It drives me crazy when we find that the things we once thought were so complicated are actually incredibly, insanely simple and that the truth of their simplicity is not common knowledge. This turned out to be the case for deodorant.
Most people who seek natural alternatives to their cosmetic supply have a problem when it comes to deodorants. All women’s deodorants are anti-perspirants, which contain high levels of aluminum, natural deodorants don’t work and make me itch and men’s deodorant, which I’d resorted to using for a while, is still full of chemicals and smells like, well, “antifreeze man”, for lack of a better description, and actually contains propylene glycol, which is, in fact, antifreeze. So there you go.
I started shunning women’s deodorant at summer camp when a hippie friend of mine (wise at her 14 years of ago) explained that it caused breast cancer. I don’t know why I was worried about breast cancer at the age of 14 (maybe it was my early naturopathic doctor self, shining through) but I got scared and starting using men’s deodorant, which, because it’s not an anti-perspirant, doesn’t contain aluminum zirconium. So, does anti-perspirant actually cause cancer? Studies are inconclusive, but we do know that it blocks lymph nodes, which are plentiful beneath our arms, and which contain the specific lymph nodes that drain the breast tissue and chest. Clogged lymph nodes are just bad news in general because our lymph nodes are responsible for clearing out the debris and toxins that our body is exposed to. Good health can only ever be attained when our lymphatic system is operating to its full potential.
After entering the world of natural health products, I started shelling out $8-$10 a tube for natural deodorant. It was an expensive experiment as I tried a grand total of 4 different brands, all to discover that, firstly, none of them worked, and secondly, some of them even gave me a weird allergic rash under my arms, which made me scratch myself like a gorilla throughout the day. Not exactly attractive.
So, my deodorant choices ultimately boiled down to: a) blocking the lymphatic drainage in my underarms, causing edema of my arms, aka “Bingo Wings“, or possibly increasing my risk of cancer b) forever living with allergic dermatitis like I’m back in my eczema-tainted childhood days, c) searching through the men’s deodorant section of the grocery store, trying to find the most “feminine”-scented anti-freeze available or, even, d) going “au naturale”, and thus, probably spending the rest of my life alone. What would you choose?
So I went back to smelling like Old Spice for a while. That is, until I found and developed this recipe for homemade deodorant. This recipe is so simple, so easy and so cheap to make that it irks me to the bone that making deodorant at home isn’t common practice. Our consumer-driven society dis-empowers us to the point where we can’t even take care of ourselves. We are forced to either apply toxic substances to our bodies or cough up huge amounts of cash for inferior “natural” products full of natural substitutes for the very chemicals we’re so certain are necessary. Can’t we do anything ourselves anymore? We had over our cash and our bodies so willingly we – alright, enough political banter; it’s time to take action!
Allow me to be the bearer of excellent news: you can create natural deodorant that smells great, contains no harmful chemicals and is made of only 3 ingredients, all of which can be found in your kitchen. You can even eat this deodorant, if you were so inclined. And it takes about 1 minute to make. Not kidding. Oh, and it works really well, too!
DIY Natural Edible Deodorant
You need:
A small mason jar or glass container (using an empty soap container or recycled cream jar works well too)
2 tbs baking soda
2 tbs arrowroot (or cornstarch)
2 tbs coconut oil
*This recipe makes about enough for one person to last them quite a while (about as long as a regular stick of deodorant would last you). If you are making multiple amounts of deodorant, you know, to share the lymph node-love and gift to all your family and friends, simply add more of all the base ingredients in a 1:1:1 ratio.
Optional:
A few drops (~10) of your favourite essential oil
1-2 probiotic capsules
Directions:
Soften coconut oil by putting it in the microwave for 10-20 seconds. Mix in the baking soda and arrowroot. Mix the three ingredients thoroughly and then scoop into the container of your choice.
Optional: Add in your essential oils. I used a little bit of vanilla extract, but I found that the coconut oil gives the recipe a delicious coconut scent already. For your male or sweat-prone loved ones, I would recommend adding in an antibacterial essential oil, such as peppermint, tea tree, sage, etc. You can also break open a capsule of a probiotic (1-2 capsules per batch of deo) to add in for extra bacteria-regulating power. Also, some people are sensitive to the baking soda. If so, just decrease the amount of baking soda and increase the arrowroot. Problem solved.
Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature. This takes about a day. If you’re in a rush you can just stick it in the fridge.
There. That’s it. To use, I just scrape a pea-sized amount with my fingers and apply it directly to my underarms. No itching, no lymph node clogging, no weird chemical-man scent, no anti-freeze. Just soft, healthy underarms that smell like coconut.
It should be enough to put Speedstick out of business.
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Never thought you could eat your own deodorant – learned something new today! Have a Great One:)
You sure can! I can’t guarantee it will taste as good as coconut macaroons, but it’s totally edible! (And really works).
Yep, it works like magic. Been making this exact recipe (1/4 cup coconut oil, 1/4 cup arrowroot, and 1/4 cup baking soda for a batch big enough for me and my man) for almost 2 years. I’ve even survived hot Toronto Summers using it!
…but I’ve never tasted it. Next time I make a fresh batch?
where do you buy your ingredients?
Hi there, I’ve bought raw shea butter, beeswax pellets and some essential oils from newdirectionsaromatics.ca The rest of the ingredients I got from my kitchen (coconut oil from Costco, the rest from the grocery store). Essential oils are available at most health food stores. Hope that helps!
Crazy! I’ve seen a few recipes on Wellnessmama.com and meghantelpnerblog.com that call for the same ingredients but in different amounts. It just seems simpler and easier to remember when they’re added in a 1:1:1 ratio and it works too. I also find for more sweaty individuals adding essential oils (I used lavender) is necessary and, for extra bacteria-regulating power, I open up a capsule of probiotic (after the mixture is cooled) and mix that in to each batch. Not exactly sure how it tastes… probably coconut-y and salty. yum…
Talia, great stuff here! I used a similar recipe a couple of years ago and got lazy and stopped. I use the natural deo now but hate paying for it. You’ve inspired me to make a batch.
BTW, I didn’t see a way to contact you via email – so – I’d like to post occasional articles of yours on my site from time to time with a link back to your original if that’s okay. Really enjoy your writing style and vision 🙂
Todd
Hi, Todd,
Great to meet you! I agree that natural deo can be a financial drag and, as I wrote in my post, I seem to get an allergic reaction to one of the ingredients in it so, it’s nice to have a cheap, easy option. Stay tuned for more natural body care recipes coming out soon. You’re more than welcome to post my articles! Your blog looks very interesting too, I’ll be checking it out more often! Thanks for the comment and the praise!
Thanks Talia!
Hi Talia,
Ooooh! I just found your blog! Love it!
I am 40 and have been using the store bought stuff since I was young…if I begin using a natural alternative, can I undo any harm I have caused or does this just help me to not further damage my body?
Sincerely,
Jackie
Hi, Jackie, nice to meet you! Our bodies are pretty adept at removing toxins, as long as we support our detox pathways (drinking lots of water, eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables) and reduce our exposure to toxins. While, I’m not sure what your individual toxic burden is, changing to natural body-care products can help reduce your exposure to environmental toxins and give your body a chance to cleanse itself! It’s a great start, but for a more thorough detoxification and assessment, I’d recommend seeing a naturopathic doctor, or other healthcare specialist. Thanks for the comment!
I just use almond oils and coconut oils for deodorant, since I have dry skin I have no other choice, also I get dry allergic cough if I use other deodorant products available in the market
I’m a sucker for a roll on. I wonder if adding a bit of beeswax could turn this into a stick deodorant for me.
Beeswax and/or shea butter should thicken it up so that it’s solid at room temp. I would go for the shea butter first.
Hi Talia,
I wanted to let you know that I made my first batch of homemade deodorant last month using your recipe and it works great! I think the added probiotics is a genius idea, really enhancing its effectiveness. I also added lavender essential oil and it smells so clean and fresh. I work busy 12 hour shifts as a nurse and this deodorant really does its job. Thank you for sharing!
Hi! Thanks so much for the comment! I’m glad that you experienced such great results with the deodorant!
Hey! This is a fantastic recipe. I used to make my deodorant with coconut oil and arm & hammer baking soda while I was lactating (I had major lymph node issues and clogged ducts at the time) and omg it gave me the worst rash under my arms! Do you have any advice for that (sorry for the tmi) because I’d love to use this instead of my Tom’s deodorant, but I want to make sure I won’t be in pain. Thank you so much!
Hi, Louise,
To decrease the possibility of getting a rash, reduce the amount of baking soda and increase the arrowroot powder. I would recommend leaving out any essential oils as well—they can irritate sensitive skin. Throwing in some vitamin E oil as a preservative, antioxidant and skin nutritive could help too. Let me know how that goes! Keep in mind that it takes a while to adjust to new deodorants and this may not keep sweating at bay, but will help neutralize odours.
Good luck and thanks for the comment!