was sick of having to carry alcohol pads around with me everywhere and finally decided that it was time to tweak the recipe.

Here's what I used:

~4oz. Coconut Oil
~1oz. of Beeswax
~1/2 Cup Arrowroot powder
~1/2 Cornstarch
~2-3 Teaspoons of any essential oil with antibacterial properties. I used lemongrass.

I simply melted down the beeswax (use a double boiler if you have one) and added the coconut oil. Next I added the arrowroot powder and cornstarch. Finally, I added the essential oils and transferred it to my jars. I believe this mixture made about 12oz. This should last quite some time. I use small plastic jars to put my deodorant in and I rub it on my armpit with my finger but you can always use an old antiperspirant bottle or purchase deodorant jars from here if you'd prefer.

I used beeswax for firmness since coconut oil melts at 76 degrees. Beeswax melts at around 86 degrees. I used a half mix of arrowroot and cornstarch but you could simply use 1 cup of arrowroot or 1 cup of cornstarch . I only mixed the two because I ran out of arrowroot powder. Also I can not tell you how much I love the lemongrass scent. It leaves me smelling so fresh and clean. I have used this for a little under 2 weeks now and I have not had to reapply it throughout the day. I even used the Stairmaster for 25 minutes and my deodorant was still hard at work. I am so pleased!

My First Attempt: All Natural Deodorant

For the first installment in the "all things natural" addition to the blog I have tackled...well attempted to tackle a homeade deodorant. Why deodorant? First of all I have always had problems wearing "deodorant". No matter what brand I use whether it happens in a few weeks or a few months of purchase I eventually break out and itch really bad. It is unfortunately something I have come to get used to. Sad huh? Well typically when we purchase "deodorant" from our local stores we are not only buying and using deodorant we are also getting antiperspirant. This leads to the second reason I decided to make my own deodorant.
The problem with antiperspirants is that as the name suggests it keeps you from perspiring. God in his infinite wisdom designed our bodies to rid itself of toxins through perspiration. The main areas our bodies use to eliminate toxins are behind the knees, behind the ears, groin area and our armpits.
When we use antiperspirants we are inhibiting our bodies from eliminating these toxins which in turn causes the body to deposit them into lymph nodes. Eventually all these toxins build up and cause cell mutation. This is also known as Cancer.
Now before I continue, allow me to say that there are reports that will conflict with the information I have shared and it is within your right to do what you will with this information. I am sharing why I am choosing not to use antiperspirants anymore.


So what did I do next? I searched for a some all natural deodorant recipes and found two that I was interested in trying. I will post the ingredients to both recipes below. I will say that I planned to be very detailed with you guys and do daily checks and log every detail. Well that never happened. It's ok though. I am still sharing the results with you guys even if it is months later. Lol.
I started out using one deodorant on my right armpit and the other on my left armpit. A few hours later the first one had checked out for the day. LOL. The second deodorant lasted several hours but not to my satisfaction. I plan to tweak the second recipe and try it again and I will do a better job and bringing you in in the whole process this time. Unfortunately I am using antiperspirant again until I find a recipe that works well but I have to tell you typing all this up has really motivated me to stop using the stuff once and for all.

Deodorant 1(the one that quit after 2 hours)

1 Tbsp Arrowroot Powder (This can be substituted for Corn Starch)
1 Tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp Coconut oil
1 Tbsp Shea Butter
1 Tbsp of Cocoa Butter
2 drops of Peppermint Oil
2 drops Tea Tree Oil
2 drops of Lime Essential Oil

In hindsight I would do a few things differently with this recipe. For starters I would eliminate the Cocoa Butter altogether. I hate the smell and the recipe just seems to contain too much butter. I would also probably double the amount of baking soda I used. Baking soda is a great deodorizing agent, but it can cause also cause irritation if you use too much. This is why I was conservative in my use of it. Lastly, the Lime Oil was purely for fragrance and let me just say that it did not go over well with the scent of the Cocoa Butter.

Deodorant 2

4 Tsp Coconut oil
1 Tbsp Shea Butter
1/4 cup Arrowroot powder
3 drops Tea Tree Oil
3 drops Peppermint Oil

I'm not entirely sure just yet what I would do to tweak this one. We'll see. I plan to do a "second attempt" within the next week or so.


Additional info: I have edited this post to add a bit of info that might be helpful in case any should try to make your own all natural deodorant. It is important to understand that if you do make a true deodorant (not antiperspirant) you WILL still sweat. The purpose of the deodorant is to eliminate any foul or offensive odor. I realize that this a new concept for most of us and everyone will not like this. I'm finding that when you choose to embrace things that are natural versus chemical laden you will have to adjust your expectation a bit. The health benefits in this and many other cases far outweigh the small inconveniences.