One of my favorite DIY products is the deodorant I create in my kitchen.
Why in my kitchen instead of simply going to the store? Because when deodorant is made in my kitchen, it contains no aluminum zirconium, no parabens, and no propylene glycol. What it does contain is coconut oil, shea butter, baking soda, corn starch or arrow root, and therapeutic grade essential oils. It takes less time for me to make it myself and saves me a lot of money. Plus, it works better for me.
I have always been one of those women who was unable to control the odor, no matter how strong the over the counter stuff was. And perspiration? Forget about it.
But, did you know? We shouldn’t be controlling that perspiration anyway. Our bodies are designed to self-regulate temperature (called thermoregulation), clear toxins, and function like a well oiled machine. That process involves perspiration. The odor, on the other hand, comes from the overgrowth of naturally occurring bacteria on our skin.
Over the years, I tried nearly everything, stopping short of the prescription types of antiperspirants. I spent the fortune of a small country on all of the various types of organic and natural deodorants on the market. Not one of them worked for me and some of them even made me smell worse (yuck!).
Why does mine work so well for me? In part because I don’t use it everyday, my body doesn’t build up a resistance to it. I eat higher quality foods. I also regularly detox my armpits. We’ll talk about ‘pit detox’ in a future post.
The essential oils I use to create the deodorant are high quality, therapeutic grade. No fillers and junk. There is also no fillers or junk in any of the other ingredients.
If you are interested in making your own deodorant, as well, you can do it with just a few simple ingredients. There are many recipes on the internet, this is a modification of the one I like the best.
3 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons shea butter
3 tbsp aluminum free baking soda
2 tbsp arrowroot or corn starch
10 drops of essential oils – I use a combination of melaluca (3 drops), peppermint (3 drops), frankincense (3 drops), and lavender (1 drop)
Heat coconut oil and shea butter together in double boiler until just melted
Add essential oil
Mix together
Sift together baking soda and corn starch
Sprinkle slowly into oil mixture
Pour into container
Allow to set up.
A lot of people add beeswax for a firmer consistency, more shea butter for more creaminess, or liquid coconut oil and no shea butter to use in a roll on. All of these are wonderful options.
A few tidbits to know about using the above homemade deodorant, the base is a little oilier than you will most likely be used to. Leave a few extra minutes for it to soak into your skin before putting your clothes on to keep the oil from getting on your clothes. I usually put it on just after toweling off, when my skin is warm and the pores are open. It soaks in and soothes my skin, especially if I have shaved that day (That was another thing I had issues with – over the counter deodorants irritated my skin if I shaved that day).
Some people, myself included, sometimes experience an itch and discomfort when first using this deodorant. That occurs because of the detoxifying properties of the baking soda. When this occurs, I usually do a clay detox and make the opportunity to clean up my diet. I often experience discomfort when I have been eating too far off my program.
That’s it. It really is that simple.
Do you make your own deodorant? How does your recipe differ? I would love to hear about it in the comments below.
If you want to learn more about essential oils, please use the contact me form.
*Originally appeared on Starfish Warriors: http://wp.me/p3XH3X-38
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