Make Your Own Deodorant

Out of all of your daily hygiene products, deodorant is probably one you don’t think twice about. But what’s actually in deodorant? I was surprised. So I started making my own. After the recipe in this post I’ll tell you why you should make your own but chances are you are here for the recipe and not all of the words but if you’re interested, it’s here, just a little lower. Let’s get started!

*Substitutions: You can use Arrowroot Powder in place of Baking Soda. Baking Soda can irritate your skin. This substitution does still work for me, but I prefer Baking Soda because it is cheaper and I have it in my home regularly.

You can use any type of 'butter' in place of Shea Butter. I have used Mango and Cocoa Butter as well. Shea is my favorite in this recipe because of it's texture. Mango Butter is a little softer and Cocoa Butter has a stronger scent.

*Add ins: If you have sensitive skin you may want to consider adding 1-2 drops of Vitamin E oil into your mixture. 

If the texture is too soft, consider adding more cornstarch OR Bentonite Clay. I have made a few batches with Bentonite Clay and I love it! Plus it is versatile and I use it for many other things as well.

*Essential Oil Mixtures: My favorite so far has been Frankincense, Lavender and Lemon. For women's deodorant you may also consider Clary Sage, Geranium, Jasmine Absolute, Rose Absolute, Purify, OnGuard, anything that smells pleasant to you for your underarms!

For men, I love using Balance, Cedarwood, Arborvitae, Frankincense, Vetiver, any of the earthy/tree smelling oils. 

Remember though, it's not all about smell! Keep in mind the benefits that these essential oils can have! 

I like to make sure I have a deodorizing oil in mine, which is why I add in Lemon. Other oils I've used for this reason are Purify, OnGuard and Wild Orange. 

I use doTERRA Essential Oils. For more information about doTERRA or to purchase, please click here.

You can either use a double boiler, or if you’re like me and don’t have one of those, you can use a medium sized to large saucepan and a glass measuring cup. Your measuring cup needs to be able to fit inside your pan with some spare room for water. Make sure your glass measuring cup doesn’t have rubber or any other materials on it. They will melt in the sauce pan.

Fill your saucepan with about 1-2 inches of water, it really doesn’t take much, and bring water to a boil. Once your water is boiling put your Beeswax, Coconut Oil and Shea Butter into your measuring cup, then place your measuring cup in the sauce pan.

While that is heating up, I put the Baking Soda and Cornstarch in a bowl and mix it up to make sure there are no chunks. This step isn’t quite necessary, but it makes me feel better about the chunks so I do it. Feel free to do whatever your heart desires.

Stir your ingredients in your measuring cup every so often. It can take a few minutes but once everything is completely melted add your baking soda and cornstarch. Whisk until you get a smooth mixture. I like to take a spoon and get a small amount on it and let it cool. I want to make sure the consistency is right for me. I’ve made several batches of deodorant and sometimes it’s too hard and would not rub onto my skin correctly. That means I used too much beeswax and need to add more coconut oil or shea butter, or something else of your choice. Sometimes it’s too soft and oily which means I used too much coconut oil, so I would had more beeswax. Find what’s right for you. This recipe is what was right for me. If the consistency is what you like then take your measuring cup out of the pan and off of the heat. Add your essential oils, stir then pour into your containers.

I get my containers from AromaTools. This recipe fills two of these containers, which are about regular deodorant size. Don’t mind my goofy labels :)

Let this cool for 8-12 hours and it will be ready to go! I don’t recommend putting them in your fridge or freezer to cool off faster because then you’ll have to wait for them to go back to room temperature before you can use them.

Now here’s why I started making my own deodorant. Have you ever read the back of your deodorant? I hadn’t. And I wasn’t pleased. Here’s pictures of both my husband’s and my deodorant labels.

First of all, I’ve been trying to get rid of harsh chemicals and toxins in my home. Most cleaners were a no brainer, but who would have thought of your deodorant that way? Not I.

Second, what if someone has kidney disease? Are they not supposed to use deodorant? Why is something we use on a daily basis toxic to our health, specifically our kidneys? Third, look at all of those ingredients. Seriously, what the heck are most of those things? I know most of these things are cautionary or required to put on the label but all of that just didn’t sit well with me. So I went on the search. I found a few recipes, but I had to tweak and mess with all of them, and this is what I came up with and has been my favorite so far. Tell me what you think and let me know what your favorite homemade deodorant recipes are!

What other hygiene or beauty products do you make at home?