In recent years, I’ve bought all natural deodorant. It works really well. So I don’t miss the stuff I used to put under my armpits, which contained aluminum and other potentially toxic ingredients.
Lately, though, I’ve gotten used to making my own personal care products. So I figured a DIY deodorant would be a easy. It was. I already had everything I needed in the house. It only took about 10 minutes to melt the oils, stir in a few other ingredients and add some essential oils.
Plus, for part of that time I did something else. So it really didn’t take 1o minutes. I consider my greenish clay deodorant a success. I made a small batch. It may not last through the summer. But I can always make more.
Natural Deodorant Recipe With Clay
(This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase anything, I receive a referral fee, at no extra cost to you.The essential oils are courtesy of Nature’s Fusions.)
My homemade deodorant recipe contains clay. That’s because clay is considered good for absorbing toxins. It’s believed negatively charged ions in clay bind with postively charged free radicals, and then pull them out of the body. I can’t confirm this is true. But I do know that clay has a long history of being used for general health purposes, including detoxification. Take, for instance, mud baths. These are full body immersions in clay, and they’re supposed to be really good for you.
Anyway, clay is something I like to have on hand. I use it to make clay facials, and I also use it for emergencies. Two years ago, I was stung by a bee. I applied moistened clay to draw the venom out. For the most part, this home remedy stopped the pain. (I also added a little bit of lavender essential oil to the clay mix.)
So, for me, it makes sense to add clay to my DIY deodorant. If you don’t have any clay on hand, here’s the brand I use.
DIY Natural Deodorant Recipe
Anyway, it was really easy to whip up all natural deodorant. I was a little skeptical as to whether it would be too greasy, since it has a coconut oil and a shea butter base. Would it leave an oil stain on my clothes? Fortunately, it’ didn’t. Maybe the addition of arrowroot powder and clay that made it less oily. But, if you use my recipe, test it first on something that’s not your best outfit.
I found a similar recipe on Pinterest. Then I adapted it to include clay and beeswax. The original recipe called for melting the oils in a clean glass jar, in a pan of warm water. I put the pan on my stove, over medium heat. The oils melted quickly. The beeswax pellets took longer. Here’s the brand of beeswax I used. The pellets are white and tiny, which helps them melt.
The jar made cleanup easier. Normally, if I put coconut oil or shea butter in a pan, I wipe it out carefully with a paper towel. That’s because coconut oil can easily clog your sink. (I learned this the hard way.)
Natural Deodorant Recipe With Coconut Oil
Anyway, here’s my all natural deodorant recipe with coconut oil, shea butter and clay. I made it on a warm spring day that crept up into the 80’s. I am confident enough that it will protect me from odor throughout the summer. I’m not planning to order my usual brand of deodorant this year. So, here’s my recipe.
Natural Deodorant Recipe That Really Works
2 Tbs. of organic coconut oil (It’s available here)
2 Tbs. of organic shea butter (It’s available here)
1 teaspoon of arrowroot powder (It’s available here)
1 teaspoon of pure beeswax pellets (They’re available here)
1 teaspoon of green European clay (It’s available here)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
4 drops of lavender essential oil (It’s available here)
2 drops of tea tree essential oil (It’s available here)
Mix the coconut oil, shea butter and beeswax in a glass jar. Immerse the jar in a pan of water. Put the pan on the stove over medium heat until everything is liquid. When it cools, stir in the arrowroot powder, baking soda and clay. When it’s almost cool, add the essential oils and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate this mixture until it solidifies. Apply under your arms with your finger. During hot weather, you can store this in the refrigerator. But you may not need to. I included the beeswax to firm it up.
The added essential oils make it smell good. Also, aromatic oils contain natural germ-fighting compounds.
All Natural Deodorant Recipes
Most DIY recipes are made with a coconut oil and a shea butter base. I added the beeswax and clay, to potentially help with detoxification.
If you think that you’ll have difficult making your own all natural deodorant (it’s really not that hard), good plant-based deodorants exist, which don’t contain aluminum. For years, I’ve been using Alvera All Natural Deodorant, and I’ve been really happy with it. There’s no reason to stop using it, other than the fact I enjoy making my own personal care products.
In any event, I encourage you to research the issue. Regular deodorant typically contains aluminum, which has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, as well as breast cancer. You can read another article I wrote about non toxic deodorants here.
Disclaimer
These statements have not been approved by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use essential oils unless directed to do so by a healthcare professional.
