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I made the switch to all-natural deodorant about a year and a half ago and I've never looked back. My thoughts are this: There have been conflicting studies as to whether commercial antiperspirants and deodorants can cause numerous negative side effects, the worst of these being cancer. However, I'm not about to wait until the “be all-end all” study comes out telling me whether putting a bunch of hard-to-pronounce chemicals on my pits is going to send me to an early grave. I'm just going to go ahead and go with the all-natural alternative now.
I have been a big fan of Primal Pit Paste and have used their product with tremendous success. Success defined by: I don't stink (that I know of – none of my friends/coworkers have run away yet), and my shirts don't get those nasty yellow stains on them.
But alas, being the DIY girl that I am, I decided to come up with my own version of deodorant that I can easily produce and even give as gifts if I so choose. (Friends and family, I am not gifting these to you because you stink.)
I have always gotten the Lavender scent from Primal Pit Paste, but I decided with my own homemade version to go with a wintry, warming scent. So I used two of my favorite scents, orange and clove. And let me tell you, it smells divine! I wish this video below could give you smell-o-vision too! It's not too overpowering, it's very subtle, and I've actually considered using it as a hand moisturizer too just so I can sniff it all day. Figure I might look a bit Mary Catherine Gallagher from Saturday Night Live if I keep putting my hands under my pits and then smelling them!
The entire process should take you about 15 minutes.
Watch this short how-to video or jump to the recipe below:
Orange & Clove Homemade Deodorant Recipe
Ingredients:
3 tbs Coconut Oil
2 tbs Shea Butter
3 tbs Baking Soda (optional, it can cause sensitivity in some people)
2 tbs Arrowroot Powder
5 drops Orange Essential Oil
5 drops Clove Essential Oil
(if wanting to make this a different scent use 5-10 drops of the oil of your choice)
Directions:
1. Place a small glass jar (I like to use a half-pint Ball Jar) in the middle of a small pot of water on the stove.
2. Bring the water to a simmer.
3. Add coconut oil and shea butter to the jar and let melt.
4. Turn off the heat, add baking soda and arrowroot powder and stir until completely smooth.
5. Mix in the essential oils and pour the mixture into a 4 oz (120 mL) jar. Let cool.
Note: This type of deodorant needs to be scooped out and massaged into your pits. I just scoop it out with my fingers, but you could also use a popsicle stick or spoon.
Also note: that if switching from a commercial deodorant/antiperspirant you may have an initial detox period where you stink and sweat a bit more than usual, but that typically goes away within a week or two and you'll notice you stink and sweat a lot less in general.
This post was shared on Designs by Miss Mandee's Create & Share DIY and Recipe Party # 37
Hi, thank you for sharing your recipe and tips. I’m curious to try this out. I was just wondering how this dates in the laundry – do you get grease/oil on your clothes and does it wash off ok? I’m a bit traumatised by almond oil ruined pregnancy clothes.
Thanks,
Patricia
Ugh, I had so many ruined pregnancy clothes too! So I’ve not noticed any issue with laundry and getting grease on anything. I HAVE noticed that white shirts get kind of yellow in the pits after years of use, but that happened whether I use my own deodorant or any other kind of natural one, so not sure if that’s just my own personal special issue or if that’s a thing with natural deodorants. But any other clothes haven’t had any issues.
I tried making my own because my boys wouldn’t wear anything besides old spice. It turns out good, but takes time and I had a hard time finding a “manly” scent. For anyone out there looking for an all natural men’s deodorant check out Uncle Jacks at http://allnaturalmensdeodorant.com
Great! Thanks for the tip on a place to get a good men’s one. Primal Pit Paste also makes one my husband really likes.
Hello Michele,
I just love making things instead of buying them especially with all the abundance of preservatives in everything. I have a question about the measurements for the deodorant recipe you have posted. There seems to be a discrepancy with the tablespoons equaling the grams you have posted. And just wanted to make sure…is tbs short form for tablespoon? I always thought it was Tbsp?? Just wanted to make sure it tablespoon and not a typo for tsp (teaspoon).
Thanks!
Thank you so much for sharing your great creations with the world!
Nicole Lalonde
Oh – I am going to take the grams out then. I can’t remember if I actually measured it out or just used an online resource to find equivalent measures so to be on the safe side I’ll take it out. I stopped doing equivalents because they never seem to be consistent! And yes, tbs is a common short form for tablespoon.
Okay excellent! Thank you for your feedback, just wanted to make sure I was on the right track before I got started 🙂
Hi thanks can I replaced the baking soda with magnesium hydroxide powder instead I don’t do well with baking soda too irritating thanks
I imagine you could – or you could just omit the baking soda as well.