# Deodorant with flower water



## Amonik (Oct 27, 2019)

I’ve been trying homemade deodorants. Coconut oil + bicarb worked ok most days but some of my tops got grease stains.  Coconut oil+ magnesium hydroxide didn’t seem as effective and the grease problem persisted. Third experiment was with rose water and mag. hydroxide. Only tried it for three days yet, but it seems to work ok.

Questions:

1) anyone else tried this? 

2) is there a meaningful difference between cosmetic rosewater and the cooking stuff? The one I have now is meant for cooking, are the expensive flower waters from essential oil companies more concentrated or something?

3) what preservative would you suggest for this? I have it in a pump bottle now and apply with my hands, but mean to get a roll-on bottle if my experiment is successful. So a lot of contact with skin + I would like to be able to make 2-3 bottles at a time, it needs a decent shelf life.

Alright, this experiment is moving on! The flower water+magnesium does not do it for me. My next candidate is a recipe from Mommypotamus. It’s a stick with butters, beeswax, magnesium and kaolin clay.


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## shunt2011 (Oct 30, 2019)

Did you check the thread here for deodorant?  

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/making-deodorant.56144/page-4#post-741652


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## DeeAnna (Oct 30, 2019)

Amonik said:


> ...a recipe from Mommypotamus. It’s a stick with butters, beeswax, magnesium and kaolin clay.



If you got grease stains on your clothing from coconut oil, I _really _doubt your clothing will like beeswax and butters. Especially with clay mixed in. Take Shari's hint and read her link for the current thinking about effective, non-staining deodorant.


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## IrishLass (Oct 30, 2019)

Ditto what Deanna said. Stay away from coconut oil and butters....they will give you oil-slick stains. The best oil to use for a homemade deodorant is babassu oil. That's what I use for mine, because it does not stain and it also has some natural bacteria- fighting activity in it. The deodorant I make contains only babassu oil and magnesium hydroxide powder. It mixes up like a thick cream which I apply to my pits with my fingers. It works great at keeping the stink away without causing any irritation to my pits or oil slick stains to my shirts/blouses.


IrishLass 


*Edited to add *that I use a ratio of 60% magnesium hydroxide to 40% babassu oil.


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## Amonik (Oct 31, 2019)

I’ve read all the deo threads I could find... Haven’t been able to locate babassu oil that isn’t too spendy with the shipping (I’m in Sweden).


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## Obsidian (Oct 31, 2019)

Babassu is pretty pricey but its worth it if you want to go the natural deodorant route.

I also use just it with magnesium and its amazing how well it does work.

I've tried other natural deo and I might as well used nothing, they didn't work at all.


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## Amonik (Nov 1, 2019)

Obsidian said:


> Babassu is pretty pricey but its worth it if you want to go the natural deodorant route.



That’s just the thing - ”natural” isn’t really a meaningful concept to me when it comes to cosmetics. I like to make stuff because it’s creative and I get to choose scents etc. It’s not worth it for me to make deodorant if it’s a big hassle or really expensive.

Thanks everyone who weighed in on this thread, I appreciate it


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## SoaperForLife (Nov 8, 2019)

You can successfully use other butters in your recipe and not worry about staining and the deodorant will work fine.  The real key to the deodorant is the percentage of magnesium hydroxide.  My recipe uses cupuacu and sal butter and works great.


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## Amonik (Nov 8, 2019)

SoaperForLife said:


> You can successfully use other butters in your recipe and not worry about staining and the deodorant will work fine.  The real key to the deodorant is the percentage of magnesium hydroxide.  My recipe uses cupuacu and sal butter and works great.



So what, in your opinion, is the right percentage?


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## SoaperForLife (Nov 9, 2019)

Amonik said:


> So what, in your opinion, is the right percentage?


My current recipe is around 26% but I am going to increase the percentage this next go round.  A while back, Earlene had posted her recipe in the de-funk de pits thread (which, if you're interested in making deodorant is THE best place to start reading).  On a whim, I whipped up a small batch and found that the higher percentage gave slightly better results with no adverse skin effects.  I copied her recipe below for you to use as a jumping off point. 
49% babassu oil
42% MgOH
5% Rice Bran Wax
3% Cera Bellina Wax
1% FO


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## Amonik (Nov 10, 2019)

I need to make some with more magnesium, definitely! The Mommypotamus stick is not effective at all. Maybe I’ll combine the magnesium with bicarb or zink.  I also want to try a recipe with cetyl alcohol instead of beeswax.


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## IrishLass (Nov 10, 2019)

I use 60% in mine with no issues.


IrishLass


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## violets2217 (Nov 10, 2019)

My homemade deodorant is Coconut oil, bees wax, Shea butter, arrowroot powder, a little bit of baking soda... with Tea tree & lavender essential oil. I just started using it. I was amazed how well it worked... until I had a rather active day at work and developed a rash due to chafing from the baking soda. After researching I found you don’t really need the baking soda. So my next batch will be just arrowroot powder. I like it cause it’s a solid, in small batches, with now water... I don’t need to use a preservative. I’ve not had much luck when looking for preservatives. What is this magnesium you speak of? I need to look into that. I’ve not noticed any staining yet!?! Yikes!


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## Deb Walker (Nov 11, 2019)

The baking soda can be problematic with some people.  I was OK for a little while.  Both I and my husband have limited shoulder movement - me with just on arm and it is always that one that becomes rashy.
The best option for me was to emulsify saturated magnesium oil (Mg Cl) in liquid coconut oil.  No need for an emulsifying wax as the Mg does just fine. I use essential oils (non irritating).  This becomes a cream.
I don't use preservatives as this defeats the purpose of reducing chemicals and I figure the antibacterial effect of all of the above ingredients (Mg Cl was used successfully as a disinfecting agent in wounds during WW11. It doesn't damage human cells but my goodness it stings). However I use just a very small jar and keep the rest refrigerated till needed.
Oh I have a little honey in my last one.  No ants  Honey being water based doesn't emulsify but mixes in so long as it doesn't get hot.  Its not sticky because of the small amount used.

Next batch I make I will use Calendula oil (I make my own -50/50 coconut oil/olive oil and calendula petals as an oil extraction for a month - excellent stuff) for its healing and antibacterial properties.  Its hot here so the coconut oil is often liquid for the extraction.

In hot weather I might get a slight rash (one arm) after a while so just use Calendula oil and essential oil for a day or 2.

The Mg cream does not make the oil stain so quickly as straight oil...and I have used my "deodorant" as a leg rub for crampy muscles when traveling and didn't have my normal stuff  Worked well.

This deodorant works very well in our hot humid climate even when I do heavy manual labour outside.


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## LaPrairieLady (Nov 12, 2019)

I add E-Wax, it emulsifies the oil and is not greasy, When I rinse my fingers, it's like a lotion.


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## IrishLass (Nov 12, 2019)

violets2217 said:


> What is this magnesium you speak of? I need to look into that. I’ve not noticed any staining yet!?! Yikes!


 Many of us on the forum use magnesium hydroxide powder as the base of our homemade deodorant instead of baking soda because it works so well without causing irritation. *This is the brand I buy*

It also happens to be the main ingredient of a product called Milk of Magnesia....an  over-the-counter liquid antacid. I'm not sure how it got started, but if you do a web search, you'll see that at some point many folks found a secondary use for Milk of Magnesia as a deodorant that worked really well. The active ingredient in it is magnesium hydroxide. Anyway- as you can see from my link above, you can just buy the active ingredient and use it to make your own deodorant.....or make your own 'Milk of Magnesia' antacid. 


IrishLass


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## violets2217 (Nov 13, 2019)

IrishLass said:


> It also happens to be the main ingredient of a product called Milk of Magnesia....an  over-the-counter liquid antacid. I'm not sure how it got started, but if you do a web search, you'll see that at some point many folks found a secondary use for Milk of Magnesia as a deodorant that worked really well. The active ingredient in it is magnesium hydroxide. Anyway- as you can see from my link above, you can just buy the active ingredient and use it to make your own deodorant.....or make your own 'Milk of Magnesia' antacid.
> 
> 
> IrishLass



now that you’ve mentioned the “milk of magnesium “ I have read about it in my research for homemade deodorant. I was looking for something simple and with ingredients I had on hand... so I probably skipped right over! I’m definitely gonna try it out. The under arm rash was not bad but so not pleasant!!!


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## Aromasuzie (Nov 13, 2019)

Amonik said:


> I’ve been trying homemade deodorants. Coconut oil + bicarb worked ok most days but some of my tops got grease stains.  Coconut oil+ magnesium hydroxide didn’t seem as effective and the grease problem persisted. Third experiment was with rose water and mag. hydroxide. Only tried it for three days yet, but it seems to work ok.
> 
> Questions:
> 
> ...



What you need to look for is rose hydrosol.  That means its the byproduct of the distillation process and will have a small amount of rose oil plus the water soluble components rather than "rose water" that can be a manmade mix of rose fragrance, preservative and water.  The cooking stuff may be ok if it's come from Turkey, where the majority of rose products come from.  I've never used rose water as a deodorant, but have used it as a facial wash/toner and love it.  I do know that its high in plant acids so has a long shelf life.  You could always use the rosewater as a base and add essential oils to it, but will need to add a emulsifier so the oils and water can "hold hands" so to speak.  Voila, homemade deodorant spray


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## Amonik (Nov 30, 2019)

Just a quick update because I’ve finally made a recipe I really like! It’s 50% magnesium hydroxide, 38% sunflower oil, 10% cetyl alcohol and 2% essential and/or fragrance oil. I still have moderately stinky days, but that happened with purchased deos too.


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## SoaperForLife (Nov 30, 2019)

Amonik said:


> Just a quick update because I’ve finally made a recipe I really like! It’s 50% magnesium hydroxide, 38% sunflower oil, 10% cetyl alcohol and 2% essential and/or fragrance oil. I still have moderately stinky days, but that happened with purchased deos too.


Congratulations! Can I ask what fragrance or essential oil you decided on?


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## Amonik (Dec 5, 2019)

SoaperForLife said:


> Congratulations! Can I ask what fragrance or essential oil you decided on?



I’ve made one with lavender and frankincense eo, and one with rose fo.


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## earlene (Dec 7, 2019)

Amonik said:


> Just a quick update because I’ve finally made a recipe I really like! It’s 50% magnesium hydroxide, 38% sunflower oil, 10% cetyl alcohol and 2% essential and/or fragrance oil. I still have moderately stinky days, but that happened with purchased deos too.




Congratulations on finding a recipe that works for you.  I think 50% is what I started out with as well (or close to it, maybe slightly more.)  I am curious about the sunflower oil.  Does it leave any oily residue on your clothing at all?  If so, and you have access to PS80, it's a good stain remover that will release the oil from clothing very well.


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## szaza (Dec 7, 2019)

Amonik said:


> I’ve read all the deo threads I could find... Haven’t been able to locate babassu oil that isn’t too spendy with the shipping (I’m in Sweden).


In case you're still looking for babassu.. have you tried dragonspice.de? Their European shipping is €12,80. Obviously that's a lot if you only want babassu, but they have a bunch of other products and I quite like them (I get my EO's and butters from them)


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## madison (Dec 8, 2019)

SoaperForLife said:


> My current recipe is around 26% but I am going to increase the percentage this next go round.  A while back, Earlene had posted her recipe in the de-funk de pits thread (which, if you're interested in making deodorant is THE best place to start reading).  On a whim, I whipped up a small batch and found that the higher percentage gave slightly better results with no adverse skin effects.  I copied her recipe below for you to use as a jumping off point.
> 49% babassu oil
> 42% MgOH
> 5% Rice Bran Wax
> ...


 I have tried this recipe among several other recipes for deodorant, it worked great, I shared it only with my family as I found that the % from the supplier shouldn't exceed 30%. I also like Irishlass recipe of mixing babassu oil with the MgOH but I use it for myself, my teenagers didn't like the idea of applying it by hand.


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## violets2217 (Dec 9, 2019)

madison said:


> I have tried this recipe among several other recipes for deodorant, it worked great, I shared it only with my family as I found that the % from the supplier shouldn't exceed 30%. I also like Irishlass recipe of mixing babassu oil with the MgOH but I use it for myself, my teenagers didn't like the idea of applying it by hand.


So... Is the recipe you quoted above a solid? I’m not fond of using my hand either...


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## madison (Dec 24, 2019)

violets2217 said:


> So... Is the recipe you quoted above a solid? I’m not fond of using my hand either...


yes, it's solid.


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## cmzaha (Dec 24, 2019)

I use 41.7% Babassu, 30% Magnesium Hydroxide, Btms 25, Carnauba Wax, Illipe Butter, Cetyl Alcohol, Zinc Ricinoleate, Zinc Oxide, and Fragrance. It held up very well during my summer market without leaking fragrance. Sorry, I did not give up all my percentages but I have been working on my formula for almost 2 yrs. I personally use it un-fragranced and it works well.


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## SideDoorSoaps (Dec 24, 2019)

cmzaha said:


> I use 41.7% Babassu, 30% Magnesium Hydroxide, Btms 25, Carnauba Wax, Illipe Butter, Cetyl Alcohol, Zinc Ricinoleate, Zinc Oxide, and Fragrance. It held up very well during my summer market without leaking fragrance. Sorry, I did not give up all my percentages but I have been working on my formula for almost 2 yrs. I personally use it un-fragranced and it works well.



does the carnuba wax have a better glide / hardening than beeswax or do you use it for more of a vegan reason? I just got a beeswax derivative ewax that’s supposed to be smoother in formulations. I’m so excited to try magnesium hydroxide and bassabu that I got yesterday. I also didn’t realize bassabu is solid when cold lol


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## cmzaha (Dec 24, 2019)

SideDoorSoaps said:


> does the carnuba wax have a better glide / hardening than beeswax or do you use it for more of a vegan reason? I just got a beeswax derivative ewax that’s supposed to be smoother in formulations. I’m so excited to try magnesium hydroxide and bassabu that I got yesterday. I also didn’t realize bassabu is solid when cold lol


I find the carnuba does not get sticky like beeswax


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## SideDoorSoaps (Dec 24, 2019)

cmzaha said:


> I find the carnuba does not get sticky like beeswax


Thanks! That makes sense.


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