# Deodorizing soap?



## summerflyy (Aug 3, 2014)

My friend have problem with BO and he had to go to lengths to hide his BO. [That's what he said because I didn't know about his BO until he told me that he had painstakingly hid all his smell when he goes out with me] 

He wanted me to help him to make a soap that could cut his pain a little. I saw the video on soaping 101 when alum was used. I am wondering if alum is the same thing as alum powder used in baking or are they different?

I have also seen people using baking soda to make a deodorizing soap. How does this work? Does it even work? Are there anyone who worked with baking soda/powder in soaps and also alum powder? 

Thank you !


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Aug 3, 2014)

There was another thread on this subject before - I can't remember the consensus, but bear in mind that soap is a wash-off product.  Even if a deoderising soap can be made, I don't see the effects lasting very long at all.

I mix baking powder with corn flour (ratio 1:1 is too strong for me, so will make a 1:2) and then mix with coconut oil until it is a paste.  Smear on and enjoy a BO bug free day


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## summerflyy (Aug 3, 2014)

Thank you Efficacious Gentlemen ! I will tell my friend. It's just that I thought it would be worth a try. I think I know which thread you are talking about. I was reading it but there wasn't really a consensus. 

Someone used it and someone said it would throw the chemistry off. That's why I hoped someone who tried would be able to tell me how it was. But if not, i'll try it out myself and see how it works.


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## lsg (Aug 3, 2014)

Your friend may have a medical problem, maybe he should see a doctor.  Diet also plays a part in body odor.  Food supplements can also help.

http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/9-ways-to-naturally-treat-body-odor


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## seven (Aug 3, 2014)

alum that i'm familiar with is formed like a transparent rock. i think it is water soluble. i'm not familiar with the powdered form.


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## LBussy (Aug 3, 2014)

I don't know about using it in soap, but powdered alum mixed in water (1 TBsp to 1 cup) will make a very effective deodorant (feet, pits, whatever).  Yes the block of alum sold for shaving or as a "stick" deodorant is the same as the powdered stuff sold for making pickles.


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## Aline (Aug 3, 2014)

Isn't aluminum/aluminium toxic?


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## dixiedragon (Aug 3, 2014)

Not a soap-making answer, but I suggest your friend go to an outdoor store. They have products that remove human odor for people hunting deer, etc, and those people are SERIOUS about removing human odor. Two brands I have experience with and recommend - Hunter's Specialties and Wildlife Research Center.

I was on a road trip and went several days without a shower (we were camping). I used some Hunter's specialties' foam on my bra and my armpits and the smell was GONE.

I know a woman who has a disabled son who is fed through a tube in his stomach. His food is very high protein and gives him serious BO. She just spritzs him with Wildlife Research Center spray. These products eliminate the odor, not covering it up.


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## LBussy (Aug 3, 2014)

Aline said:


> Isn't aluminum/aluminium toxic?


Potassium Alum does contain Aluminum.  The "bad" aluminum compounds which people tend to try to avoid are aluminum chlorohydrate, aluminum chloride, aluminum hydroxybromide or aluminum zirconium - all found in antiperspirants.  These are "sucked into" into the pores and clog them so that one sweats less.  Alum is rubbed onto the skin and is a natural vasoconstrictor so it's natural effects on the body tend to make it less available for absorption  through the skin.  Ions generally do have a tough time being absorbed through t skin anyway.  I suspect you might get ore aluminum in your body through drinking municipal water (where aluminum compounds are used to floc water) than from rubbing it on your skin.  Proper MSDS warnings often say "Aluminum is very poorly absorbed through the skin."

Alum is used in baking powder, pickles, maraschino cherries and other foodstuff and a gastrointestinal route is far more likely to allow it to be absorbed - the stomach's acid allowing many compounds to be stripped of metals and allows them to be absorbed.  It's also commercially used as a mordant for dyes into cloth and paper.  I suspect you come into contact with it more than you think.

I try to stay away from all the BS about chemicals are bad, yadda yadda.  Everything is a chemical.  I know there are far less chemicals in an alum-water solution than in the "pure" soaps people make.  I'll bet there's less chemicals in that solution than whatever else the OP's friend is using to control BO now.

I have used alum for years after shaving - millions of men do world-wide.  If you go searching on the Internet you find facts (low toxicity mostly dealing with irritation in large amounts) and "experts" telling you that it can be absorbed.  I also found a few websites that say copper wristwear cures arthritis.  You can find any opinion you want on the Internet.  The facts that are out there though are conspicuously missing any warnings about absorbing aluminum in the amounts in a reasonable application.

http://www.esciencelabs.com/files/andrea.rex/Alum.pdf


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## summerflyy (Aug 3, 2014)

dixiedragon said:


> Not a soap-making answer, but I suggest your friend go to an outdoor store. They have products that remove human odor for people hunting deer, etc, and those people are SERIOUS about removing human odor. Two brands I have experience with and recommend - Hunter's Specialties and Wildlife Research Center.
> 
> I was on a road trip and went several days without a shower (we were camping). I used some Hunter's specialties' foam on my bra and my armpits and the smell was GONE.
> 
> I know a woman who has a disabled son who is fed through a tube in his stomach. His food is very high protein and gives him serious BO. She just spritzs him with Wildlife Research Center spray. These products eliminate the odor, not covering it up.




Thank you ! I'll see if I can find an outdoor store here and see what I can find there !


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## summerflyy (Aug 3, 2014)

LBussy said:


> Potassium Alum does contain Aluminum.  The "bad" aluminum compounds which people tend to try to avoid are aluminum chlorohydrate, aluminum chloride, aluminum hydroxybromide or aluminum zirconium - all found in antiperspirants.




Thank you for the information  ! It's good to know that it's fine to use. You have given extensive information and I'll be sure to keep this in mind !


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## trilloneal (Aug 14, 2014)

*from what ive learned*

From what I've learned making my own successful deodorant is that odor is cause by bacteria. I have a mix of essential oils to fight it that might help, you could probably make a lotion or a soap and add this mixture to it. My deodorant is successful because it stay all day. So I'm not sure if the soap will help. But i am sure bacteria causing odor will die!

ok grab
-20 drops of clove essential oil
-18 drops of lemon essential oil
-10 drops of cinnamon essential oil
-8 drops of eucalyptus essential oil
-5 drops of rosemary essential oil

into a dropper bottle(dark one). If you are going to apply directly to skin you might want to diluted wit 20 - 40 drops of a softer oil like almond oil. REMEMBER ESSENTIAL OILS ARE STRONG AND CAN SOMETIMES IRRITATE SKIN IF NOT DILUTED .
If you are using it for soap or lotion just add normally as you would.



*Clove essential oil* is analgesic, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, a strong antiseptic, and an immune stimulant (among il-other things…)
*Lemon essential oil* is antiviral, antifungal, antiseptic, and antidepressant (among other things…)
*Cinnamon essential oil* is antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiviral, antiparasitic, and anti-infectious (among other things…)
*Eucalyptus essential oil* is analgesic, antibacterial, anti-infectious, antiviral, and an expectorant (among other things…)
*Rosemary essential oil* is analgesic, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-infectious, and also an expectorant (among other things…)


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## dixiedragon (Aug 14, 2014)

Normally, body odor is caused by bacteria. The bacteria eat the nutrients in your sweat and their waste is what you smell. But that's not always the case. Sometimes people with certain illnesses (like diabetes) or on a high protein diet or other special diet can have a strong odor, even if they are clean. The smell can be in the sweat itself, vs the bacteria.


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## DeeAnna (Aug 14, 2014)

"...If you are going to apply directly to skin you might want to diluted wit 20 - 40 drops of a softer oil like almond oil...."

Are you saying to dilute a batch of EOs totaling 240 drops with just 20-40 drops of carrier oil (almond) for direct skin use? If so, that's not much dilution for a very strong mixture of EOs. Can you clarify what you mean?

I also question the wisdom of using cinnamon and clove EOs in a recipe intended for use on the skin, especially for a product that would routinely be used every day. These EOs can burn the skin and cause serious allergic reactions. Whether they are in the recipe just for their scent or also for their antimicrobial value, there are other EOs that are much safer for skin use.

Cinnamon EO, whether from the bark, leaf, or bud, is a known dermal irritant and sensitizer. Cinnamon bark and cinnamon bud EOs are not recommended for use on the skin at all. Cinnamon leaf EO is safer than bark or bud, but still should be used at 1% or less on the skin.

Clove is also a known irritant and sensitizer. Clove leaf EO or clove stem EO is not recommended for use on skin at all. Clove bud is safer, but still not recommended for skin use except in small areas and for a limited amount of time, such as treating the pain of a toothache. 

The lemon, eucalyptus, and rosemary EOs are safer compared with cinnamon and clove, but a small amount of any EO goes a very long ways.

As a blend for use in soap, I would think this would be safer, since soap is a wash off product and the EOs are greatly diluted. But as a blend for a leave-on product to be used daily, I would have serious reservations about using it.


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## Stacy (Aug 14, 2014)

http://www.diynatural.com/natural-homemade-deodorant/

I use this as a deodorant, but I have no experience based on anyone other than my small family circle. We find that it works well, but in the summer if we're running around a lot you might have to use it more than once a day.

In a 4 ounce bottle I use the following EO:
[FONT=&quot]10 drops peppermint
10 [/FONT][FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]drops [/FONT]Tea Tree
10 [/FONT][FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]drops [/FONT]Lemon

Be careful with the oil concentration, I don't think I'd want to have [/FONT][FONT=&quot][/FONT]irritated armpits!


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## DeeAnna (Aug 14, 2014)

30 drops of EO in 4 ounces total of liquid is roughly a 1% concentration of EO -- that's pretty safe!


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## trilloneal (Aug 14, 2014)

i only use a couple of drops on my deo. i don't use the whole mixture. and sorry i revised my last post :crazy: i was trying to create something similar to*Doterra Onguard*


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## DeeAnna (Aug 14, 2014)

I get the point about what you are trying to do, but I have to say that I'd doublecheck the safety of any EO blend, especially those from DT and YL, with a very critical eye. DoTerra and Young Living promote unsafe use of EOs (check out "raindrop therapy" for starters), and I have very little to say that's positive about either company.

I recommend these online sources for reputable balanced information about EOs:

Aromaweb: http://aromaweb.com/  Aromaweb actually gives specific information about EOs, both pro and con, rather than the usual laundry list of supposed health benefits. For example, the info on Lemon EO includes this caution: "Safety Information: Lemon Oil is phototoxic. [Robert Tisserand, Essential Oil Safety (United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone, 1995), 207.] Do not use Lemon Oil if the area of application will be exposed to sunlight for 24 hours due to its phototoxicity."

Also see Robert Tisserand's website: http://roberttisserand.com/


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## Candybee (Aug 14, 2014)

The recipe is for 61 drops of EOs. Not 240.

I do agree with the dillution factor and use of irratant EOs like clove and cinnamon. Ever drop one drop of cinnamon oil on your finger and acccidentally rub an eye? Yowzer! I will never forget the pain and how long it took before the sting stopped.


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## coffeetime (Aug 14, 2014)

Candybee said:


> The recipe is for 61 drops of EOs. Not 240.




It has been revised since the original post.


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## trilloneal (Aug 14, 2014)

thanks for the info!


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