Making Deodorant

[DeeAnna]

Tom's of Maine deodorant: Propylene glycol, water, sodium stearate, organic Aloe barbadensis leaf juice, zinc ricinoleate (deodorizer), glyceryl laurate (emulsifier/surfactant, skin soothing, bacterial growth inhibitor), natural fragrance, Humulus lupulus (hops) (CO2) extract, organic Helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, ascorbic acid, organic Cymbopogon flexuosus oil.

Susan's post on a basic deodorant:

"...A clear gel stick is generally made by using sodium stearate and a glycol. Sometimes you'll see glycerin, sometimes propylene glycol, and sometimes a combination of these humectants with alcohol as the base, but you'll almost always find sodium stearate or another sodium salt of a fatty acid. ... What else do we want to include? Well, you can pretty much any water soluble ingredient you want. I like to add proteins, aloe vera, and water soluble esters, like the PEG- or PPG esters. ...[Y]ou could include some botanical ingredients if you include a preservative. You can include things like cationic polymers to add a little moisturizing and to increase the mildness as well...."

Source: http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2011/05/duplicating-products-healthy-deodorant.html

I'm musing about this. A stearic soap plus glycerin ... what does that sound like to me? Um, a cream soap or a shaving soap. Innnnnteresssssting.....

ETA: Susan mentions in this post http://swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com/2010/09/deodorants-recipe-with-glycerin-and.html that a glycerin based deodorant will attract moisture and become slimy in humid weather, which is why propylene glycol is usually used rather than glycerin.

 

[Trix]

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.

It gets better and better....i found the owner running seminars around the city 'warning' people about the dangerous chemicals in products like, preservatives, mineral oil, soduim palmitate, proplyene glycol...and wait for it 'other things you can't pronounce'.
Never mind that a quick google search could have showed her what half these things really are, and what they do.
any green thing that grows on her lotions should be fine as 'it's all natural' i guess...

But yes, marketing a product should be fine, but selling misinformation that will do damage in the long run to some poor people that are just trying to find what is best for them and their families, just because she does not want to do a proper research on matters, really makes me angry.

Sorry about the rant, i must have gotten up on the wrong side of bed today...but miss all natural also tried selling me real strawberry Essential oil.....

 

[TVivian]

"I'm musing about this. A stearic soap plus glycerin ... what does that sound like to me? Um, a cream soap or a shaving soap. Innnnnteresssssting....."


I wonder if Tom's would lather?! Somebody give it a try!

I wouldn't sell deodorant either. What works and doesn't work seems to vary so greatly from person to person!

 

[Obsidian]

"I'm musing about this. A stearic soap plus glycerin ... what does that sound like to me? Um, a cream soap or a shaving soap. Innnnnteresssssting....."


I wonder if Tom's would lather?! Somebody give it a try!

I wouldn't sell deodorant either. What works and doesn't work seems to vary so greatly from person to person!

Nope, it does not lather but now my hands smell nice;-)

 

[DeeAnna]

The lather (of sodium stearate, not Tom's deodorant!) will be more of a creamy lotion rather than fluffy and bubbly. If you know how a high quality shave soap lathers, you'll know what I mean -- the fellas really have to whip the air into the soap with a brush to get any volume of lather.

If you think about it, sodium stearate soap as the thickener in a deodorant makes a lot of sense. It won't suds up, it will wash out easier than any fat/oil will, and it shouldn't be irritating to the skin.

I found a 1911 article in a pharmaceutical trade magazine talking about "grease free" creams. The author gives two recipes for making a cream based on sodium stearate soap. I'll post the article later today.

I think it's kind of funny that even stuff like this is an example of "what's old is now new".

 

[Pepsi Girl]

My recipe is very much like TVivian. The only difference is I don't use bakingsoda or cornstarch. I use arrowroot and Vit. E. And I pour into roll up tubes.
It works for me and my daughters! These are four I just finished, they are scented with baby powder.

 

[DeeAnna]

GREASELESS CREAMS.
By EDWIN B. CURTIS.

For years cold creams of various descriptions have been used as cooling applications for sun burn, chapped skin and such afflictions. In recent years, however, there has been an ever-increasing demand for a skin cream which would be free from the greasiness of the usual type of cold cream, and many such preparations have been put upon the market which arc claimed to be free from this characteristic greasy or fatty feature. As a rule the creams so constructed present a pearly appearance. Some are good "rolling creams" and many are called "whipped” or "foamed" creams, alluding to the physical appearance of the particular cream.

Creams may be divided into three groups, (a) ordinary cold cream, of which the U. S. P. Ung. Aq. Rosae is an example, a greasy cream. (b) Casein type. (c) Sodium Stearate type, the greaseless variety, the kind considered here.

Greaseless Sodium Stearate Cream. This cream seems to be the most prevalent in the market, being the least expensive and the easier to manufacture. The base of this cream is sodium stearate which is produced in the reaction between stearic acid and sodium carbonate, the carbon dioxide liberated aiding in the division of the mass.

Different kinds of stearic acid may be used but greased stearin or the commercial acid of the market is very satisfactory. Monohydrated sodium carbonate is better to use than potassium carbonate which is sometimes recommended.

Sodium stearate is a soap and is produced in making a cream of this kind, therefore in analyzing a greaseless cream the method must follow that of a soap analysis. Besides true soap there may be present water, glycerine, borax, unsaponified matter and alkali.

The five market creams that I examined agreed with each other fairly closely as to the amount of water, combined alkali and glycerine. As a result of this analysis and experimental work I wish to submit the following formulas with directions for compounding:

Recipe 1. [In apothecary units]
Stearic Acid 180 grs.
Sodium Carbonate 48 grs.
Borax 3.5 grs.
Glycerine 6 drs.
Lilac Oil 8 mins.
Alcohol 1 dr.
Water 8 ozs.

[DeeAnna's note: The apothecaries' system of weights is a historical system of mass units that were used by physicians and apothecaries for medical recipes, and also sometimes by scientists. The English version of the system is closely related with the English troy system of weights, the pound and grain being exactly the same in both. It divides a [troy] pound (lb, 373 grams/pound -- yes, 373 is correct in this context) into 12 ounces (oz, 31.1 grams/ounce), an ounce into 8 drachms (dr, 3.9 grams/drachm), and a drachm into ... 60 grains (gr, 0.648 grams/grain). Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apothecaries'_system]

Put the acid, carbonate, borax, glycerine and water in a capsule on water-bath, heat until effervescence ceases. Then add perfume dissolved in the alcohol and beat with an egg beater until cold. This gives a light, fluffy, pearly white cream.

Recipe 2. [In metric units]
Stearic Acid 10 gm
Cocoa Butter 1 gm
Sodium Carbonate 4 gm
Borax 4 gms
Glycerine 8 cc
Oil Bitter Almond 1 drop
Oil Rose 5 drops
Alcohol 6 cc
Water 80 cc

Heat the acid, carbonate, cocoa butter, borax ... glycerine [and water] on water-bath until effervescence ceases, discontinue heat and as mixture congeals add alcohol in which oils have been dissolved, warm again and while cooling, beat vigorously.

Hydrogen peroxide may be added for its bleaching effect, also a trace of castor oil may be used to produce a pearly effect.

A disadvantage of this type of cream is its proneness to fall or shrink on keeping. This may be overcome by the addition of a small amount of grease, such as cocoa butter, almond oil or paraffin. Another substance used to overcome this fault is mucilage of tragacanth. the idea being to coat the particles, thus keeping them from contact with the air. If the cream is kept in jars a coating of paraffin on top will prevent evaporation.

—Thesis, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy

Source: Practical Druggist and Pharmaceutical Review, Vol 29, No 2, page 32, February, 1911. Found in the Practical Druggist and Pharmaceutical Review of Reviews, Volume 29, edited by Benjamin Lillard, Lillard & Company, 1911.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Hmmm, zinc oxide in a sodium stearate base.....I'll have to give that a try

 

[DeeAnna]

I think a base of just sodium stearate might be a little sticky and heavy ... maybe the glycol is serving to lighten the texture of the product and make it more glidy? I also like the idea of adding antibacterial EOs to the mix, but with a light hand.

The 1911 article lists borax in both recipes which would serve to neutralize free alkali and perhaps provide some chemical emulsification, but I think it could easily be omitted.

 

[lsg]

The problem is Sodium stearate which is not available in Canada (
When I get it , I will make my own

Here is a link to a roll on deodorant recipe that works well for me:

http://www.makingcosmetics.net/recipes/33-Deodorant Cream with Zinc Ricinoleate.pdf

 

[Dahila]

Here is a link to a roll on deodorant recipe that works well for me:

http://www.makingcosmetics.net/recipes/33-Deodorant Cream with Zinc Ricinoleate.pdf

Does it leave white residue on clothes? Very interesting thank you , will copy and think what I can substitute with other emulsifiers. :mrgreen:

 

[lsg]

I haven't had any problem with residue. Keep in mind that this is a deodorant and not an antiperspirant. You can check out the ingredients for the emulsifiers in the recipe and see if you have emulsifiers with the same ingredients under another brand name.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Just had an idea - it might be a little bit silly but I thought I'd float it:

Bacteria breaking down the sweat is what causes the smell, so we tend to use ingredients which fight bacteria. Now, what ingredient do we use in other B&B products to fight bacterial growth....................? So, could we add a touch of a preservative to the deo to help knock those nasties in to the long grass?

 

[DeeAnna]

I think the deal with a preservative is it is a chemical or blend of chemicals that in tiny doses is safe (arguably it's safer than the cooties it kills!) but in larger doses it might not be so healthy for a person to be exposed to especially in the long run. For example, Germall Plus kills cooties because it gradually releases formaldehyde. In minuscule amounts, formaldehyde is fine on the skin. In larger amounts, formaldehyde is a skin irritant.

ETA: That's not to say one shouldn't use a preservative in this type of product, although I'd stick with the recommended dosage. It sure couldn't hurt! And maybe that's the idea you were offering, Effy. If so, I misunderstood the drift of your suggestion -- my apologies.

 

[Consuela]

Now, what ingredient do we use in other B&B products to fight bacterial growth....................? So, could we add a touch of a preservative to the deo to help knock those nasties in to the long grass?

I know it's not a preservative but would Grapefruit Seed Extract contribute anything awesome to the party?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Aha, so it works over time to kill things in our lotion, but doesn't really work that quickly when applied? That's actually good to know when people whine about preservatives in a product

As I understand it, the preservative qualities of GSE come from the preservatives that are added to the GSE product itself, rather than from the actual seed extract

 

[DeeAnna]

A preservative might indeed help to reduce bacterial growth when applied to the skin, at least for a bit. I'd say the effect is going to be short lived because the bacterial load is going to be much higher on the skin than in the deodorant container -- and fresh troops are constantly arriving to reinforce the bacterial army.

 

[DeeAnna]

Here's an interesting article on the ingredients commonly found in commercial deodorant sticks:
http://chemistscorner.com/basic-cosmetic-formulations-deodorant-sticks/

And here's a research paper that tested the effectiveness of hops extract for odor control:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19735518

More discussion in a patent claim regarding the use of hops for odor control:
http://www.google.com/patents/US20090098075

An entertaining thread about hops in deodorant and in beer on a beer maker's forum:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/1bpq94/there_are_hops_in_my_deodorant/

Here is a reputable source of CO2 extracted hops, which is the extract I'm seeing in deodorants (there is an alcohol based extract):
http://www.naturesgift.com/product/hops-co2-15ml/
Sounds like a little of the CO2 extract will go a LONG way in deodorant -- suggested dosage is 0.1% to 0.2%.

Zinc ricinoleate, an odor absorber found along with hops extract in some commercial deodorants:
http://www.makingcosmetics.com/Zinc-Ricinoleate_p_89.html
Dosage range is 1.5% to 3% in deodorants per the fact sheet for this product.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Those are some really good tips! Now to see if I can get some of those things over here.......

 

[DeeAnna]

Here is an ingredients list from Schmidt's deodorant stick. The formula is billed as "all natural" and it doesn't contain propylene glycol or sodium stearate. It appears the active ingredients are the baking soda and possibly the green tea extract -- I need to check into what the tea extract does, however.

I haven't actually seen this product, but I'm guessing the body of the product is more like a dry lotion bar or firm salve -- arrowroot powder bound together with fats and wax. This particular product has a lavender sage scent so the lavender and clary sage EOs are the fragrance part.

Ingredients: Maranta arundinacea (arrowroot) powder, Cocos Nucifera (coconut) Oil, Euphorbia Cerifera (candelilla) Wax, Butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (fractionated coconut oil), Lavandula (lavender) essential oil, Salvia sclarea (clary sage) essential oil, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Camellia sinensis (Green Tea) Extract

Source: https://schmidtsdeodorant.com//lavender-sage-stick.html

***

This version of the deodorant has the same fragrance but is packaged in jar form. You use a small scoop to remove a bit from the jar, warm the product on your fingertips, and apply to the underarm area. Many of the ingredients are common to the stick formulation, but the proportions appear to be quite different. And here's that hops extract coming into play....

Butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), Maranta arundinacea (arrowroot) powder, Theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter, Salvia sclarea (clary sage) essential oil, Lavandula (lavender) essential oil, Tocopherol (vitamin E), Humulus lupulus (hop) extract

https://schmidtsdeodorant.com//lavender-sage-jar.html