One of the natural products I was most nervous to transition to was deodorant. I had purchased a couple store-bought natural brands and frankly, I didn’t think they worked well. I was still stinky by the end of the day. And nobody wants to be the stinky kid in class. So I was determined to find an effective deoderant recipe.
So I decided to make my own using some of my essential oils I had on hand. I tried a couple recipes and tweaked them to create this amazing recipe. I altered some of the suggested ingredients to avoid that irritation that can be caused by some natural ingredients. We are now incredibly loyal to this easy and effective recipe!
If you like a traditional, hands-free approach, there are a lot of options online to buy a traditional container like these:
I personally pour the finished product right into a short mason jar (see below). To apply, I use the back of my fingernail to remove a small amount and rub it on like a lotion.
In cold winter months, your natural deodorant will be much more firm, because the recipe uses a solid coconut oil base. But application is still relatively easy because coconut oil melts to the touch. In warm, summer months, it will soften significantly and be even easier to apply.
Deoderant Recipe Ingredients:
- 1 cup of coconut oil
- 1 Tablespoon of beeswax
- 1/2 cup of baking soda
- 1/2 cup of corn starch
- 1 cup of arrowroot powder
- 20-25 drops of Lavender
- 20-25 drops of a purifying blend of oils (tea tree, rosemary, citronella & lemongrass are all great options).
Deoderant Recipe Instructions:
- Start by melting your coconut oil and beeswax. You can melt them in a glass bowl in the microwave, or in a double boiler on the stove-top. Use a whisk or a fork to stir (until the beeswax is fully dissolved).
- Next, add each of your dry ingredients – the baking soda, arrowroot powder and corn starch. Use a spatula to stir the mixture until it is smooth and creamy and all your dry ingredients are incorporated.
- Let the mixture cool for a little bit. It will firm up a little, but you want to continue to the next step while it is still a warm liquid. Essential oils lose therapeutic value when exposed to heat, so you want to let it cool just a little bit.
- After the mixture is cool to the touch (still warm and liquid enough to pour or spoon into your container, but not hot), add the essential oils and stir to combine well.
- Pour the completed deodorant into your container(s) of choice.
That’s it. It’s incredibly simple to make. This batch of deodorant will last our family about 6 months. It is incredibly cost-effective and in my opinion, works better than any other natural deodorant we’ve ever tried.
A note about sensitive skin.
I know in researching recipes, many recipes call for all baking soda. Baking soda can be an irritant to sensitive skin. So this recipe uses a smaller amount of baking soda than other recipes, to prevent that.
My husband has very sensitive skin. In fact, he reacted negatively to the majority of commercial deodorants he had used before we met. He loves this recipe and always asks me to make more when we run out.
Keep in mind that you will want to use a quality, pure essential oil. Many oils can be diluted or are not pure, therapeutic grade quality. Unfortunately, even some oils on the market that are labeled pure and therapeutic are not truly 100% essential oil. Others may not be sourced from the proper plant origin and therefore have less therapeutic quality than a quality oil.
You will want to use a high quality oil in this recipe. In fact, some oils are not safe for application to the skin due to the questionable sourcing. Therefore, I encourage you to always use a quality, high-grade therapeutic oil. If you’d like to know what we use, be sure to subscribe to our blog and opt in to learn more about my favorite. Using a high-quality essential oil will increase the effectiveness of this deoderant recipe.
I hope you find the same great success that we have! If you try this recipe, let us know what you think in the comments.
