Homemade Deodorant

When you become a teenager, one of the first things that is foisted upon you is the ubiquitous deodorant and/or antiperspirant. You know, because your hormones are going into overdrive and that equals lots of smelly sweat. Right? I have to wonder, now, whether that sweat was really so smelly after all.

About a year ago, I started hearing about how the aluminum products in deodorant were, in fact, quite bad for you. Of course, this may or may not actually be true as everything seems to contradict itself on the internet, but let me share with you my experience with switching to a natural deodorant. Did it work?

First of all, I tried switching to this deodorant called Native, boasting natural ingredients and amazing results. My results? Stinky. Very stinky. I did read that it might take up to a month for your body to get rid of all of the toxins that had been going in thanks to the regular deodorant, so I let it go for a while. But Native itself didn't go on easily, would often clump up, and even by the end of the day wouldn't really be working anymore. I mean, you can give it a try, but honestly? I wouldn't recommend it.

Then I started trying to find a homemade recipe to try. Eventually I found one, though I can't seem to find the actual website I found it at now, there are multiple different ones that feature the particular concoction I ended up using, which is basically just a mix of coconut oil, baking soda, and cornstarch. You can also add essential oils, but it's entirely unnecessary.

And what happened? In just a day or so, I stopped smelling. Really.

After some time had passed, and I still didn't smell, or honestly even sweat that much, my boyfriend decided to give it a try himself. For the first month and a half or so, he was not into it. He was stinky and wasn't sure it was going to work for him. But, I assured him to just give it that initial time and see if the stink went away.

It went away.

Which leads me to believe that, no, we probably should not be using those brand name deodorants, or even the natural ones like Native or even Toms, which I've heard doesn't work particularly well either. The other day, I didn't even put any of this homemade stuff on, and I didn't smell at all. If your body takes a whole month or longer to get rid of the toxins built up by the other deodorant, it can't be that great, you know?

Also, I've read that how the stuff in deodorant reacts to your sweat is what causes those nasty yellow pit stains in white shirts. I can tell you, my boyfriend's white undershirts do have some yellowness to them, but we haven't tried a new shirt since the switch yet, so I can't report on the outcome, but you know what? I bet it wouldn't turn yellow.

Below please find the recipe for homemade deodorant. I will tell you this one thing about it, this particular kind doesn't really roll on. I store it in a small jar and take a dab with my finger and rub it in a few minutes after taking a shower. If you shave your armpits and don't give it a few minutes, it may sting, so just be aware. Also, if you have an adverse reaction to baking soda (aka you get a rash), then you can change up the amount you use, cutting it down.