I've been making and using homemade deodorant for well over a year now, and was an instant convert to this DIY method after realising it actually works! Using comercial deodrants/antiperspirants had become a bit of a worry... applying harmful chemicals to a very porous area of my body... not a wise choice.
So, after a little bit of research into homemade alternatives, I was able to develop a formula based on others that I'm very happy with. Many deodorant recipes contain baking soda, and most people don't have a problem with it, but I found it caused stinging for me so I replaced it with arrowroot powder and diatomaceous earth. Everything organic of course (since the point of DIY is to avoid chemicals!)
Arrowroot is not so well-known but you'd be surprised how many supermarkets and even smaller shops stock it. Have a look and you'll likely find it without a trip to a specialist store. It's a starch from the rhizomes of several tropical plants, and has many health benefits, including healing wounds and drawing toxins out of your body... making it a great ingredient choice for deodorant. (It's also a wonderful alternative to corn starch and thickens things with a clear rather than cloudy appearance... popular in the Paleo diet).
Diatomaceous earth is also a wonderful substance. It's a naturally occurring soft siliceous sedimentary rock, and is used for so many different things... from deterring slugs on your plants, to removing internal parasites from bodies, to toothpaste, to polishing metal. A very valuable substance to have in your house! It has odor eliminating properties, is almost perfectly pH neutral, and is very gentle on the skin. Both arrowroot and DE control odor very effectively, yet don't clog the pores so your armpits can breathe and toxins can escape. Phew!
One final thing before the recipe - a very interesting thing I noticed was after I became vegetarian, I noticed that I sweated MUCH LESS, and my sweat was LESS SMELLY. Interesting. Anyone else notice the same I wonder?
Ingredients:
15g coconut oil
15g cocoa butter
10g beeswax
20g shea butter
15 drops vitamin E oil
25 drops essential oil (I like tea tree for this but use what you like)
20g arrowroot powder
30g diatomaceous earth (food grade)
Method:
You can simply put the mixture into any jar or tub and apply it with your fingers like many people do, but I like to put mine into a deodorant stick. If you choose to do the same just buy a stick deodorant and discard the commercial concoction of crap inside it, and give the whole thing a really good wash in soapy water!
Using a double-boiler method, melt the coconut oil, cocoa butter, shea butter and beeswax together on low-medium heat.
Add the vitamin E oil and choice of essential oil.
Add the arrowroot powder and diatomaceous earth and blend until you have a mixture similar to cookie dough.
Before filling the deodorant container, smear a thin layer of oil (coconut, olive, avocado etc) around the inside to help it slide up easily once hardened. Using your fingers, scoop the mixture and press fairly firmly into the deodorant container. Set aside to harden - no need for refrigeration unless you live in a particularly warm climate.
Smooth the top of the deodorant with a damp finger to make it look nice and neat. All done! Now you can enjoy armpits that can breathe!
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Many thanks.
All photos in this post are my own original, taken with my Fujifilm Finepix S8200.
