Yesterday I tried out my first homemade deodorant recipe. I have tried many natural deodorant brands but they ALL irritate my skin. Why am I trying to do the natural thing with deodorant, you ask?
I think my overall urgency to do so is best summarized by this article from Time Magazine, 5 Things Wrong With Your Deodorant.
Simply put, the ingredients in antiperspirant are harmful. I would like to not use them, but haven’t found a good alternative…
Until now.
The homemade deodorant recipe
A fellow natural nurse recommended it to me from an outstanding book, the Smart Mom’s Guide to Essential Oils: Natural Solutions for a Healthier Family, Toxin-Free Home, and Happier You.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
- 5 drops melaleuca essential oil (also known as tea tree oil)
- 5 drops lavender essential oil (also known as my husband’s new favorite thing)
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
- Makes approximately 4 oz
Directions
Mix the baking soda and arrowroot powder in a small bowl. Add your essential oils. Mix 1 tablespoon at a time of coconut oil. Spoon into desired contained, or pack into an empty deodorant container. Use once completely solidified.
(I made mine before bed and used it first thing in the morning, although I checked it before bed and it was pretty firm after only an hour.)
What it looks like
How much you need
Barely any, similar to regular deodorant. You can kind of see my finger marks in it – I used enough to put a thin coat on my underarms. I predict this will last about as long as a normal stick of deodorant, but potentially longer. It looks like it’s measuring about 4 oz, when you see below it fills an 8oz plastic yogurt container approximately half way. A standard stick of deodorant is approximately 2 oz.
It made approximately 4 oz. You can see it fills the 8oz plastic yogurt container approximately halfway.
My thoughts
I’ve only used it for a day or so but I like it. Not sticky, doesn’t irritate my skin, has a nice light fragrance due to the oils. I just did the sniff test 8 hours after applying and it still smells nice. Keep in mind, I’ve been working on blog posts all day online, so I haven’t been running around sweating or working out. I will post an update once I’ve used it longer and also worked out while wearing it. Keep in mind, I don’t sweat profusely. I think I sweat slightly less than typically, but not completely sure.
Cost breakdown
- Baking soda – $0.98/package from Aldi
- 16 oz
- $0.07 for this recipe
- Arrowroot powder – $5
- 16 oz
- $0.35 for this recipe
- Please note, it is much cheaper to buy this in a bulk bag than what’s pictured above – I just happened to already have this one which is much more expensive
- Melaleuca essential oil
- 250 drops in a 15ml bottle
- $0.50 for this recipe, retail
- $0.38 for this recipe, wholesale
- Lavender essential oil
- 250 drops in a 15ml bottle
- $0.56 for this recipe, retail
- $0.42 for this recipe, wholesale
- Extra virgin coconut oil – $14 from Amazon
- 1 pint
- $1.75 for this recipe
- Please note, you probably could find this cheaper
Yes. You read that correctly. Less than $3.25 – and that’s a high cost estimate honestly.
It’s hard for me estimate how long these ingredients will last.
The most expensive aspects, the oils – if only used for this recipe would last for 50 batches (one 15ml bottle contains approximately 250 drops, and at 5 drops each… one bottle would cover 50 batches).
Final thoughts on the recipe
I am loving it so far. The cost is swoon-worthy alone, but it also feels good on my skin. I also like that it’s only a few basic ingredients and does not contain anything of the harmful ingredients in the typical antiperspirants.
I will post an update after more time trying out the recipe – stay tuned!
A note about buying essential oils
You can purchase oils at a variety of places (health food stores, online) and there are many brands. Whatever brand you use, make sure the label says it’s 100% of said oil, includes the botanical name as well so you know exactly which plant the oil has come from (for example, my Peppermint is Mentha piperita), and you know that the company who makes the oil has a method of quality control.
Please note, I am not a certified aromatherapist and do not use or educate on oils clinically. I use them casually by diffusing aromatically, use only a few topically with a carrier oil/diluted, or diluted to clean my home.
You can get them on Amazon, from a friend who is a Wellness Advocate, or from my links below. I am not someone who is brand-blind and only sees the good things of my choice brand and the bad of others. I love using oils in my life and sharing them. If you’re not feeling the brand I use but want to explore others, let me know. I’d be more than happy to help because I believe they are just that great. I also know a few certified aromatherapists if you’re interested in using them in a clinical capacity.
Update!
I’ve officially be using this for 3.5 weeks! I’ve worked out in it, worked a 12 hour shift, and lived my normal mom life in it.
My thoughts are that I still love it… so much so I’ve already made 2 more batches to have on hand! My underarm skin is much smoother. I used to get a lot of razor irritation, but just sort of got used to it. Something about this has made that skin much smoother and removed all of the irritation.
One thing it does not do is prevent wetness, however because that is what an antiperspirant does… which are the ingredients I’m trying to avoid. So, you get the nice scent, but it’s not going to prevent you from perspiring.
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