I have no shame in talking about personal matters. I don't know if it's a generational thing, or if it's just me, but if you ask me most any question I will probably answer you in all truth and honesty. So, I am not embarrassed to admit that I've always had issues with deodorants and antiperspirants, whether it be them leaving horrible yellow stains (thank you, body chemistry) or worse, not working. It seems that as soon as I had hit 32, my body decided to play a cruel joke and thought it would be funny to make it so that no matter what deodorant or antiperspirant I used, at some point it would stop working altogether. I thought it was just in the hot summer months, especially while wearing sleeveless tops; but then I found that I was smelly in the cooler winter months, too. I reside in beautiful sunny Southern California, so winter is not too far from Spring weather here. Around that time I also read about how dangerous all the antiperspirants and deodorants were due to aluminum salts. I am studying about detoxification and had read plenty about aluminum as a toxic substance, so that solidified my decision to switch to deodorants that do not contain aluminum salts. I tried the natural ones from the health stores and I was left with wet, stinky pits. Yeah, gross, I know, not to mention frustrating! I even tried rubbing lemons on my armpits, which I do NOT recommend doing after shaving. I was determined to find something that worked. I stumbled upon this recipe through another blog and thought I would try it. I was skeptical fo sho, but hey, I was desperate. I watched the video that was in the blog (I HIGHLY recommend you watch it so that you can make it correctly), gathered my ingredients and BAM! I had me some deodorant. I will admit that the first week there was a bit stinging and redness in the crease of my pits, but I stuck it out and that feeling disappeared. I can use it straight from the shower even after I shave and it doesn't sting any more. It also took my body about 2 weeks to detox from the other products I was using; during that time I was using it after my evening shower and in the morning before I got dressed. Now I only use it once after my evening shower. My daughter is at the age where she is starting to smell, so I have her using it. No more smelly pits for either of us! Seriously, this stuff is miraculous! Oh, and another tip: I have really oily skin, so I thought I would slather some on my face at night after my evening shower and before I rub it into my pits. Let me tell you, my face is happy. The baking soda acts as a natural exfoliant, the cornstarch acts like a mattifier, tea tree oil is a great antibacterial and the coconut oil is the moisturizer. I may just make a huge batch and start using it as an all-over exfoliant/moisturizer. I think I will start using it on my elephant knees and crusty elbows, too. Ooh, I bet it would also work as a great foot treatment after a nice foot soak or pedicure. IDEAS! Any way, here's a list of the ingredients I used, which are a combination of the other blog that I read as well as the one that I'm including in this post. By the way, I give this recipe 5 out of 5 aprons (I developed my own rating system). Ingredients: 1/4C baking soda 1/8C arrowroot powder (I found a bad of Bob's Red Mill at Sprouts for $6.99 I believe. Don't quote me on that) 1/8C cornstarch 6-8Tbsp coconut oil 5-7 drops tea tree oil Cute glass or ceramic jar Grab your ingredients, read the other blog for more info and watch the video for instructions. Seriously, it's key to the success of this stuff.
Helpful hints: If you notice the deodorant is starting to get a little melty in the warmer Summer months, be sure to refrigerate it. Make sure you bring it out about half an hour to an hour before use so that it's not solid. If it ends up turning into a liquid, I suggest that you stir it really well before placing in the fridge. Once you have brought it out of the fridge, make sure you stir completely, or else the oil will have risen to the top and the powders will have settled to the bottom, leaving you with oily pits and once that's through, a clump of powders, which will only be good for a body scrub. I made that mistake and my pits were BURNING! Yeeow!
This is about how much baking soda I used. I decided to use about 3 Tbsp less than the 1/4 cup that was called for.
I found that my skin is a tad sensitive to the full amount of baking soda. You can always play around with your ratios to make it true to you. After all, we're all different, right? Also, I couldn't find organic corn starch, but you may want to look for one to make it a GMO free deodorant. I'm hoping the Sprouts brand is, but it doesn't read that on the label, so I guess I will have to find out. If you find one, leave a suggestion in the comments.
Here is what the mixture starts to look like. I used a glass bowl and a metal spoon. You can also use a wooden spoon just as well. The consistency when you first start to blend it is that of a pie crust. I mixed each tablespoon in one at a time to make sure that I didn't make an oily mess. This was after 5 Tbsp and thought that maybe 4 would work just as well. Again, play with your oil to powder mixture.
And this is what it looks like when thoroughly mixed. Kind of looks like mashed potatoes, don't you think? Mmmmm, now I want some mashed potatoes. Ha ha! Carefully spoon it into your jar and slather on your armpits after your shower. And yes, those are my diva slippers. Happy deodorizing! http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2013/01/homemade-all-natural-deodorant.html
