I Tried It: Making My Own Deodorant
How are you liking this new “I Tried It” series? So far, I’m really loving the change. I feel like it’s giving me an outlet to talk about lifestyle-based topics that have been on my mind for a while. That said, I’d love to know what you think? Leave a comment, if you’d like.
The last time I posted, I shared my experience doing a Skin Cleanse (the good, and the frustrating), and this week I’d like to chat about homemade deodorant. Going non-toxic with deodorant is something that seems to throw a lot of us for a loop when we’re trying to clean up our personal care products. I’ve never been one to use aluminum-based antiperspirant, after years of my dad drilling it into my head that “you need to sweat!” (he’s right). But I did used to buy those artificial, floral-smelling deodorant gels and slather them on every morning, and again before workouts.
When I discovered the EWG database and realized what I was coating my underarms with on the regular, I immediately started researching homemade deodorant recipes. There are lots of variations out there, and you can scent them with whatever essential oils you like, but I’ve been using the same, super basic 4-ingredient recipe for the last handful of years with excellent results:
1 part organic unrefined coconut oil
1 part arrowroot powder
1 part baking soda
a few drops of essential oil (usually peppermint)
I do a quarter cup each of the dry ingredients, mix it into a thick paste, and store it in a small glass container in my bathroom (you can use a mason jar, recycled jar—anything that’s clean and has a lid). If it’s summer and the coconut oil isn’t solid, I’ll sometimes add a bit more arrowroot powder to make sure it doesn’t feel oily when I apply it. And in winter, I’ll warm a pea-sized amount in my hands to help melt the oil before I use it.
This formula is easy, cheap, non-irritating (at least for me, and I have very sensitive skin), it doesn’t leave a weird residue on my clothes, and surprisingly—it actually works better than any other deodorant brand I’ve used in the past. The coconut oil is moisturizing and anti-microbial, the arrowroot powder keeps me dry, and the baking soda absorbs any odor. It even works for Aaron, who gets pretty stinky when he sweats. (He’s going to love me for putting that out there, ha!) When we first switched to natural deodorant brands, I used to regularly ask him “Are you sure you put deodorant on today?” and he would always respond that he had, it was just that the store-bought stuff would wear off by lunchtime. With my homemade deodorant recipe, that’s never the case. If he’s stinky, it’s because he really did forget to put on deodorant. 😉
P.S. You can find my previous “I Tried It” posts here.
(Top photo via Alexa Mazzarello.)
