Need to make a switch...

[mzimm]

My daughter and I would like to try something new for deodorants. She's been using Tom's brand, and I've been using a deodorant stone (potassium alum) and neither of them are up to the job.
Any suggestions?
I'd be happy to make our own, but confess I know very little about the necessary ingredients or recipe.

 

[JuneP]

i know someone who swears by a recipe she got from the Wellness Mama blog. She said she's made it for family and friends and they love it, so you may want to check out that gals blog.

My daughter and I would like to try something new for deodorants. She's been using Tom's brand, and I've been using a deodorant stone (potassium alum) and neither of them are up to the job.
Any suggestions?
I'd be happy to make our own, but confess I know very little about the necessary ingredients or recipe.

 

[Guspuppy]

I've been using a deodorant that I really like: coconut oil melted and mixed with a little grapeseed oil (not so much that it won't firm back up, but enough to keep it from getting TOO hard in winter) then a small amount of baking soda mixed in, and some citrus EO. I'm using lemon but as it can be sensitizing I use it only like 8 drops to a small jelly jar full of the deodorant mixture. I'll have to refrigerate it in summer or it will be completely liquid, but right now it's the perfect consistency. I use the barest amount on a fingertip rubbed into my armpit. It doesn't make my clothes greasy and it really works. As a bonus I smooth the extra on my fingers into my hands as lotion before rinsing off any baking soda. It's lovely!

 

[SuzieOz]

I adapted a recipe from the Wellness Mama blog. We love it because it works. Apparently some people can't use baking soda though as it irritates them, but we find it ok. If you have issues with it I believe the Wellness Mama has an alternative recipe on the blog.

This is my adaptation of her recipe: (I subbed cocoa butter for the shea as I found the shea too soft - cocoa butter stays harder in a deodorant stick)

30g Cocoa Butter
45g Coconut Oil
30g Arrowroot
45g Baking Soda (150g ingredients altogether)

Gently melt cocoa butter and coconut oil (I do in microwave).
Add arrowroot and baking soda and mix well.

I then add 2 grams of peppermint oil (we love the fresh smell) - but you can use any EO you like or leave it plain.

You can put this in a jar with a lid and apply with fingers OR ... I pour it into a push stick and wait for it to set. When you apply it, as soon as it touches your skin it goes very soft. Yesterday I made some and added a bit of beeswax to see if it would help but I didn't add enough so I'm still experimenting with this.

Hope this helps

 

[DeeAnna]

There are a lot of people who react to baking soda, so try these recipes with caution. Not saying everyone will react, but a fair number do. Redness and irritation.

 

[TeresaT]

I stink. I'm not gonna lie or mince words about it. I don't think a home made deodorant could cure what stinks me. I alternate between Suave (which actually works well for being so cheap) and Degree (another inexpensive brand). The only reason I alternate is because of fragrance. I've tried expensive brands and 24 hour brands and other stuff to no avail. Suave is my go to brand and Degree is my "when the store is out of Suave or I just need a different smell." One of the things I've noticed is that when I use it at night, before bed, I get a better-lasting protection than using it in the morning after my shower. The clinical strength products recommend you use them at night so your body heat will help the product plug up the stink glands (no, that's not really what it says, that' my interpretation). Regular deodorant seems to do a similar job at a cheaper price. But at the end of the day, I still stink. The dogs don't mind and I don't care. So all is good in my world. Especially since I don't walk around with my arms in the air.

Yeah. Another unhelpful post from yours truly...

 

[cmzaha]

I made some for approx a year then they started bothering my girls and me. Mine only contained 1% baking soda but I am positive it was the irritant. They really do not work all that well and coconut oil can stain clothes yellow over time.

 

[mzimm]

I stink.........

Yeah. Another unhelpful post from yours truly...

LMAO.....Teresa you are just too cool for words! Oh my.....I seriously have a belly ache.....

 

[BattleGnome]

As an additive to whatever deodorant recipe you choose, I recently came across a post on Pinterest where they took a probiotic capsule and added it to the coconut oil mix for an added protection. I think I've also seen a deodorant additive on brambleberry that you can add to your m&p or whatever

 

[rosyrobyn]

I've made deodorant for a friend who tried the alum deodorant stone and it didn't work for her - but the one I made from alum powder did work (she has very sensitive skin as well). Here's the recipe that I used:

50% purified water
3% alum powder - available in grocery stores
47% hydrosol (I used witchhazel for her, I like rosewater)

Melt the alum powder in water - water bath or double boiler
Once alum is melted, take it off the heat.
Allow to cool and then mix in the hydrosol.

 

[lenarenee]

I know people who can't use deodorant who substitute a 20% zinc oxide ointment and love it.

 

[Dahila]

here is mine, I am senstive to baking soda but the amount I use is very small. Over the time it stains a bit so I use it in house and garden. When out I use Tom's but it does not work very well, as you said.
Deodorant zmieniony / Deo changed by Dahila

15 g beeswax
21 g shea butter
21 g cocoa butter
21 g babassu oil
8 g calendula oil
15 g baking soda
15 g kaolin clay
10 g arrow root powder
10 drops bergamot essential oil
15 drops lavender essential oil
Total 125 g, two deo’s tubes.

1. In a 2-cup Pyrex container, melt the beeswax, shea butter, and cocoa butter with the castor and coconut oils. You can do this in a double boiler on the stove, or I just put mine in the microwave for about 4 minutes (I don’t have a powerful microwave, so if you do, you might want do 30 seconds increments).
2. Stir in the baking soda, kaolin clay, and arrow root powder. Make sure it’s all mixed in on the bottom.
3. Wait until the mixture is cool enough for you to put a finger in it comfortably, or it’s under 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Add your essential oils.\

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

The key is to kill the bacteria that eat the sweat - that's what stinks, not the sweat itself. (Note, a home deo is not an anti perspirant - you will still sweat).

Baking powder is good, but irritated me over time. Don't use it for a week and think it's okay. Use it after shaving your 'pits for a real test - my poor Admirable Lady found that out for me.

Zinc is not as efficacious, but no pain.

Other things could be tea tree, as that also has some anti bacterial qualities. I think I will try a batch using all 3 in some degree to get one that works well and doesn't hurt.

Next comes the oil. As has been said, co can cause issues. Some of my clothes have a real gunk issue where I applied it again in the evening before going out and it just ruined the polo shirt. I am going to wrack my brains for an oil that would be better at it

 

[hlansford]

I use Pitt Paste and LOVE it!!! It comes in either a tube like traditional deodorant, or in a jar that you scoop out and rub on.

 

[Arimara]

I adapted a recipe from the Wellness Mama blog. We love it because it works. Apparently some people can't use baking soda though as it irritates them, but we find it ok. If you have issues with it I believe the Wellness Mama has an alternative recipe on the blog.

This is my adaptation of her recipe: (I subbed cocoa butter for the shea as I found the shea too soft - cocoa butter stays harder in a deodorant stick)

30g Cocoa Butter
45g Coconut Oil
30g Arrowroot
45g Baking Soda (150g ingredients altogether)

Gently melt cocoa butter and coconut oil (I do in microwave).
Add arrowroot and baking soda and mix well.

I then add 2 grams of peppermint oil (we love the fresh smell) - but you can use any EO you like or leave it plain.

You can put this in a jar with a lid and apply with fingers OR ... I pour it into a push stick and wait for it to set. When you apply it, as soon as it touches your skin it goes very soft. Yesterday I made some and added a bit of beeswax to see if it would help but I didn't add enough so I'm still experimenting with this.

Hope this helps

The baking soda seems a little high for my skin but I can totally make this work for me and mine. The only thing I will do is drop the baking soda to 25-30g and increase the arrowroot or add bentonite clay. The latter is super in home made deodorant.

 

[Dahila]

Animara what Benonite clay suppose to do for you in deo?

 

[lenarenee]

Be aware that clay often contains lead, which can be absorbed through the skin. I have no idea if there is a "safe" amount that can be applied to skin or not, I didn't research further.

 

[HowieRoll]

I've tried a LOT of DIY deodorants over the past 1.5 years, many of them oil based, and different variations with all kinds of ingredients. What I found (for my skin) was they were either too irritating but effective, not irritating but not effective, or everything in-between, and they all wreaked some form or another of havoc with my clothes.

So I started experimenting with a liquid form, and have settled on one that works really well for me, is not irritating (for me), and does not stain clothing. I've been using it about 7 months. It is (for reference, I've put the products I use):

(measurements are by volume - I'm too lazy to drag the scale out for this, it's just an informal thing between me and my pits)

1/4 oz Alcohol-Free Witch Hazel
1/4 oz Vodka (I use Absolut)
1/4 oz Aloe Vera Gel
Baking Soda (little less than 1/2 tsp)
3 drops Peppermint EO
6 drops Lavender EO

I used to whisk it up by hand and put it into my 1 oz glass roll-on container, but then I got a mini mixer and that works really well to get the aloe vera clumps out. I'm also playing around with guar gum to thicken it slightly, but am still experimenting - I just can't leave well enough alone, I guess!

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

How thick is this? I might well give it a go, but wondering if it would go in a spritz bottle

 

[navigator9]

I also tried making my own deodorant, which worked well enough, until I happened to glance at my armpits in the mirror...fire engine red! So I guess I'm one of those who is sensitive to baking soda. So after my failure to find a DIY recipe that worked for me, I switched to a crystal type deodorant, only to have a friend tell me that it still contains aluminum, and that I should switch to Tom's of Maine brand, that she uses, but according to this, neither of those is totally safe. http://healthwyze.org/reports/327-beware-of-deodorants-especially-the-safe-and-all-natural-ones

So I've been thinking, and I remember many years ago, an aunt of mine was unable to use commercial deodorants due to irritation, so someone had recommended calamine lotion as an alternative. I remember she told me that she would apply it at bedtime, so that once she dressed in the morning, there wasn't enough remaining on her skin to discolor her clothing, and that it worked really well for her. After reading this thread, and remembering the story, I looked up the ingredients in calamine, and zinc oxide is listed as one of the active ingredients, along with calamine which is listed as an anti-pruritic. So lenarenee's mention of zinc oxide alone would support this. Here is a page that lists the active and inactive ingredients. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=8c1b0675-bbe9-42a4-80f1-3efff1d6346c Maybe worth a try?