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.

Homemade Deodorant
Author: Jen @ Fresh From The...
Prep time: 00:10

Total time: 00:10

Natural deodorant that works.

Ingredients:

• 6 Tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1/4 cup cornstarch, or arrowroot
• essential oils, optional

Instructions:

1. Mix baking soda and cornstarch together in a bowl.
2. Mix in the coconut oil until well mixed. I melted the coconut oil first so that it wouldn't get any clumps in it. It will harden up later.
3. Add a couple drops of oils if desired.
4. Store in a small glass jar.

Homemade Bath Fizzies

I'm trying something new on the blog. Perhaps a new series, depending on time and all that. Recently I've found myself with a lot of free time, so I've had a lot more time to work on my writing as well as do some crafty stuff. This past Christmas, I decided to make some gifts rather than buy everything. 

And these Lavender Bath Fizzies were just one of the things I made, that I thought I would share with all of you. They're suuuuper easy! Seriously. You only may have a hard time finding one of the ingredients in an actual store, but you can always order online, of course.

I mean, you could go and spend anywhere from $5-10 for one bath bomb at Lush, or you could just make a bunch on your own for likely a lot less. Once you have the ingredients, you can make seriously a LOT of these. You're going to need some kind of mold for them. I used a brownie bites silicone mold because they're easy to pop the little fizzies out of. You'll also need a glass bowl (as to not have the lavender smell permeate your bowl) and a whisk for mixing, and a spray bottle with some water in it (you don't need a lot). The citric acid is the one thing that can be difficult to find. I got it at a specialty food store, but you can get it online. Essential oil you can find at Michael's or other craft stores, as well as the lavender buds. You can also use a different scent rather than lavender, but this is just a classic bath fizzy situation.

Homemade Lavender Bath Fizzies

Printable Version

1 cup baking soda

1/2 cup corn starch

1 cup citric acid

lavender essential oil (a few drops)

water (in a spray bottle) 

lavender buds (optional) 

food coloring (optional)

First, whisk together the baking soda, corn starch, and citric acid.  

Next, spray your concoction a few times with some water, and mix it up with your hand. You'll know it has enough water when it holds its shape when you squeeze it.

After that, put in your drops of essential oil (go based on how strong you want it) and your lavender buds (about 1-2 tablespoons, depending on how many you want).  

Next, press your mixture into your silicone mold. Make sure to press down so they are tightly in there. Let that dry for a couple hours.

After a couple hours, you can pop them out, and they're ready to go. Store them in an airtight container until they're ready to use. You can put them in a mason jar, or a decorative bag, or whatever you like.

And just so you can see they really work, I tested one for you - they really do fizz up and make your bath smell deliciously of lavender!

In Photos:

First, whisk together the baking soda, corn starch, and citric acid.

Next, spray your concoction a few times with some water, and mix it up with your hand. You'll know it has enough water when it holds its shape when you squeeze it.

After that, put in your drops of essential oil (go based on how strong you want it) and your lavender buds (about 1-2 tablespoons, depending on how many you want).

Next, press your mixture into your silicone mold. Make sure to press down so they are tightly in there. Let that dry for a couple hours.

After a couple hours, you can pop them out, and they're ready to go. Store them in an airtight container until they're ready to use. You can put them in a mason jar, or a decorative bag, or whatever you like.

And just so you can see they really work, I tested one for you - they really do fizz up and make your bath smell deliciously of lavender!