If you’ve ever gotten into making your own beauty products before, then you know how addicting it can be. One area that I hadn’t gotten to try yet (but was so curious to see if I liked), was making my own deodorant. If you’ve been trying to switch your body care products to more natural options, then you probably already know about some of the toxins that can be found in many of the antiperspirant and regular deodorants on the market (like aluminum, parabens (preservatives), and questionable chemicals labeled as “fragrance” to name a few). One thing that I like about the more natural DIY versions out there (as well as the one that I use), is that you probably already have most of the ingredients that you need to make your own version at home! And since you are making your deodorant from scratch, you can also customize the scent combination and strength as well.
Natural Deodorant DIY
Recipe slightly adapted from Wellness Mama’s Natural Deodorant
3 tablespoons of coconut oil
3 tablespoons baking soda
2 tablespoons Shea butter
2 tablespoons cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
6 drops of lavender essential oil*
2 drops of absolute vanilla oil*
container for deodorant (either a push-up stick or a jar)
*You can use whatever essential oil you like, but this is the combo I love.
Measure out your ingredients into a glass mason jar and loosely place the lid on the top. Add 4-5” of water into a pot and bring the water to a low boil. Reduce the heat to medium, and place your glass jar into the pot. Allow the warm water to melt the ingredients together (you can give the jar a swirl to mix every minute or two).
Once your concoction is liquid, let it cool a little, and then pour it into either a jar or push-up deodorant stick for use. Since coconut oil has a melting point of 76 degrees, your deodorant will be more solid below that temperature and more of a lotion if it’s warmer. So, how cool you keep your house may determine if you want to use a jar or the stick for your container (you can use either your fingers to apply out of the jar or I’ve also seen people use little spreader sticks to apply).
I was a little skeptical about making this category of product myself, but you know what? I really love it. The smell is great, and it works just as well as the other deodorants I’d been buying, but I can feel really good about what went into making it (my husband really likes it too!). Since it is an oil base, I usually apply it a few minutes before getting dressed so it has time to soak into my skin and I don’t get excess on clothes (kind of the same way you would if you use coconut oil as a lotion). As with all skin products, go easy on the amount you use until you know that it doesn’t react badly with your skin type. I love seeing all the homemade beauty products taking over my bathroom sink, and I can’t wait to find more options I love! xo. Laura
Credits//Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.
/>Credits // Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman. Photos edited with
36 Comments
I love the blue water color towel you used to style these photos! Could you point me in the direction of where it came from? Thanks!
I have tried so many different natural deodorants and rarely found one that works for me long term. This ingredient combination sounds like the best mixture so far and I cannot wait to try making this myself!
And Ditto to what Cait said: thank you for sharing so many wonderful natural based body product projects!
Oooh I did a review of natural deodorants http://bit.ly/1UFUOzy and it can be hard to find a good one. I’ll have to try making one!
Kisses,
Sarah
EverydayStarlet
Just great! I’ll be trying this. I’ve had hard time to find a good natural deodorant! Thanks for sharing!
Vivi / http://www.avecvivi.com
Which natural deodorants have you bought and liked? I am trying to go more natural and cruelty free and am very skeptical about deoderant
I just discovered Schmidt’s deodorant and am in love with it! It works really well and actually lasts all day. The scent I have now is lavender sage.
This is almost the same recipe I use and I love it! Better than all the natural brands I have tried. One trick I did steal from another brand, though, was to use peppermint oil instead of lavender…sounds weird as a deodorant scent but the cooling properties of peppermint are really useful in this application 🙂 Love all the natural beauty posts!
My husband, I’ve discovered, is terribly allergic to the deodorant that he’s been using for years! He just thought that everyone’s armpits were red and itchy all the time. No, babe. No…
But he’s hesitant to give up his “manly smelling” deodorant for all the natural types that I’ve found.
What kinds of oil might you suggest for a good masculine scent??
I second the vote for Schmidt’s. It’s by far the most effective natural deodorant I have used. I get the kind in the small jar that requires you to apply with your fingers, but they also sell it in a stick form now.
Adding a bit of beeswax will help make it more solid. Same ingredients that i use, except to make it more potent, add tea tree oil as well…
I guess if you wanted it to stay solid you could leave it in the fridge — and applying it would REALLY wake you up in the morning. Ha!
This is so cool! I think I’ll have to try this for health reasons http://www.hannamarielei.com
I’ve made a similar recipe – and I love it! Works great for sweat and smell. Anti-persperant actually makes me smell worse, but it is so hard to find deodorant only, and the few natural brands I tried didn’t work very well (or I didn’t like the texture).
I do keep mine in the fridge (the coolness actually feels nice), which is fine at home, but that does make it difficult when traveling, so I’d like to figure out a recipe that can stay solid at a higher temperature.
I have had some irritation from the baking soda. If I don’t over-apply, or wash between applications (if I reapply), that does helps with the irritation.
And the smell is great, even if you don’t add essential oil – but it is nice to be able to customize it!
I’ve got a friend who would love this! She’s so obsessed with doing all her products by herself…. I’m sharing this with her!
Check out my latest shooting and get inspired on how to wear white at the office. I hope you like it 🙂
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Thanks!! MG
This is great thank you! I remember watching a old Tanya Burr video and she was explaining some of the harmful chemicals in some deodorants which have links to cancer! x
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I’ve been through several recipes for natural deodorant, so I’m throwing out this warning for other readers….BEWARE THE BAKING SODA! I got the most awful painful rash from it, I even tried lessening the amounts in recipes and still ended up in pain.
I did a lot of research about it and there’s so much mis-information out there. Several people even go so far as to say that you should power through the rash. I finally landed on a recipe that replaced the baking soda with diatomaceous earth and I’ve been rash-free ever since. Pay attention to your bodies, people!
This is a very common problem with baking soda, apparently: http://www.lisaliseblog.com/2012/03/no-sweat-about-baking-soda-deodorant.html
Baking soda has a much higher pH than human skin does, so it’s not the best ingredient for a product you leave on your skin. When I was younger, I switched to using bs for my hair washing for a few months, before realizing that it causes breakage and disturbs the skin mantle there, as well. Baking soda is a safe solution for scouring the shower, however. 🙂
This recipe has inspired me to make a deodorant bar, though! I’ll just leave out the bs. 😛
I was scrolling down to comment about exactly this! The monstrous baking soda rash struggle is real people! How is the diatomaceous earth working for you?
I have been wanting natural deodorants but they never seem to do the job for me.
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I had the same problem! Loved the stuff and then after a month got the most painful rash. Took the baking soda out of the recipe and then it just didn’t work that well anymore. Back to regular deodorant for me. The amount of aluminum in it isn’t enough to kill you in our lifetime anyway.
It’s working really well so far! I use a combo of diatomaceous earth, kaolin clay, and a bit of arrowroot powder to replace the baking soda. I’ve found that what really makes the difference in homemade deodorant is the blend of essential oils you use.
I’ve found that a blend of diatomaceous earth, kaolin clay, and arrowroot seems to do the trick for replacing baking soda. As far as effectiveness goes, I noticed the biggest difference after I found an essential oil that works well with my body. I’m planning on sticking with the natural stuff because weirdly enough, I sweat significantly less using it than I did using even the prescription strength antiperspirants!
I’m really into natural skincare, and I’m considering starting to make my own skincare products. So thanks for this great DIY!
xx
Renaud | http://xxmuchlove.blogspot.com
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I really love learning about different DIY options. I’ve tried a DIY deodorant recipe in the past, but it didn’t impress me much. This one looks much better.
I believe they were from Anthropologie 🙂
Laura
Yay! Glad you already love this sort of thing! And thanks for the tips!
Laura 🙂
So glad you are enjoying the posts! Hope this recipe works for you!
Laura
Oh nice, good tip!
Laura 🙂
Hmm, that’s a good question. Some guys like the tobacco smell of vetiver oil but my husband isn’t one of them. I would take him to a place that sells oils and just let him find one he likes. I thought my combo might smell too “feminine” for my husband but he actually really likes it for himself 🙂
Laura
Good tip on the beeswax! I’ll have to try that next time…
Laura
It’s true! I did think about that 🙂
Laura
Yay! Glad you found one you like! And I think the keeping it in the fridge is totally fine too 🙂
Laura
Yes, every body is different so make sure that it works for your body chemistry! I haven’t had any rash problem with mine
Laura 🙂
Thanks for the tips…
As much as I love the idea of natural deodorant, none of them actually make a difference for me. Especially during the summer months, my sweat is out of control. I’ve always had issues with over-sweating my entire life. A few months ago I read an article about different deodorants and junglejuice was listed on there. I was hesitant to stray away from the norm but I knew I needed a deodorant with an extra kick to it. I’ll tell you this stuff is amazing. It stays on even after my outdoor workouts in the summer heat! Now I can work all day and then run to happy hour with the girls without feeling self-conscious the entire time. It’s worth a look into for sure: https://www.junglemannaturals.com