Homemade Deodorant… Wait, Come Back! Don’t Run Away!

Reasons to use homemade deodorant:

• Zero chemicals. I could eat my deodorant if I wanted to.
• It’s cheaper.
• No deodorant stains.
• I find I perspire less. This did not happen right away, but over time.
• It works.

Today I am sharing my homemade deodorant recipe. I never thought I would be one of those people. You know, the ones who use homemade deodorant. 🙂  Until I  started reading more about chemicals in our personal care products. Deodorant is one of the worst!

I have worn homemade deodorant for about 6 months now and will never switch back. I ran out once and used my old lady speed stick in the cupboard for a day before running to the store to get some more coconut oil. I hated it! The feel of it was so thick and pasty compared to my homemade one. I had no idea there was such a difference until I tried it.  Homemade deodorant just absorbs and feels so natural and best of all it works. The only thing I do miss, is choosing fruity scents, although I do love the coconutty smell my natural one gives off. I know other people use essential oils to flavor their deodorants but I have yet to try. If you do, let me know which one is your favorite!

Chemicals

It is a growing concern that the toxic chemicals in deodorant and antiperspirants cause cancer, Alzheimer’s and allergic reactions. Here are the chemicals that are big concerns. 

1.  Aluminum. Aluminum-based compounds are the active ingredient in antiperspirants. Their job is to block sweat glands to keep sweat from getting to the skin’s surface.  These are also thought to be absorbed in to the skin and cause changes in the estrogen receptors of breast cells. The WHO (World Health Organization) has linked aluminum to Alzheimer’s disease and those diagnosed with the disease have been found to have higher accumulation of aluminum in their brains. Studies done on laboratory animals have shown that when animals are injected with aluminum, they start to show neurological symptoms that mimic Alzheimer’s.  Frightening.

Aluminum is also the culprit of the yellow stained armpit of your white t-shirts. Yuck.

2. Parabens. Parabens seem to come up everywhere in cosmetic products including sun products. These are being investigated in their possible role in breast cancer. Studies have shown that all parabens have shown estrogenic activity in breast cancer cells. Estrogen, whether natural or synthetic, are a primary risk factor for breast cancer.

3. Proplyene Glycol. This is a humectant that keep substances from drying out.

4. Stearyl Alcohol. This is drying to the skin and is an irritant.

5. Fragrance. The only safe fragrance in my opinion, are essential oils. Anything else, are toxic chemicals being absorbed into your skin.

6. BHT. EWG classifies this as cancer causing, endocrine disruption, and potential reproductive toxicity.

Keep in mind, it’s just not your deodorant that has these chemicals. Next time you’re in the bathroom, check out your shampoo bottle, your body lotion, your makeup, your lip gloss.  Did you know that in Europe the European Union Cosmetics Directive has banned over 1,000 chemicals from personal care products. The FDA, however, bans or restricts only 11 of such chemicals.  11?? How is that even possible!?

The Recipe

The recipe is simple. Coconut oil, baking soda, and cornstarch or arrowroot powder. 3 ingredients.

1. Coconut oil.

Moisturizing, good for the skin and has antibacterial properties. And comes with a light, tropical, coconutty smell.

2. Baking soda.

Absorbs odors.

3. Cornstarch or arrowroot powder.

Smooth texture. If I didn’t live in a village, I would pick up arrowroot powder. It is said to be less irritating than cornstarch. I did find I had a little skin irritation in the beginning with cornstarch, however, after a couple of weeks I found it disappeared once my skin got used to it.

That’s all.

Here is the ingredient list on my lady speed stick:

“Active ingredient: Aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly 15.4%

Inactive ingredients: elaeis guineensis (palm) kernel oil, stearyl alcohol, cyclomethicone, C12-15 alkyl benzoate, PPG-14 butyl ether, hydrogenated castor oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, PEG-8 distearate, fragrance, hydrolyzed corn starch, behenyl alcohol”

It’s kinda scary!

If homemade deodorant still is not for you, try going the natural route. Ever heard of Primal Pit Paste? I have never tried it but have heard rave reviews about their natural deodorants. It is all natural and truly organic. See? Just another option instead of store-bought, chemical-laden deodorants.

Homemade deodorant recipe:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 tablespoon baking soda

 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Mix all together. Store in airtight container in fridge or cupboard, depending on temperature.