My husband and I have recently taken the plunge to begin to de-chem our home, starting with the products we use on our bodies. It’s going to be a long slow learning curve for both of us, but we think that overall it will be healthier and more sustainable.
We began with homemade deodorant. No chemicals, no frills and extras.
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You see, deodorant and antiperspirant that we commonly bought at the store uses aluminum as the main ingredient, essentially blocking your sweat glands with metal to prevent you from sweating. That’s horrible, right?! We’re done with that. We know you can buy 2 or 3 different aluminium free deodorants in stores these days, but c’mon, there SO expensive! Whoever came up with the idea to charge people more for using fewer and cleaner ingredients is both genius and evil. So we decided to make our own.
My husband is a welder who works in extremely hot environments every day. I’m telling you this so you know I’m serious when I say he sweats a lot while he’s working. But the deodorant works! He comes home still smelling like a piña colada (you’ll see why momentarily)!
Recipe for Homemade Deodorant.
Other recipes call for different ratios and they have different consistencies, but we made deodorant this way:
- 1/2 cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup corn starch or arrowroot powder
- 5-6 tbsp organic unrefined coconut oil (warmed to liquid)
- ~20 drops essential oil (I used citrus scents)
Mix it and put it in an easily accessible container of choice. We used an empty glass baker’s yeast jar because were not as bourgeoisie as Pinterest would like us to be. It works. Also now you can see why with the coconut and citrus together, my husband smells like a piña colada!
To use, scoop a little bit our on your fingers and massage gently I to your armpits. If you’d rather not use your fingers, I have used a small wooden spoon or a wide “popsicle” craft stick. You can also use more baking soda and corn starch so it has a thicker consistency, pour into an old empty deodorant applicator, and allow to cool into shape.
And there you have it! Your first quick, cheap, easy to make, easy to use, chemical free, homemade deodorant!
Also check out our recipe for homemade all natural toothpaste!