Life in the pits.........homemade deodorant.

Today I attempted to make my own homemade deodorant. In the past, I have attempted homemade cold process soap, bath salts, laundry detergent, and lip balms. I enjoy making them all. Soap is the most complicated to make, but it is very rewarding. Today, I attempted to make my own homemade deodorant. ( I got the idea from another blog and now I can't find it to give you the link......if I do, I'll post it later.)

WHY??

Why not??!! 

Well, I do have concerns about the possible harmful affects of the aluminum contained in most commercially produced anti-perspirants. This recipe uses all-natural ingredients that most people have in their homes--with the exception, perhaps, of the essential oil for fragrance. This is not an anti-perspirant, but apparently, it does neutralize body odor quite well. If your house is warm, it will be a little softer than the hard-stick type of deodorant. Some people keep it in the fridge. I'm not too sure about that. It is recommended that you put it in a small jar, scoop out a small amount with your fingers and rub in.

Recipe: 


6-8 Tablespoons of coconut oil ( melt point 76F)
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cornstarch or arrowroot powder ( arrowroot is preferred because it doesn't contain talc. I used cornstarch for this batch because I didn't have any arrowroot powder)
10-20 drops essential oil ( tea tree oil recommended)


Mix the baking soda and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Add the coconut oil ( it will likely be quite firm at this stage unless your house temp is more than 76F). Rub coconut oil into the dry ingredients until smooth. Add oil as desired. I used a combination of 1-2 drops of eucalyptus/ 5 drops bergamot/6 drops vanilla oil ( all certified essential oils from the health food store). By the time I finished, my product was VERY loose/runny, so I added a little more cornstarch and baking soda to tighten it up a bit. Then, because I couldn't find a suitable small wide-mouthed jar to put it in, I spooned it into 2 paper muffin cups and put it in the fridge. It looked YUMMY!! My daughter got up from her nap later, and asked for one of the "cupcakes". She didn't believe me when I told her they didn't taste good, so I let her taste one with her finger. She made a face and said they tasted like SOAP. Ick.
Here's a photo...........

Look yummy, don't they??!!
Now I need to find a jar to put it in, so I can try it out.


Cheers!


Karen