Deodorant

Home-made Deodorant

It’s been a challenge to find deodorant that is not bad for you, and yet still works. I did a test that found elevated Aluminium in my hair, so we removed any trace of Aluminium cookware (including an old Mokka pot). Deodorant was surprisingly hard to change; most didn’t work, or contained “alum” in a crystal rock and looked really clean and lovely, except that ammonium alum is aluminium.

Ingredients

Here is our best mix, so far, and most of the stuff comes from a “bucket shop” (the ones with big white containers and scoops). In Australia we have The Source, or online there is Nut Grocer:

  • Coconut Oil: 30g
  • Cocoa Butter: 30g
  • Beeswax: 14g
  • Tapioca flour: 7.5g … sometimes called arrow root
  • Sodium Bicarbonate: 37g … sometimes called baking soda
  • Magnesium Chloride: 15g (powder) … sometimes called Zechstein
  • Bentonite clay powder: 4.5g
  • Mint oil: 10 drops (optional)

Useful items

  • a double boiler: i.e. simmer some water in a saucepan and place a dry glass bowl on top
  • a small jar with a lid for storage in the fridge
  • a small used cosmetics container for the bathroom

Instructions

  1. Heat the double boiler
  2. Add the Coconut Oil, Cocoa Butter and Beeswax to the dry glass bowl
  3. Once it has melted together take it off the heat, keep stirring and watch as it cools, it should start to become like custard
  4. While it’s cooling, take the opportunity to grind the Magnesium Chloride flakes in a mortar and pestle until powder (note do not leave them open or they will grab any water from the air)
  5. To the warm “custard-like” oils add all the powders: tapioca, sodium bicarb, magnesium, clay
  6. Keep stirring as it cools
  7. Once you feel it has cooled significantly and it’s going to solidify soon, add the Mint Oil
  8. Transfer 20% to your bathroom container, and put the rest in the fridge in the jam jar

Considerations

  • Magnesium Chloride has to be ground to a fine powder, or your deodorant will feel gritty
  • Magnesium Chloride is a really good anti-bacterial, sodium bicarb is only an OK anti-bacterial
  • Shaved armpits stink less than hairy pits – sorry it’s just so!
  • If you add sodium bicarb to hot oil it will fizz, as it breaks down to form Carbon Dioxide that leaves – that’s not what you want
  • Same with Mint Oil – too hot and it will evaporate
  • Bentonite clay (allegedly) removes toxins
  • Your skin is not a barrier; your body will absorb all the ingredients into your blood stream, as with any deodorant, moisturiser or sanitiser.
  • If you decide to swap out the mint for another essential oil, consider carefully – orange or lemon may be nice, but tea tree, lavender etc may clash with other smells, and may affect your mood. Cocoa Butter has an odd chocolate smell.
  • We live in Sydney; this is a good recipe for the warm half of the year – it’s 15 to 25C. for the cold half 10 to 20C I decrease the Beeswax and increase the Cocoa Butter.
  • Application takes some getting used to, just get an ice cream stick to measure out a half a pea for each side and get right in there with your finger tips to spread it around. Try to work out the right amount: too much and it will rub off on your clothes, too little may leave you stinky (and for some reason only ever one pit!).
  • We make a decent batch and then put most of it in the fridge, and just transfer a few week’s supply to the bathroom.
  • If this is all too much trouble – Arm and Hammer Essentials Aluminium free is pretty good for the gym bag or going on holiday