Thursday

Homemade Deodorant

Okay, before you think, "Wow! Becky's really gone off the deep end. Now she's making her own deodorant!" Let me explain. :)

You've probably heard about the concerns of aluminum and such in storebought antipersperants. And if you want to read a great post about that, go here

I think there is some validity to the concern about store-bought antiperspirants and it isn't that expensive to make my own. Besides, my cousin has tried the natural stuff from the store and she said it didn't work that great.  Bummer! I figured making my own would be a cheaper way to try a natural option.

Making your own deodorant is actually very easy. I like how Katie at Kitchen Stewardship talks about making baby steps towards better health. Let me share my baby steps with you towards making my own deodorant.

Becky's Baby Steps:

1) I first read about the idea here. Saved the link under my Outlook "To-do" list and left it there for about 3 months. :)

2) Then I read about the idea here.

3) At this point thought, "Hmmm...I really should give this a try." Printed the recipe out and put it on my counter.

4) I let the recipe sit on the counter for a few days.

5) I finally decided to make it.

6) I felt good about making steps towards better choices for my health.

7) I successfully began living life without stinking :) (Not that I was smelling bad before...)

There you go. Not too hard, huh?

But maybe you're wondering if I've really put this homemade stuff to the test. I mean, how hard of a sweat can you work up being a Stay-At-Home-Mom? (Well, actually, quite a bit...) :)

The real test came though when I went to Physical Fitness Boot Camp at my church. (Honestly, I was kind of nervous to see if it really worked.) But, after an hour long work out, I was pretty sure I didn't stink.  But just to be sure, (and much to my family's dismay hee, hee!) I made them smell my armpits (!) to see what the verdict was. They all said they didn't smell anything! Ahhhh, good!! I guess I can continue on in life wearing my homemade deodorant. :)

If you are really nervous about wearing it when working out, then I guess you could switch to the store-bought stuff temporarily.

Honestly, I pretty much forget that I'm wearing the homemade stuff (unless I sit down to blog about it of course.) Sometimes I notice a wet feeling in my arm pits, but it's not too bad. (I really can't believe I'm telling you this, but I want you to have the facts.) :) I definitely have not noticed an obnoxious smell eminating from that area either so I guess I'm good to go!

Wanna take the plunge and make your own? Here's what you do:

Mix 8 Tbsp (or more) Coconut oil, 1/4 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup arrowroot powder in a dish. I also added a couple drops of Lavendar and Tea Tree Essential Oils. Both of these have anti-fungal properties, plus they smell nice!

If you're looking for a video tutorial, check out Lindsay from Passionate Homemaking's post here.

You can just stir the ingredients together by hand, but I found it easier to slightly heat the combined ingredients a tad in my toaster oven and then I combined the ingredients with a hand mixer.



After it was well mixed, I used an empty deodorant container and refilled it with my homemade recipe. Makes about about 1 cup.


     


So, why am I blogging about making my own deodorant? Because honestly, it's something I've wondered about for years---is it really a good idea to use antipersperants??--and I never knew I could make my own deodorant until recently. I figured there might be other readers who didn't know you can make your own and that you might want to give it a try as well. Let me know if you do! :)


Be sure to read some of my other posts about natural options:
Veggie Wash

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to sign up for e-mails so you don't miss a post! Have a blessed day!

4 comments:

kelly said...

i'm interested to know if the baking soda will irritate your skin after a while- i started making my own deos a year ago- one with b.s., one without. the b.s. one was far more affective, but i definitely had a reaction to it.

Tattin' Kat said...

This made me laugh. I was picturing your family checking out to see if you smelled. Thanks for the info and thanks for the laugh!!

Mindy @ The Purposed Heart said...

We love making/using homemade deodorant too! The recipe that I use is slightly different than what you use - it includes beeswax and castor oil which make it go on pretty smoothly. It's great! We use the same essential oils that you do, and it smells wonderful. :-) I've heard mixed reviews about the effectiveness of homemade deodorant, but it actually works much better for me than any store bought I've ever tried!

becky@purposefulhomemaking.com said...

Kelly, Thankfully it never did irritate my skin. Although I have to admit when it ran out, I didn't make a new batch. :( Partly b/c of the motivation to do it, but also I found that it got soft in the bathroom (I've heard you can leave it in the fridge, but my luck I'd forget to put it on!) :)
Mindy, I owuld love to see your recipe--you don't have to keep it in the fridge though, do you? lol? I'm guessing not w/the beeswax. If this doesn't work, my friend gave me this link and has had success with it. I keep meaning to try it! http://www.amazon.com/Adidas-Cotton-Aluminium-Deodorant-Lightness/dp/B0015HPTTE

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