"Hard" Babassu oil for deodorant?

[cerelife]

Just a note about the hardness of HowieRoll's recipe:
It IS a bit hard right now since our temps have been averaging in the 40's for the past week here in the deep South during a cold snap. AND we live in an old antebellum home with 15-foot ceilings (super hard to keep warm)!!
But I wouldn't want to change the hardness because this is SOOOO not our norm! Even with the cold temps, we've found that if we hold the tube of deodorant against our armpits for about 5 seconds before gliding it on, it works like a dream Nice even application with no tugging or smearing!
I'll let y'all know how it behaves when we get back to our normal Southern temps

 

[HowieRoll]

Yes, the recipe became a bit too hard for me, too, as summer changed to fall. The thing is, one of my previous iterations was 56.5% Babassu, 35% Mag Hydroxide, 4% Ewax, 4% Cetyl Alcohol, and .5% fragrance. It was way too soft during summer, and I found myself using a 90g deodorant container every 2 months. Then I made the recipe referenced in post #9 in early August, and thought it was fantastic... until early August weather turned into insta-winter here in Wisconsin in late October. Even so, the 90g batch lasted me a solid 3 months because it wasn't as soft as earlier versions, meaning I wasn't using quite as much during application and was still just as effective.

Yesterday I made a batch that is 51% Babassu, 30% Mag Hydroxide, 9% Ewax, 9.5% Cetyl Alcohol, and 0.5% Fragrance. I'll have to see how this one is during colder temps (i.e. hopefully it won't rip the hide off my pits - @DeeAnna, I'm all too familiar with the unhappy pit sensation with too-hard deodorant!), but am beginning to think there may need to be a winter version and summer version.

By the way, @cerelife, thanks for the tip about using a frother to mix in the magnesium hydroxide. I always thought it would be too thick to use my mini-mixer for the job, but tried it out yesterday and it worked a dream!

 

[DeeAnna]

The "rip my pits off" version was a total of 50% BTMS + cetyl alcohol with 30% babassu and the rest mag hyd. Not good. I think you're pretty safe at 18-19% E-wax + cetyl!

The version I'm using now is about 38% BTMS + cetyl alcohol with 46% babassu and the rest being mag hyd. It works much better for me, even with the house being cooler nowadays. Like Cerelife, I warm the deo against my armpit for a moment or two -- not long -- and then apply. Works very well.

My only concern with this latest batch is whether it's controlling odor well enough at 15% mag hydroxide. I'm still not sure. It seems to be working better now, and I have been wondering if the odd odor I noticed earlier was related to the new FO I used in this batch, more than my pits being actually smelly. Or maybe a temporary body change that's corrected itself. Whatever the reason, the odor issue seems to be gone. I'll keep using this deo for some months to make sure that it's controlling odor well enough or not.

 

[SoaperForLife]

Since following the Defunk thread, it has always been my understanding that it's the babassu that fights the bacteria present under your arm. According to Making Cosmetics, magnesium hydroxide has the following benefits:

• Has effective oil-absorbent properties binding the oil on skin and from inside the pore lining
• Widely used as filler and texturizer
• Can be used to neutralize acids (pH < 7.0) but reacts only slowly. Cannot increase the pH further in products with a pH > 7.0.

Use: Typical use level is 0.2-1.5% when used as pH adjuster. When used as absorbent, filler or texturizer, it can be used at up to 30%. For external use only.
If you go by what Making Cosmetics says, only a very small percentage could actually be attributed to fighting body odor. The rest aids in product "feel" and sops up sweat. Perhaps the large percentage used actually plugs the sweat glands and that is how it works...

 

[DeeAnna]

I'm puzzled. The info you provided doesn't seem to support your conclusions.

I will also say I'm skeptical about your idea that mag hydroxide might plug the sweat glands. I get cysts and infections from antiperspirants because of their ability to do this. I'm quite certain I'd know by now if mag hydroxide had this ability.

 

[SoaperForLife]

I'm puzzled. The info you provided doesn't seem to support your conclusions.

I will also say I'm skeptical about your idea that mag hydroxide might plug the sweat glands. I get cysts and infections from antiperspirants because of their ability to do this. I'm quite certain I'd know by now if mag hydroxide had this ability.

So then, how or what do you think Magnesium hydroxide brings to the table? And I'm only asking this because I did some googling and didn't find any attributes other than as a ph adjuster at less than 2%... you probably know more about it than I do and I'm curious... I'm always curious when I see something being used in a recipe that I know nothing about.

 

[lolaM]

Iv'e been following all these "de-funk da pits" and related threads for sometime now. I long ago gave up on my quest for a natural homemade deodorant but considering giving it another go with all the amazing info you have all contributed. My question is (And please excuse my ignorance here folks!) But what exactly is Magnesium hydroxide? And where can i buy it in Canada? I know that Epsom salts are Magnesium sulfate but i can't find the "hydroxide" available to buy anywhere other than amazon in large quantity.
Im about to place an order at Candora and they stock "Magnesium Chloride flakes" would this be a comparable product?

 

[soapmaker]

Cerelife: some things I order from NDA are essential oils, dark patchouli, lemongrass, spearmint, and eucalyptus are the ones I use the most, although I do also have the Japanese Peppermint, Spanish Rosemary and Texas Cedarwood. I also use their silk peptides, ground pumice and french clays (I have pink and green from them). I want to get their dead sea mud but I know I won't use 2.2lbs on my own! I haven't tried any of their FO's, but I will probably add a few to my next order just out of curiosity.

Kind of off topic but I wanted to comment that NDA's Supreme Peppermint is definitely worth the cost over Japanese Peppermint. And if you like fruity smells and plan to try some F.O. try Manchurian Dragon. Very popular.

 

[DeeAnna]

...what exactly is Magnesium hydroxide? And where can i buy it in Canada? ... they stock "Magnesium Chloride flakes" would this be a comparable product?

IMO, it needs to be magnesium hydroxide, Mg(OH)2.

Magnesium chloride is Mg(Cl)2. Magnesium sulfate is MgSO4. These salts aren't the same as magnesium hydroxide, and I'm very doubtful they will have the same effect. It's like thinking sodium chloride (table salt) will do the same thing that sodium hydroxide does. Not remotely true!

Seems like someone did try one of the magnesium salts in the "Defunk" thread, but I don't remember for sure -- all I seem to recall is whatever the person tried didn't work well.

Not sure about where to get it in Canada. Do you have a "GNC" store somewhere near you, perhaps? Or other type of a store that caters to people who want to buy health supplements. Maybe there are some Canadians who will have better advice for a source.

 

[lolaM]

Thanks DeeAnna. I shall wait to see if any other Canadians have any ideas of where to buy it then. And i guess keep my eyes peeled at various health food stores

 

[MGM]

My NDA babassu is almost identical to coconut oil in texture (I don't know its melting point. It's 19C in the house right now). Now, I did order from the Canadian store, about 6 months ago, so perhaps they have a different stock? In terms of what to order from NDA...it's my main supplier and I like all of their stuff (although perhaps I just don't know any better!). I love all of the FO I've received: even if I don't agree with the official description or the reviewers' comments, I still like the fragrance. Among EOs, the only one I actively dislike is Cedarwood (Atlas). I found Coffee EO smelled fantastic OOB but didn't impart much fragrance to products; I think this may be an issue with Coffee EOs in general, though. Anyway, if you have any questions about NDA products/fragrances, I'd be happy to offer my opinion. As you can see, I have a few to choose from

 

[Gaisy59]

Hi I’m from Winnipeg and i buy my babassu from New Directions online. Keep in mind that they have two kinds, oil and butter. The oil is softer. I buy both as i use them in my deo as well as soap making. As far as the magnesium i order that from Amazon

 

[SoaperForLife]

Sort of an interesting thread on the Chemists Corner forum about using magnesium in a deodorant...https://chemistscorner.com/cosmeticsciencetalk/discussion/3712/working-with-magnesium