Smelly pits are a fact of life. Things like exercise, stress or sitting in hot buildings in even hotter suits all conspire to make our armpits perspire. It’s a natural process, but one which comes with the pungent aroma of body odor, and nobody needs that.
For this reason, there’s few of us brave enough to head out the door in the morning without first slathering on a healthy dose of our favorite antiperspirant deodorant. They smell nice, stop us from sweating profusely and get us through the day without any embarrassments in the underarm area.
But while they may prove effective in the short term, these conventional deodorants are doing your body serious damage. For starters, most deodorants contain a toxic mix of aluminum compounds, which are heavy metals which block the function of your sweat glands. This might sound like a good thing, but aluminum compounds commonly found in deodorants (including aluminum chlorohydrate and aluminum zirconium) have been associated with neurotoxic and carcinogenic effects, along with negative hormonal imbalances.
Next, many deodorants continue to contain parabens, despite increasingly damning evidence from the scientific community with regards to their role in the human body. These compounds have been linked to endocrine disruption and a wide range of other far-reaching health issues.
Next comes triclosan, a compound commonly used in deodorants and other body cosmetic products due to its antibacterial and preservative qualities. Triclosan has been strongly linked to altered hormone production, increasingly harmful antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the body and even large-scale water pollution.
Finally, there are all the issues associated with preventing your body from expelling sweat. While this is obviously your main goal in using antiperspirants, have you ever stopped to think that your body might be producing this sweat for a reason? Sweating is an important natural function developed by the human body to provide rapid cooling and to expel the buildup of toxins. No sweating means more toxic buildup in your body and creates thermal regulation issues.
Clearly, there needs to be a better way. And we have just the thing! Well, three things, to be exact. Read on to find out how you can make your own healthy deodorant and keep those pesky pits under control without compromising your health.
Whisper Natural Homemade Deodorant
We’ll kick things off with a natural deodorant I actually concocted myself. It’s amazingly easy to whip up, and you’ll have at least a month’s worth of deodorant in less than five minutes. If you don’t have the specific essential oil blend that I like to use (Whisper), don’t worry — there are plenty of others to substitute instead! That being said, the Whisper blend gives the deodorant an amazing smell — one which can be used for both men and women (my partner uses it as well).
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- 4 to 6 drops “Whisper” essential oil blend
- 1 drop tea tree essential oil
- 1 drop peppermint essential oil
Equipment
- Medium size wide-mouthed glass jar
Instructions
1. Make sure your coconut oil is warm enough to work with. It’s best if your oil has just reached melting point, and is softened but not yet fully in its liquid state. The best way to get it to this point is to leave it out in the sun for a few minutes or in a warm cupboard in the kitchen.
2. Scoop out three tablespoons of coconut oil and place in a small to medium-sized wide-mouthed glass jar. Add the baking soda and mix thoroughly with a teaspoon.
3. Once the baking soda is fully integrated into the coconut oil, add your essential oils. The amount you add depends on how strong you want your deodorant to be. Be sure not to put on too much or you run the risk of irritating your skin. I find that four drops of Whisper essential oil (a doTERRA blend) plus a drop each of tea tree and peppermint is just right for my needs.
4. Mix in the essential oils to ensure they’re evenly distributed, put the lid on, and scoop out a little to rub into your pits as needed. You won’t need much, so don’t go scooping out great handfuls at a time! For best results, store your deodorant in a slightly cooler area to ensure it doesn’t turn back into its liquid state (occurs above room temperature).
Shea Butter Natural Homemade Deodorant
While the previous recipe is a personal favorite of mine due to its amazing smell and ease of creation, this recipe provides a moisturizing element with the addition of shea butter. Shea butter is one of nature’s most powerful moisturizers (check out our DIY coconut oil and shea butter skin moisturizer recipe here). And while it might smell a little on the weird side, it’ll have your pits feeling silky smooth in no time.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 tbsp baking soda
- 2 tbsp shea butter
- 2 tbsp arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
Equipment
- Medium size wide-mouthed glass jar
Instructions
1. Scoop the coconut oil and shea butter into a medium sized wide-mouth glass jar (note: as explained earlier, you’ll find this a whole lot easier if you plan ahead and leave your oil and butter somewhere warm to soften first).
2. Fill a saucepan or pot halfway with water and set to medium heat. Place the glass jar containing the coconut oil and shea butter in water, ensuring that it partially floats and doesn’t directly touch the bottom of the pan (otherwise your shea butter will burn).
3. As soon as the mixture as reached liquid point, remove from heat and add the baking soda and arrowroot powder (or cornstarch). Mix well until everything is evenly combined. You’ll need to complete this stage quickly before your coconut oil and shea butter solidify again.
4. I find it’s easiest to just leave the mixture in the jar and scoop some out with my fingers as required (if you have any left over you can just rub it into your skin as a moisturizer). But if you like, you can pour the mixture into a used deodorant roll-on stick while it is still in liquid form. The mixture will eventually harden and you can use it as you would a conventional deodorant stick.
Sweet Orange Natural Homemade Deodorant
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch
- 4 drops sweet orange essential oil
- 3 drops ylang ylang essential oil
- 2 drops tea tree essential oil
Equipment
- Medium size wide-mouthed glass jar
Instructions
1. As with the previous recipes, ensure your coconut oil is nice and soft before continuing with this recipe. Leave it outside in the sun for a few minutes, sit it next to the oven if you happen to be doing some baking, or just run some hot water over the jar for a while.
2. In a medium sized glass jar, mix together the coconut oil, baking soda, arrowroot powder (or cornstarch) and essential oils. It’s best to do this in a relatively warm place (slightly above room temperature) so your coconut oil doesn’t solidify before you can thoroughly mix everything. Place the lid on your jar, and you’re good to go!
We’d love to know how your foray into the world of homemade deodorant went! Did you have to play around with different amounts of baking soda or essential oils? How long did the deodorant last you through the day?
— Liivi Hess
