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Deodorant; If You Want it Done Right, Do it Yourself

Joette Calabrese, HMC, PHom M

November 22nd, 2010  |  18 Comments

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‘Looking for a source of high quality deodorant, worthy of your skin and subsequent delicate organs? Why, make it yourself! No need to read ingredients, no need to wonder what they really mean because you are the manufacturer.

Homeopaths recognize that the skin and internal organs are keenly connected. We also understand that anything that’s placed on the skin has the potential of being absorbed and forces the system to distribute. So salves, roll-ons, sprays and creams, particularly placed on a most tender and delicate area of the body are important considerations. Remember, the lymph nodes responsible for battling infection and such are only millimeters away from the underarm area. So, what we apply on our skin must be worthy of our entire system. Here’s a good rule to follow that I teach my students and clients:
If you wouldn’t eat it; don’t wear it!

Below are my favorite ingredients, chiefly because they’re edible, but also because they’re the properties we’re looking for in a quality deodorant. If you have suggestions, especially that would help minimize the liquidly result caused by coconut oil in warm temperatures, please let me know. We’ll adjust the recipe.

1) Let’s begin with coconut oil. It’s a good ingredient choice because it has natural antibacterial properties and is soothing and nourishing to delicate, underarm skin. The only trouble with coconut oil is that it melts in very warm weather, so I recommend keeping it in a tightly sealed container if traveling or in very hot weather. The importance of it in the diet should also be considered, but that’s the subject of another article.
2) Our second ingredient is baking soda which has a reputation for naturally antidoting odor and balancing the acid/alkaline of the skin. ‘Right out of the kitchen pantry!
3) And of course, essential oils have been employed in an effort to reduce odor, so I chose sage because it’s also reputed to have natural antiperspirant properties as well as a pleasing aroma. ‘Very fresh smelling.
4) Cornstarch is an acceptable addition as long as one isn’t allergic to corn. Be sure to buy the organic version. At some point, I’d like to find GMO-free , but for now it works to absorb wetness. I’m still experimenting with arrowroot powder and bentonite clay. ‘Will keep you updated.

Here’s my home made sage deodorant that’s been a staple for my clients for some time:

Homemade Sage Deodorant

• 1 2/3 cup high quality coconut oil, such as from GreenPasture.org
• 1 cup of baking soda
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1-2 drops of sage oil such as from YoungLiving.com
• Deodorant roll-up containers http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com/package/product.asp?product_id=botdeod

Gently warm the coconut oil so that it’s either slightly liquid-y or just soft enough to stir easily. Keeping it near the stove before mixing, will accomplish this. Combine all ingredients in a bowl using a spoon. Once thoroughly blended, spoon the mixture into a deodorant stick container and there you have it!

Homemade, inexpensive, gentle, and effective….’Love it!

 

I am a homeopath with a worldwide practice working with families and individuals via Zoom. I'm also a teacher and most importantly, a mom who raised my now-adult children depending on homeopathy over the last 31 years. I lived decades of my life with food intolerances, allergies, and chemical sensitivities until I was cured with homeopathy, so I understand pain, anxiety, and suffering. You may feel that your issues are more severe or different than anyone else’s, but I have seen it all in my practice and in my work in India. My opinion is that nothing has come close to the reproducible, safe and effective results that my clients, students and I have achieved with homeopathy.

Call today and learn how homeopathy might just be the missing piece in your health strategy.


Joette is not a physician and the relationship between Joette and her clients is not of prescriber and patient, but as educator and client. It is fully the client's choice whether or not to take advantage of the information Joette presents. Homeopathy doesn't "treat" an illness; it addresses the entire person as a matter of wholeness that is an educational process, not a medical one. Joette believes that the advice and diagnosis of a physician is often in order.


We've provided links for your convenience but we do not receive any remuneration nor affiliation in payment from your purchase.


The Author disclaims all liability for any loss or risk, personal or otherwise incurred as a consequence of use of any material in this article. This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.



 

18 thoughts on “Deodorant; If You Want it Done Right, Do it Yourself”

  1. Pam Perkins says:

    Thank you!

    Was toying with putting baking soda in the coconut oil mixtures already being used to make it easier & less messy Hadn’t thought of cornstarch.

    Looking forward to putting this recipe to the test & to the results of your experiments with bentonite clay & arrowroot.

    Pam

  2. Pam Perkins says:

    What do you think about beeswax to firm it?

    1. That sounds good. I’ll try that on my next batch.

      But look again I updated the mixture increasing the amount of coconut oil to 1 2/3 cups. This makes it easier to pack into the container.

  3. Pam Perkins says:

    It’ll be interesting to see how it turns out.

    It would seem that if there’s a concern about the oil melting in heat with the first recipe, adding more wouldn’t solve that problem. But I’m certainly not an expert. Just seeking to learn.

    The coconut oil would have to be heated to melt the beeswax. Wonder the effect of cornstarch simmered in the oil since it thickens heated in other liquids. As it is, I’ve yet to see what it does in oil that is just softened.

    Wonder about a gelled deodorant mixture that will apply and still do it’s intended duty.

    I haven’t figured out how to keep bentonite clay from clumping when I add it to water. Don’t think a metal whisk is a good idea. Maybe I should add water to it. Again, it would be interesting to learn what that does with coconut oil in it’s various forms.

  4. icariin says:

    Thats great 😀 but please do tell us whether or not these concoctions are white t-shirt friendly or not!

      1. icariin says:

        Good stuff mate! I may have to take the plunge then and section myself some lab space off in the garage, lock up your armpits 😉

        1. Lila says:

          Hi JulieI’ve been using tea tree oil for years as an all-over BO-preventing wash.About once a month (I do it after a shower at night when I’ve wahesd all the sweat & grime off) I fill the hand basin with warm water & splash in about a teaspoon of tea tree oil. Then soak a washer & rub it all over myself, (paying particular attention to my underarms & not getting it in my eyes) re-soaking the washer after each arm/leg etc. The tea tree oil kills the bacteria that makes the BO smell. I also put some teatree oil in the wash – especially when washing anything that’s been particularly sweated in (like my gym clothes or the shirts I wear when I ride my pushie to work or the clothes I wear to mow etc) because I don’t think washing in cold water & hanging in the shade kills the germs & they can get back onto my body next time I wear the shirt/use the towel or sheets etc.

      2. Alvi says:

        Maybe we should all take one day and look at the lables on the products we eat, drink, and use on our bodies and in our homes. We could write down all the chemicals in them wouldn’t that be a startling affront to our thoughts on natural health and natural beauty!

  5. debbie says:

    I’ve been using this deodorant for years. It works great! Just be aware that when you are transitioning to this natural deodorant it will take your body time to adjust and you may not think it works well. Hang in there. I was a profuse sweater and in just a couple of weeks of using this natural stuff I don’t sweat as much and it really does the trick!

  6. sarah says:

    I’ve been experimenting (no measuring, nothing exact) making my own deodorant for years. What I have found with beeswax is that: 1. it’s a wax; so it doesn’t allow you to sweat (what your body needs to do under armpits especially); 2. it’s yellow; so this seems to stain clothes. I’ve also tried parafin (white/clear) to firm up the deodorant stick, but that also is a wax and serves to seal up your pores. Not to mention parafin is a petroleum product, right? Not so desirable for armpits either.

    After reading this post I’ve been trying rubbing some coconut oil on and following it with a dusting of my toothpowder (bakingsoda, french clay, and lemongrass essential oil). It seems to be working pretty good – at least better than with just bakingsoda. The french clay has some bonus beneficial properties anyway. I’m the opposite of the previous person above, I seem to build up a tolerance to deodorants; so I’m always looking for ideas! I’m excited to try Joette’s recipe….Thanks for coming up w/the ratios, Joette!

  7. sarah says:

    Another note on containers for deodorant. Rather than buying the containers, you can just collect/save old empty ones from family and friends (or yourself) to reuse. Also, yes, beware of coconut oil turning to liquid when the weather warms up. In the future I will only put deodorant in a tightly closing container – especially for traveling. Last summer I had deodorant leaking all over my bag.

  8. Jill says:

    If you wanted to firm up the deodorant (for warm weather) with beeswax, you can do it by first melting a little beeswax in a pyrex measuring cup hung by its handle into a small pot of nearly simmering water on the stove (as a makeshift double boiler). Once the beeswax is melted, add the coconut oil and stir with a small whisk or spoon until melted. Then add the baking soda and cornstarch, stir till smooth, and then add essential oils. A ratio of 1 part beeswax to 4 parts coconut oil has worked for me. Some people use butters such as cocoa butter and shea butter. I used a cocoa butter base the first time I made my own deodorant and found that after about a week I was breaking out in a sort of “armpit acne”! Other friends who tried the same recipe had the same experience! I have since learned that cocoa butter is comedogenic (pore clogging). There are many other butters out there to experiment with: mango butter, illipe butter, kokum butter, shea butter…. You can read about them and order from mountainroseherbs.com, which is a great source for quality ingredients. If you order be sure to request a catalog–they are great to browse through!

  9. Meg says:

    Speaking of deoderant options, i found that before doing a natural cancer therapy, I sweat profusely and easily and had pretty bad smelling BO ( I know…Sulfer) and I met someone in the local health food store that came up with her own spray. She reused some of the rose water spray bottles and had sage and lemmongrass essential ois and I can’t remember what else, but it dried on well and worked great, even while exersizing. It was not antipersperant- which is not what I wanted anyway. Sorry I can’t remember the exact ingredients, but she has posted it online and says you can google it. Hope you cna find it. Sorry again but I gforget any other info about her.

    What is working for me now is the same sort of thing, except I use rose water and a liquid magnesium oil I make and a bit of other essential oils including sage and other mixtures. I like mint but am not using it now because I don’t want to antidote any of the homeopathics I’m taking. I just experiment with what smells good and works. Hope that helps. You can check out recipes for making magnesium oil online too.

  10. megan says:

    my Arvada friend said after she did there cleanse her sweat didn’t smell

  11. Toni says:

    Joette’s “recipe” works remarkably well, better than any product I’ve ever purchased or made.

  12. C says:

    I need help….I use either the coconut /baking soda / lavender essential oil deodorant or organic grain alcohol and EO as a liquid roll sometimes I use both, but my right pit is just down right stinky. BAD stinky. Looking for a homeopathic remedy. Any suggestions?

  13. Bridget says:

    Joette, have you updated this recipe? 🙂

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