All Roads Lead to the Pits : Homemade Deodorant

crunched by Crunchy Betty on September 7, 2010
filed under Home Remedies, Skin

Where am I going to put this?

Have you ever noticed how the universe sometimes really wants you to go down a certain path? Everywhere you turn, there are reminders of a track you almost chose, still have the opportunity to choose, but are resistant for reasons even you can’t understand?

Maybe it’s fate.

Maybe it’s destiny.

Maybe it’s your overactive imagination.

But, either way, there’s something that just keeps nudging you – sometimes ever-so gently, sometimes with a loud bullhorn in your ear – down a certain road.

Today, all roads led to my armpits.

A while back, in 7 Important Natural Skincare Ingredients, I wrote that I would have to blog about homemade deodorant soon (see: I would actually have to TRY homemade deodorant soon). Since that time, my pits have become, well, itchy. Every day, itchy. Is it a psychosomatic reaction to the traditional deodorant I’ve been using? I don’t know. All I know is, they itch.

And then today came – today, when I was going to write a lighting rod post about products to help green your medicine cabinet (complete with a medicine cabinet makeover), I took some pictures of my medicine cabinet “before.” And then I looked at them. Here. What do you see wrong in this picture (besides the 700 contact cases – I don’t 350 pairs of eyes, really):

What is wrong with this picture?

That’s right. I have three (count them, three) different kinds of traditional deodorant, and one “natural” deodorant. I am ashamed. I am humbled. I am making my own deodorant.

Homemade Deodorant Recipe

There are about a thousand different homemade deodorant recipes to choose from. If you’re interested in scoping them out, here are some of the better ones I found:

Kitchen Stewardship wrote about her baby steps (which eventually became sort-of the recipe I’m using).Â This is a great blog for all kinds of nourishing and real foods ideas, as well.

This is the recipe I REALLY wanted to make, but thought I’d keep it simple (stupid) for this blog. It uses shea butter and cocoa butter – pure pitty heaven.

And this one from Eco Friendly Daily even uses beeswax. Hmm.

But today, we’re going to go super traditional and make the recipe that uses three ingredients (plus I added essential oils, because I could).

What You Need

1/4 c. baking soda
1/4 c. cornstarch or arrowroot powder
5 Tbsp. coconut oil
Essential oils (optional – I used 3 drops of ylang-ylang, 4 drops of sweet orange, and 2 drops of tea tree)

Mix everything together very well in a small container. As it’s really warm around these parts still, my coconut oil would not solidify, so I opted to just keep it all in a pretty glass jar (which you will see in a minute). However, I hear tell that this solidifies to the point where you can pack it in an old deodorant container and use it just like you normally do. I may try that, if things seem to get a little more solid soon.

Cabinet, after cleaning, and deodorant replacement.

Aren’t You Going To Stink?

Well, that’s the big question. I feel fairly confident I won’t, after reading so many other first-hand successful stories about this deodorant. But only time will tell.

I will report back in three weeks to let you know how it’s going/how it went and whether or not Fiance left me for a fresher-scented woman.

Of the many reasons I need to do this, finally, the biggest is this:

Traditional Deodorant is B-A-D

Almost all store-bought (non-organic/natural) deodorant has aluminum as a main ingredient. This is what acts as an antiperspirant (an effective one, sure, which is why I hesitated to try this for so long).

It also mimics estrogen in the body, which could really mess up your hormone levels. And it may be linked to breast cancer. And it’s linked to Alzheimer’s.

Um, no. Let’s be done with all that together, yeah?

As far as “greening” my bathroom, this is my final, and probably most important, step.

Are you brave enough to take it with me?

If so, I’d LOVE to hear from you – what your experiences are with homemade deodorant and whether or not you can learn to live with being a little more natural in the underarm areas.

Remember, like so many things, it takes some time for your body to adjust to the new, natural surroundings. I’m reminding you, as well as myself.

Like I said, I’m giving this a three-week, dedicated, hardcore trial before I examine whether or not it’s worth it. Do it with me. I can’t stand to obsessively (if somewhat discretely) sniff myself alone.

We’ll start a three-week pit-sniffing club.

TPS. The Pit Sniffers.

Who’s in?

Update!

The experiment is complete. You can read all my thoughts (and the thoughts of others) right here for the climactic conclusion. It’s titillating!

WHAT’S FRESH AT CRUNCHY BETTY’S NATURAL MARKET

See something you like on Crunchy Betty, but you don't want to make it yourself? Check out Crunchy Betty's Natural Market on Etsy to find all sorts of fresh and natural handmade skincare items.

Take a look at the popular LUCID Moisturizing Facial Oil - Blended with acneic and oily skin in mind! (Soaks into your skin and nourishes from the outside in)!

Crunchy Betty Natural Market's BEST seller!: Kokomo Cream Handmade Deodorant - a light, lime-and-coconut cream deodorant packed full of ingredients to keep you fresh and oh-so-soft.

Bythe12

My SIL bought me a jar of homemade deodorant with the baking soda, coconut oil & cornstarch. I loved it…except the red, irritated & sometimes itchy armpits. When I ran out of the homemade I went back to the store bought stuff & my pits sweat, which they never really did before, and I have pit odor issues. I plan to make more homemade deodorant this weekend and pitch the store bought junk!
Jill Hanna

I hate to tell you this, but baking soda is very high in aluminum, so you may not be avoiding it after all! Makes you re-think all the baked products we eat too doesn’t it?
- Lisarussell1984
  
  Baking soda does not have aluminum….baking powder does.
hd

Thank you so much for this! I have been using for 2 months and used less baking soda. It has been perfect! I shave less even and no irritation. No smellys either!
Lubu

This is the best!!! I added 20 drops of lavender, 20 of tea tree, and 5 of eucalyptus. I also added more cornstarch in an effort to make it more solid so I could pour it into an old deodorant container and use it like a solid deo. That didn’t happen in the Dallas summer heat, though!! I put it in the fridge and it did solidify, but I realized I liked using it in the liquid form instead! So I let it melt outside the fridge and poured it into a jar, and stick my finger in and get a pea sized amount and smear it on my armpits. Maybe that sounds gross but it is so silky smooth it feels great!! The scent is AMAZING! I can’t stop smelling my pit haha! I used to not like the coconut smell because it smelled like something I wanted to eat instead, but now I can only smell the lavender. I have used it outside in the summer heat and it keeps me dry and smelling good. It really does work!! And this is coming for a girl who used to SLATHER on commercial, aluminum filled deodorant!!

I did read the warnings of some peope having a bad reaction–when I was making it, I kept putting it on because I couldn’t wait to try it, and I put on too much and got a little irritation. So my advice is to not go overboard! You don’t need it! Also, if you put too much on it clumps…but that is easy to fix, you just wait till it dries and rub the excess off. Try this, you will be so happy you did!!!!!
Tanya

This deodorant recipe WORKS! I just returned from three weeks in Israel and the Jordanian desert hiking. Not a hint of odor. Thank you!!
Christina

Do I need to use essential oils? (I don’t have any, but I do have vanilla extract. Is that similar enough to use?)
suezque

Wow! This really works! After using a commercial aluminum-free deoderant for 6 weeks and, I might add, stinking all the while, I found this recipe. It works great. It works all day. It works in our 52 day streak of 90 degree weather this summer. And that’s sayin’ something!
MichiganJulie

Hi, CB! I am about to make a second batch of your original deodorant. It totally works, and has yet to fail me, even with all the sweltering weather summer gifted us with. Really love – thanks for sharing
Lisa (yrlocalmarkets)

Hi Betty,

I’ve only just recently started lurking around your site (all the way from Australia, it’s been a long-distance lurk!) and I’ve just set aside the seconds it took to whip up this deodorant. I’ve only just popped it on – however we’re heading into summer so I will let you know how the pit test goes from Sydney. So far so good though!

Thank you so much for your site: always gives me a good holler ‘n’ hoot. In a good way.

Lisa xx
Hanna

I found this recipe somewhere else and i have been using it for over a month, but it doesn’t work for the sweat part at all… It doesn’t stink but i sweat so much! When I have meetings or events I need to use another deodorant. Is it jsut me? Because it seems like everyone is raving about it and I understand that we are all different…
- http://www.facebook.com/debi.hansberry Debi Hansberry
  
  the deodorant is not an antiperspirant (ie it doesn’t keep you from sweating) as the article notes. it only keeps you from smelling when you sweat!
http://www.facebook.com/nikitableys Nikita Bleys Silva

Can use anything besides coconut oil? I don’t have any right now and I wanna try it. 8P
http://www.facebook.com/raynedjames Rayne James

Store bought deodorants always left me stinky; no matter which brand or what strength, the time of the year or how active (or inactive). My pits always, always had BO. I made a condensed version of this recipe (just the cornstarch and bs) and it is fantastic! I keep the mix in a small round container and apply using a powder puff while my skin is still damp from showering. Cannot see myself going back to store bought deodorant ever again thx so very much!!!
Merideth

So glad I ran across this recipe. I have been using it for 6 months now with great success. I used tea tree oil and lemon oil. I have tweaked the amounts (of oils) with each new batch to get it just right for me. I carried “emergency deodorant” in my purse for the first couple of months out of fear that my homemade stuff would fail me. I have never had a problem and don’t keep the back up anymore. I have considered trying some of the more complex recipes, but have been so pleased with this, I figure why change!
http://www.creativesimplelife.com/ Creative Simple Life

Thanks for the link to the Angry Chicken blog deodorant recipe. I made it and loved it!
http://www.facebook.com/debi.hansberry Debi Hansberry

I don’t really use deodorant at all anymore. I keep telling myself that I’ll make one but I just don’t use deodorant enough to justify using my nice coconut oil for it. I don’t find I get THAT smelly even in the summer, definitely not in the winter. at least I don’t think so…

One thing people should be clear on is that baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is naturally aluminum free. it’s baking powder that has aluminum in it, in which case you need to buy aluminum-free. But you don’t use baking powder in this or generally any cleaning or beauty recipe that I’ve seen — only when baking!
DarcySunshine

I made some of this lovely stuff today, and I was just wondering about how much i should use? As much as i can get to soak in or…?
JB

I have been using this concoction for many years, and have shared it with many. I wish I could remember who gave me the recipe so I could credit them! The biggest complaint is that “I still stink” or “I still sweat”, but those who hung in there ended up loving it. As for the stink, I believe your body does take a few weeks to adjust — as well as expel all the chemicals & junk from your pores (that’s my unscientific opinion). I was admittedly a little stinky in the beginning, but my body adjusted and well, I stank no more! As for the sweat, everyone is different. I sweat more with store-bought. I sweat FAR less with this stuff. I think it’s that my body is happy with the lack of chemicals so it isn’t working so hard to get it the heck out :) My husband is a baseball player and very sweaty under the pits and hasn’t gone so far as to entrust his pits to me (isn’t that what marriage is about?!), but he did take my advice and stop using his ultra-extra-hulk-strength deodorant for a few days in place of something simple like baby powder. He actually sweat SO much less, but the baby powder irritated his skin so he stopped. He won’t let me make him his own deodorant yet, but maybe if I make it smell like bacon….
For me, I only use 2-3 heaping tablespoons of the coconut oil. Any more, and it becomes a wet mess under my arms. Any less, it clumps.. as someone commented happened to them. I pour it into a cleaned-out deo container and stick it in the fridge for an hour or so to firm up. Then it’s usually fine sitting out, unless it’s warm. I keep it in the fridge in the summer.
Debbie

A doctor once told me that If you stink, you are lacking in zinc! So you might try using zinc to see if that helps. It helped me. I didn’t stink under my arms, but I wanted to amputate my feet! phew! Now, they don’t even stink. And, when I use deodorant, when I go to shower, it smells just like it did when I put it on.
Bellajabal

I use a very basic variation on this recipe, just coconut oil and some patchouli essential oil and it works perfectly, although I do smell like a bit of a 60′s hippy (yes I am old enough to remember the 60′s). Will try with a different essential oil.
http://www.facebook.com/mk.lizbeth.rollin Lizbeth Arreola Rollin

I only recently started making my own deodorant. I was also a mega Skeptic of B.O. So for the first couple weeks I did 1 armpit with commercial deodorant & the other with my homemade version to see how it compared. I loved it!! I didn’t stink from my homemade deodorant side as much as I had a “scent’ from the commercial. After about 3 weeks of experimenting & sniffing my commercial/homemade armpits. I was definitely SOLD!! I haven’t used commercial deodorant since December. Won’t go back either!!
f3mm3fatal

I have been using a similar recipe (1 less tbsp. coconut oil & 10-20 drops eo) for about a year that I discovered on a blog. I always had stinky pits, and the stronger the anti-persperant the worse my stink. I come from a family of sweaters & thought I’d have to bear the burden forever, but this homemade deodorant WORKS and has LITERALLY changed my life. I NEVER stink. Ever. It’s unreal. On hot days I can smell the baking soda & coconut working but never an unpleasant smell. It’s a pH thing- the baking soda makes your underarms unhospitable to odor-producing bacteria. I’ve taken to smelling the pits of my shirts before I toss them in the hamper, just to see if I can detect any odor (none to date), & singing “looove my deo, changed my liiiife…” while applying after showers.
Josie

I forget how I stumbled upon this site, but I am so glad that I did. I purchased this deodorant a couple months ago, and I am officially converted from the commercial stuff. I love that the product arrived in a reusable jar and included instructions to make it myself. Since I am totally addicted to this deodorant, I have ordered the ingredients to make my own “refill.” Thank you so much!
http://www.facebook.com/canucksgurl16 Dawn Bogle

I made a batch (thank u for the recipe :)!) and put some of it in an old deodorant container, nto the fridge and to harden faster and when I went to take it out had “melted” through or something. Anyone else experience this. I live in Vancouver, BC. Weather is always comfortable here.