Deodorant stick - close but not quite

[kinghippy]

So I tried to make a deodorant bar with the following recipe. It came out…ok. I mean I will use it, but I want to improve it. These are the problems I’ve noticed. 1) Despite weighing ~75 grams, it didn’t fill up a 2.5oz empty stick. So I need to make more next time. 2) A touch softer than I hoped. I’m thinking I should maybe increase the amount of wax? 3) It doesn’t so much glide across the skin as you drag it across the skin. I don’t know how to make it more slick.

This is a baking soda free formulation because my skin is sensitive to baking soda (it gives my pits burning red splotches). So that’s intentional if anyone is wondering. It wears nicely, with no irritation, and smells really good.

Recipe:

19 g Arrowroot powder
16 g magnesium oxide powder
14 g beef tallow
9 g shea butter
6 g Abyssian oil
6 g jojoba oil
5 g rice bran wax
12 drops patchouli essential oil
6 drops frankincense essential oil
6 drops lavender essential oil
6 drops tea tree essential oil

Any ideas for improvement?

 

[Lidiacgarcia]

Hi @kinghippy

There's been some talks in this forum about making deodorants.
If you use the upper right corner search you will find a lot of information that will help you.

I have been making deodorant for a few years, you need to try it out and see what you like and works for you. As in effectiveness and the consistency. It depends on the temperature where you live as well. I make it firmer in the summer months.

I tried magnesium and it made me itch. Maybe I should have tried reducing the amount. Then I tried zinc oxide(confirm that the particle size is safe) and diatomaceous earth and it worked for me.

I also noticed that when I spray a bit of Witch hazel on my armpit, let it dry a few minutes, before applying my deodorant that it makes my deodorant more effective. (Just accidentally found this out this summer)

Good luck!

This is my recipe:

 

[AliOop]

Sounds like a nice recipe! I am not familiar with the feel of rice bran wax, but am guessing that it isn't that firm. You could try beeswax instead. My favorite is cera bellina wax (of course, because it is expensive, lol).

For better glide, try some cetyl alcohol. That's what finally eliminated the drag in mine.

 

[kinghippy]

Hi @kinghippy

There's been some talks in this forum about making deodorants.
If you use the upper right corner search you will find a lot of information that will help you.

I have been making deodorant for a few years, you need to try it out and see what you like and works for you. As in effectiveness and the consistency. It depends on the temperature where you live as well. I make it firmer in the summer months.

I tried magnesium and it made me itch. Maybe I should have tried reducing the amount. Then I tried zinc oxide(confirm that the particle size is safe) and diatomaceous earth and it worked for me.

I also noticed that when I spray a bit of Witch hazel on my armpit, let it dry a few minutes, before applying my deodorant that it makes my deodorant more effective. (Just accidentally found this out this summer)

Good luck!

This is my recipe:
View attachment 78547

Hi @kinghippy

There's been some talks in this forum about making deodorants.
If you use the upper right corner search you will find a lot of information that will help you.

I have been making deodorant for a few years, you need to try it out and see what you like and works for you. As in effectiveness and the consistency. It depends on the temperature where you live as well. I make it firmer in the summer months.

I tried magnesium and it made me itch. Maybe I should have tried reducing the amount. Then I tried zinc oxide(confirm that the particle size is safe) and diatomaceous earth and it worked for me.

I also noticed that when I spray a bit of Witch hazel on my armpit, let it dry a few minutes, before applying my deodorant that it makes my deodorant more effective. (Just accidentally found this out this summer)

Good luck!

This is my recipe:
View attachment 78547

I noticed that you are using a lot more wax than I am. So maybe I will try doubling it next time and see how that works. The whole reason that I selected tallow and ride bran wax was because I wanted it to be fairly hard. I almost want a bar that doesn’t even need the plastic applicator on, but that’s not this bar.

I wondered how my skin would hold up to the magnesium, but so far so good. No itching and no burning. I’m a little reluctant to work with zinc oxide since I’ve heard so much about the hazards of breathing it in, even if only accidentally. And I need magnesium anyway for my migraines, so this is a nice convenient way of boosting my magnesium.

 

[kinghippy]

I chose it because it’s supposed to be *more* hard than beeswax and I thought in combination with the tallow it would make a bar that was pretty firm. I will look into cetyl alcohol to give it that nice familiar glide feel, and I think I’m going to double the rice bran wax next time and see what that does.

Sounds like a nice recipe! I am not familiar with the feel of rice bran wax, but am guessing that it isn't that firm. You could try beeswax instead. My favorite is cera bellina wax (of course, because it is expensive, lol).

For better glide, try some cetyl alcohol. That's what finally eliminated the drag in mine.

 

[Lidiacgarcia]

The whole reason that I selected tallow and ride bran wax was because I wanted it to be fairly hard. I almost want a bar that doesn’t even need the plastic applicator on, but that’s not this bar.

I wonder if you're hoping for a deodorant bar. Like this one:
https://www.mommakesjoy.com/all-natural-deodorant-bars/

magnesium, but so far so good. No itching and no burning.

That's great! If this works for you.
Test the amount added to this recipe and see if it's effective for you.

So once you got your active ingredient. And you know of a way that you are going to apply it.
You need to work on the hardness of the deodorant. And how easily it's going to spread.

I would suggest making small deodorants to try it

As for the oils that you want to use. Try them alone on your skin to see how you like the feel of them.

 

[kinghippy]

I wonder if you're hoping for a deodorant bar. Like this one:
https://www.mommakesjoy.com/all-natural-deodorant-bars/

yes, I would LOVE a deodorant bar like that. One of my goals is to cut down my own plastic use. I don’t feel too bad about the old plastic deodorant container because I am reusing it, after all. But ideally I wouldn’t need a plastic applicator because it would be dry to the touch. I’m not sure about how well it will apply like that, though.

 

[Lidiacgarcia]

yes, I would LOVE a deodorant bar like that. One of my goals is to cut down my own plastic use. I don’t feel too bad about the old plastic deodorant container because I am reusing it, after all. But ideally I wouldn’t need a plastic applicator because it would be dry to the touch. I’m not sure about how well it will apply like that

good for you! Less Plastic is also my goal.
My preference was not to have to touch the deodorant if I could avoid it.
I have been using the same dove deodorant container for 3+ years. I just disassemble and clean it with hot water and soap every time I make a new batch. I also place a tape at the bottom of that plastic part that holds the deodorant to avoid wasting material when I fill it.

The bar option was what I also had in mind and just place it in a glass container. Try it and see what works better for you.

If seen online that you can also have these bars ready and just melt them and refill a deodorant container

 

[kinghippy]

good for you! Less Plastic is also my goal.
My preference was not to have to touch the deodorant if I could avoid it.
I have been using the same dove deodorant container for 3+ years. I just disassemble and clean it with hot water and soap every time I make a new batch. I also place a tape at the bottom of that plastic part that holds the deodorant to avoid wasting material when I fill it.

The bar option was what I also had in mind and just place it in a glass container. Try it and see what works better for you.

If seen online that you can also have these bars ready and just melt them and refill a deodorant container

I don’t mind touching it if I can get it feeling like a bar of soap or close to that. So long as it doesn’t rub off on my fingers. But I don’t feel too bad about the reusable Dove container either, since it won’t be going to a landfill anytime soon.

I cut a piece of parchment paper to size and shape and laid it at the bottom to cover the plastic grid.

 

[cmzaha]

There are two big problems with CO: the low melt point and the high chance of the yellow staining of light clothing. I still highly prefer the combination of Magnesium Hydroxide and Babassu Oil as my main ingredients, with some BTMS25, Cety Alcohol, Zinc Ricinoleate, wax of choice, fragrance, kokum butter. Not necessarily in order but the Mag/Babassu is approx 41/32%

 

[kinghippy]

There are two big problems with CO: the low melt point and the high chance of the yellow staining of light clothing. I still highly prefer the combination of Magnesium Hydroxide and Babassu Oil as my main ingredients, with some BTMS25, Cety Alcohol, Zinc Ricinoleate, wax of choice, fragrance, kokum butter. Not necessarily in order but the Mag/Babassu is approx 41/32%

I’m assuming by CO you mean coconut oil? I swapped coconut oil for tallow in this recipe because I was looking for a firmer base. I’ve never worked with babassu oil. Would it be preferable to tallow as the main form of fat in the bar?

 

[cmzaha]

Yes coconut oil can cause yellowing on light-colored clothing.