Homemade Deodorant

Please consider this a TMI alert. Okay, I have sensitive underarms. So sensitive in fact, that every few months I have an allergic reaction to deodorants/antiperspirants. This results in itching, bumpy skin and hyper-pigmentation. Not a good look. Especially if it happens during the summer months when going sleeveless and shaving are requisite in the hot south.

When I had my last allergic reaction I went to my favorite source for information. I bet you are thinking Google, good guess. Actually, I asked my friends on twitter for recommendations. I received all sorts of suggestions - crystals deodorant, Tom's of Maine, Dove sensitive skin. Nothing new there so I was going to go back to my old standby crystal deodorant until @PVATL suggested homemade deodorant and linked to the Angry Chicken blog and recipe.

I was immediately intrigued. I have used plain baking soda for deodorant in a pinch, but this recipe called for the addition of shea and cocoa butter which both sooth and help the deodorant adhere to the underarms. Add some essential oils and everything is set! I needed to take things up a notch because deodorant is good but I also need an antiperspirant. I know that mainstream antiperspirants are not good for us but I sweat like a pig. There is no denying it, so I need something to cut down on the sweat.

At this point I did a Google search and found discovered that Sage is a natural antiperspirant. I ordered three essential oils - mandarin orange, vanilla and sage. I also placed an order for canning jars, shea butter and cocoa butter. I had corn starch and baking soda in my pantry and decided to leave out the vitamin E.

Once I had all of the ingredients I just melted the shea and cocoa butter, added the other ingredients, and the essential oils. I placed it all in the canning jar and let it cool in my refrigerator.

The outcome? Spectacular. My deodorant smells very similar to an orangesicle, remember that ice cream? And the scent is overpowering but it is nice to catch a whiff of it when I initially put it on. The deodorant is a cream that is reminiscent of Tussy - not sure if you are familiar with it but as a child Tussy was my first cream deodorant. The shea and cocoa butter harden at room tempurature so it is necessary to scoop a nickle size amount into your hand and rub until it melts. Once melted it spreads really nicely.

In use the deodorant lasts as long as most natural deodorants. I can generally go eight hours without reapplying. And I haven't had the deodorant completely fail on me so that is great. The only thing I need to figure out is a different container for the deodorant. It is too big for me to carry-on when I am traveling and since it is glass I don't want to pack it in my checked bags.

Overall, I am very happy with my deodorant and in the future will experiment with other scent combinations. Some people have even asked if I'd make a batch or two for gifts. I highly recommend natural deodorant, if you decide to make it let me know how you like it!

Recipe (reprinted from Angry Chicken)

3 Tablespoons shea butter
3 Tablespoons baking soda
2 Tablespoons corn starch
2 Tablespoons cocoa butter
2 vitamin E oil gel caps ( I didn't use this)
Essential Oil

Melt all the ingredients (except the oils) and gave it a good stir (about 30 seconds in the microwave). Then add the oils, stir again, and pour in jar.

Place in refrigerator to set.

This recipe filled a 1/4 pint jar.

ETA: One of my readers informed me that Vitamin E is a natural preservative and will help keep the Cocoa and Shea Butter from going rancid in the summer months. Good to know and I will add it to my next batch! Thanks FaithWithHeels!