tjturner
Active Member
I have a customer wanting me to make some deodorant in a deodorant tube and just wondering if anyone has made a deodorant before and how did it turn out
Making Deodorant
- Thread starter tjturner
- Start date
Help Support Soapmaking Forum:
I haven't made one but I do use "alternative" deodorant and have tried many that don't work so great. I would ask your customer if they have used something that worked for them -- i.e., specific ingredients or bases, or perhaps even ingredients they are trying to avoid. That will help you narrow it down and meet their expectations better.
I'm a big fan of alum crystals, which can be made at home (google it), but if that's not what they're looking for then don't waste your time.
I'm a big fan of alum crystals, which can be made at home (google it), but if that's not what they're looking for then don't waste your time.
A
amd
Tried about 5 different recipes and went to Tom's brand. I was incredibly sensitive to baking soda and couldn't find anything else (clays, diatomaceous earth etc) that didn't stain my clothes.
I would also ask them about their needs. Do they just want scent and some anti-bacterial qualities? Do they sweat a lot or a little? Have they been satisfied with other alternative products? I'd not why not? I agree that asking what they are tying to avoid would be helpful as well.
Their answers may determine whether you can give them what they are looking for. Some people want an alternative version of Secret or Degree. I haven't found any alternative product that can control sweating and odor as well as commercial for those who have heavy sweating and strong odor. I'm not saying that it doesn't exist, or is not possible. I am just saying that you may benefit from knowing exactly how much of a challenge lies ahead of you with this project.
Their answers may determine whether you can give them what they are looking for. Some people want an alternative version of Secret or Degree. I haven't found any alternative product that can control sweating and odor as well as commercial for those who have heavy sweating and strong odor. I'm not saying that it doesn't exist, or is not possible. I am just saying that you may benefit from knowing exactly how much of a challenge lies ahead of you with this project.
green soap
Well-Known Member
I made one with baking soda that would 'sorta' work in the push up tubes. After using it for a while i developed a reaction to it, so I stopped making it.
The one I use now has no soda or clays, it is just shea butter, almond oil, and a very complex blend of antiseptic essential oils. It is in a paste form, so the user has to wash their hands after use. This bothers some people, but I find it very effective. I have been using it for a couple of years, works well to deodorize and I do get very sweaty and dirty. No bad reaction what so ever. Not commercializable though, folks want the pop up or roll on kind, and it is too expensive to make for general sale.
The one I use now has no soda or clays, it is just shea butter, almond oil, and a very complex blend of antiseptic essential oils. It is in a paste form, so the user has to wash their hands after use. This bothers some people, but I find it very effective. I have been using it for a couple of years, works well to deodorize and I do get very sweaty and dirty. No bad reaction what so ever. Not commercializable though, folks want the pop up or roll on kind, and it is too expensive to make for general sale.
Dahila
Well-Known Member
I used my deos for over two years but finally went for tom's too. Mine do not irritate the skin but the butters leave stain on my shirts
Trix
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2015
- Messages
- 150
- Reaction score
- 53
Funny i see this today after i saw one nearby shop selling tiny bottles of deodrant powder...what are the ingredients? Baking soda, tea tree oil and lavender oil...at a lrice where you could buy a few boxes of baking soda and DIY.
I am another big fan of alum crystals here but not sure how they will work in a push up....
I am another big fan of alum crystals here but not sure how they will work in a push up....
Yooper
Well-Known Member
I don't have sensitive skin at all, and mine was coconut oil, baking soda, a bit of cornstarch, and EOs. I live in a cool/cold climate so it stayed firm in the push up container, but for a warmer climate some shea butter or cocoa butter would work for firmness.
I've read of arrowroot powder being used, but didn't try that.
I've read of arrowroot powder being used, but didn't try that.
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2014
- Messages
- 241
- Reaction score
- 179
Totally, that's my thinking about it too... However.... the average person doesn't want to DIY, they want it already done for them. They don't have time, they're not crafty, they'd rather drink wine.... lol.
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2007
- Messages
- 17,998
- Reaction score
- 8,493
Susan, on the Swiftcraftymonkey blog, has several recipes for deodorant.
I use zinc oxide mixed with co and cornflour. It's basically sun block, too, so it isn't particularly inconspicuous if you're going with a strappy little number and showing your underarms (not something I often do) so for me it is no problem. Could maybe up the zinc and use less product over all. It's not as good as the baking powder but then I also have no adverse reaction to the zinc like I did with the baking powder.
Maybe adding in tea tree would give it that boost that it needs. Adding something other than cornflour, that in itself also has anti bacterial properties might then make it really effective.........
Sounds like I also have some experiments to do
Maybe adding in tea tree would give it that boost that it needs. Adding something other than cornflour, that in itself also has anti bacterial properties might then make it really effective.........
Sounds like I also have some experiments to do
I really, really wouldn't sell a product with baking soda, unless it's only a tiny % and well tested on a wide variety of people. The alkalinity of the baking soda can be very irritating on the tender skin of the underarms -- to the point of getting red, swollen, painful, and even sores. I don't think I'd want to take that kind of risk.
navigator9
Well-Known Member
Made my own, it worked well, but after several weeks the baking soda turned my armpits fire engine red. I tried a couple of recipes without baking soda, they contained clay, and I noticed marks on my clothing. I was going to try Tom's, but eek, the price. Instead, I discovered that the crystal deodorant now comes in a push up tube, and it's nice and smooth, not like that chunk of rock that they used to sell. It was 6 dollars and change, but the label says it lasts a year. I'm liking it well enough so far. I think deodorant is one DIY that I'm giving up on.
TVivian
Well-Known Member
Here's my deodorant recipe:
2oz beeswax
2oz cocoa butter
2oz coconut oil
1/3 C cornstarch
2 T baking soda
Fragrance oil
Melt the oils, sift in the powders, add fragrance, stick blend and pour into molds. This recipe works great in a tube, but it also holds its shape enough (it's basically a lotion bar) to rub onto skin. It's been working well for me, but I'm not particularly fragrant or sweaty.. Or skin sensitive.
It's over 100 degrees today and these are sitting out on my kitchen counter.
2oz beeswax
2oz cocoa butter
2oz coconut oil
1/3 C cornstarch
2 T baking soda
Fragrance oil
Melt the oils, sift in the powders, add fragrance, stick blend and pour into molds. This recipe works great in a tube, but it also holds its shape enough (it's basically a lotion bar) to rub onto skin. It's been working well for me, but I'm not particularly fragrant or sweaty.. Or skin sensitive.
It's over 100 degrees today and these are sitting out on my kitchen counter.
FlybyStardancer
Well-Known Member
I make my own as well, but wouldn't sell it. I started with a recipe that called for baking soda and cornstartch, mixed with coconut oil and EOs. On a suggestion on the recipe, I switched some of the CO for cocoa butter, which made it a little bit harder (at least in winter, I have to leave it in the fridge from spring to early fall). It was fine when I only needed to wear it for 3-4 days a week (if not less). Then I suddenly needed to wear it 6 days a week for several weeks in a row...and the baking soda started to irritate. I ended up swapping out the baking soda for zinc oxide. For me it works, but I sweated a lot even with superpowered commercial antiperspirants. For me, sweating is just a fact of life. I'll sweat buckets even while I"m shivering from being cold. I haven't noticed any extra staining from my deodorant compared to commercial... but that may be because I sweat so much. Even if the deodorant wasn't staining, I was still getting stains from the sweat itself.
I have a 'system' that includes 5 different store-bought, 'natural-type' deodorants from the health-food store that I use on a rotating basis (a different one each day to maintain effectiveness and to minimize sensitivity), and I just took a gander at the ingredients. All are different from each other in one way or another, but the one thing they all have in common near the top of the ingredient list is sodium stearate.....oh- and none of them include any oil(s) in the ingredients. All of them work great for me and none of them stain my clothes.
I mention this because I also have one other deodorant (from Wholefoods) that is very similar to some of the recipes mentioned in this thread.
The ingredients of that one in order are: coconut oil, beeswax, corn starch, cocoa butter, shea butter, saccharomyces ferment (the same deodorant additive that BB sells), and fragrance. It worked fine for me, too, but it's the only deodorant in my 'system' that stains my clothes something awful, and so I took it out of my line of rotation and shelved it after only 2 tries because it nearly ruined two of my most favorite blouses, and I wasn't even sweating! After about 3 treatments of my trusty oil stain remover (vinegar and Dawn Ultra), they are almost back to normal now, but I've decided I won't be using that particular deodorant again unless I'm wearing something grubby to do housework in or something..
This all has me curious, though. I'm wondering how hard/easy it would be to make a homemade deodorant using a base of sodium stearate instead of clothes-staining oils/butters?
IrishLass
I mention this because I also have one other deodorant (from Wholefoods) that is very similar to some of the recipes mentioned in this thread.
The ingredients of that one in order are: coconut oil, beeswax, corn starch, cocoa butter, shea butter, saccharomyces ferment (the same deodorant additive that BB sells), and fragrance. It worked fine for me, too, but it's the only deodorant in my 'system' that stains my clothes something awful, and so I took it out of my line of rotation and shelved it after only 2 tries because it nearly ruined two of my most favorite blouses, and I wasn't even sweating! After about 3 treatments of my trusty oil stain remover (vinegar and Dawn Ultra), they are almost back to normal now, but I've decided I won't be using that particular deodorant again unless I'm wearing something grubby to do housework in or something..
This all has me curious, though. I'm wondering how hard/easy it would be to make a homemade deodorant using a base of sodium stearate instead of clothes-staining oils/butters?
IrishLass
I was also making some for awhile with .7% baking soda, after about 6-8 months it started irritating me. It did not stain but instead of coconut oil I use pko
Dahila
Well-Known Member
Dahila- you can make sodium stearate by saponifying stearic acid with lye.
So, Susan has deodorant recipes using sodium stearate? Off to look......
IrishLass
So, Susan has deodorant recipes using sodium stearate? Off to look......
IrishLass
