Homemade Deodorant

From my teenage years, I have combated excess sweat. I know, TMI... but I was that stinky teenager because of my lack of knowledge of good deodorant... I blame the Teen Spirt deodorant commercials.

When I was 17, a good friend of mine introduced me to a heavy duty antiperspirant and deodorant.

This roll-on and deodorant saved the rest of my teenage years. In the beginning I used these products every day. During my early 20's, I would use the antiperspirant occasionally and the deodorant everyday since my sweat wasn't as bad. 

My reason for trying out homemade deodorant was based on my curiosity of the chemistry behind deodorants and a personal challenge to match the effectiveness of my beloved heavy duty products.

I found a recipe that works! 

Ingredients:

-2 Ounces of Shea Butter

-2 Ounces of Coconut Oil

-2 Ounces of Baking Soda

-2 Ounces of Arrowroot Powder

-Several drops of lavender essential oil and orange essential oil

Instructions:

1. Melt the shea butter and coconut oil in a Mason Jar on the stove top in approximately 1 inch of water (mimics a double boiler)

2. Mix the baking soda with the arrowroot powder in a separate container

3. Mix the dry powder with the oil mixture in the Mason Jar

4. Turn off the heat and stir in the essential oils

5. Mix for about 2 minutes 

6. Pour the mixture in deodorant tubes or containers for long term storage

7. Place the tubes/containers in the refrigerator overnight

I used this concoction for a week straight and I have to say I'm impressed. I was worried about two things. The first concern, the coconut smell would be overwhelming. Don't get me wrong, I love coconut oil but the smell of coconut oil can take over all other scents. The second concern was that the oil from the coconut oil would stain my clothes. For the first concern, I realized that the scent from coconut oil comes from the extra virgin grade. Pure coconut oil is a version of coconut oil that doesn't have the scent and is used for soap making. I will try using this type of oil for my next mixture. The smell of the essential oils for my current batch definitely compliment the scent of the coconut oil, so I am happy. For the second concern, I have done several spot checks on my shirts worn with the new deodorant. I can report that there are no oil stains. 

Overall, I am impressed by this recipe and I have finally found a mixture that works with ingredients I can trust from sources I can trace.