Lavender deodorant container for whenever I got around to figuring out how to make my own. I did a few days ago, and I was surprised at how well it worked.
Here’s what I did:
Coconut oil (you can buy here- it’s fantastic to eat too!) I usually use expeller pressed in the deodorant, because I sure didn’t want to put expensive cold pressed organic coconut oil on my armpits. But coconut oil does have antimicrobial properties and is a solid oil, making it good for deodorant.
Rosemary oil because I kept forgetting to order lavender essential order when I ordered anything from an online health food store, and I sure was not interested in paying the $7.99 it cost at our local health food store (online it’s about $3-4 for half an ounce). So I settled on rosemary essential oil at $3.79 for 1/3 of an ounce. Rosemary has a slightly medicinal smell, which works well in a deodorant. The only other oils I had at home were eucalyptus, orange, lemon, camphor, and tea tree, all which I thought would smell odd in my underarms.
*Note: It’s said that Rosemary oil in excessive quantities may harm a pregnancy, so you need to make your own decision about this if you’re pregnant. I’m pretty sure that Lavender oil is generally considered safe, but please do your own research. I don’t really think that this is an excessive amount, but you want to research anyway and see what you’re comfortable with.
I put about 3/4 a cup of baking soda in a bowl, melted about a tablespoon of coconut oil, and mixed the melted coconut oil and 30 drops of rosemary oil in until it was mixed through. I thought that by melting the coconut oil I’d get a firmer deoderant stick once it set up.
Backed out the deoderant tube. Didn’t bother cleaning the dab of Tom’s left in the bottom, just left it there.
Filled it with the baking soda mixture and tapped the bottom on the counter to get all the bubbles out.
Let it sit over night to harden up, and it did.
It’s soft still, so I just raised it up a little bit to use it and didn’t press hard. It worked really well for me, better than the Tom’s. I thought it might leave residue because it’s baking soda, especially on a dark shirt, but I didn’t notice any and I wore a more tight fitting dark navy tee shirt just to see how bad it would be.
I’m happy with it and glad I tried it out.
*update 8/2011-
- Some people add arrowroot powder or cornstarch, I have never and haven’t felt the need to (I don’t keep either in my kitchen usually and didn’t want to buy it just for this).
- If you want to test it for a day before making a whole batch, just mix a dab in your hand and apply
- It can be kept in a jar if it’s hot where you live, this might work better than the tube
- If it doesn’t work, try adding more baking soda. The only time I’ve had it not work is when I used more coconut oil than usual
- Body odor can be a sign of gut imbalance, I was surprised that when I did the GAPS intro diet, mine went away completely.
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I have done this without any essential oil, and it worked well too. I couldn't get the "consistency" just right often enough, though, to use in the old deod. container functionally. So that combined with being lazy, I started just rubbing coconut oil directly on to my armpit and then dipping my finger tips into the baking soda and patting a light layer on top…works just as well (really well!) and no mixing or forethought needed
I just keep a small tub (old yogurt containers) of each in the bathroom and refill as needed, so I have my "bathroom" supply. I also then use the CO for moisturizer as needed after the shower, and the BS for cleaning.
Well that totally works! I have a big container of baking soda for various things on the counter in my bathroom right now
Useful stuff!
How much coconut oil did you use? I have never heard of doing this before! How neat!
About 3-4 tablespoons. It is neat, I love it!
Heya i am for the first time here. I found this board and I find It really useful & it helped me out much. I hope to give something back and aid others like you aided me.
Just wondering if you are still using this?
I am- I love it!
LOVE this idea, but do you know of anything that would work as an antiperspirant also?
Jami, I’ve found that something about the coconut oil/baking soda/tea tree/lavender oil makes me not sweat as much. *shrugs*
I just found this website. I found this baking soda and coconut oil combo on another site, tried it and it worked great. The other site suggested adding corn starch as an anti-wetness ingredient, but I haven’t tried that yet.
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Coconut Oil has a very low melting temperature (melts on contact with skin) I have found that in the summer my coconut oil will stay as a liquid and not solidify again until the heat of the summer dies down. How have to found this deodorant in the summer months?
I keep mine in the refrigerator in the summer – when I put it on, the contact with my skin warms the oil enough to apply. Plus, it is delightfully cool!
That is such a great idea! My coconut oil is liquid all summer long too!
Maybe this sounds weird, but I started using white vinegar on a cotton ball as deodorant. I carry around a very small bottle and some cotton balls in my purse in case I have to re-apply it later in the day — most of the time I don’t need to. I suppose I should use some kind of organic or raw vinegar, but haven’t yet. Of course you can’t use this immediately after shaving though, so do your shaving in the evening!
I make this too and it works great!
I would not want to put a “cheap coconut oil from walmart” on my skin!
What you put on your skin goes into your blood! Put the best on your skin….no matter where it is going!
Thanks…one major comment:
I would not want to put a “cheap coconut oil from walmart” on my skin!
What you put on your skin goes into your blood! Put the best on your skin….no matter where it is going!
I LOVE this deodorant! it works better than *any* other type I’ve tried (including the conventional, chemical laden verities)!
it’s so hot here,my coconut oil sitting on the counter is liquid. i suppose i’d need to put it in the fridge to keep it solid??? sounds interesting and i want to try this!
I’m going to put it in a jar rather than a tube, then just put it on with my fingers. I think it would work to keep it in the fridge though!
ha ha…would cool a person down in hot weather…straight from the jar..from the fridge! lol
It works really well, if you want you can just try mixing a little in your hand and applying it for the day. Use plenty of baking soda, the only times it didn’t work for me was when there wasn’t enough baking soda.
I make something similar with cornstarch added, and it works better than anything I’ve ever bought. I keep it in a jar and apply with my fingers year round. I tried making a batch without the cornstarch, and it paled in comparison.
Have you had any problem with the baking soda being irritating to your underarm skin? I like this idea; I use baking soda and apple cider vinegar as the two-step process I use to clean my hair since I went ‘poo free over a year ago. I tried dabbing straight baking soda under my arms but it was too abrasive; wondering if the coconut oil ameliorates that.
I haven’t, but plain baking soda doesn’t bother me either- maybe just try a small amount first?
That’s good to know. I’ve never tried it with cornstarch since I don’t usually keep that on hand, but baking soda and coconut oil I always have!
I found the baking soda a little rough, so on my next batch I am going to put it in the food processor first to make it finer.
So, does this stuff work on people who sweat a lot (and stink)? Currently, if I don’t use the stuff with 20% aluminum I stink. Would love to get away from all that aluminum.
My fingers get all red and irritated when I use baking soda to clean…a little scared to use it on my arm pits…any substitute?
Christy, you can try just a litlte, mix it up in your hand on a day that you’re not going out and see what you think. It doesnt’ stop sweating, but does stop stink. I’m a big fan of sweating because it helps get rid of toxins.
I must have A LOT of toxins then. LOL.
I don’t think that’s how it works
i make this all the time and i love it!! I do it with cornstarch and baking soda, sometimes with arrowroot powder instead of the cornstarch. Either way i LOVE it.
lol @ you putting it in the sun, mine is liquid on the shelf too =)
My homemade deodorant is coconut oil, baking soda and arrowroot powder. Hands down best deodorant ever!
I too use homemade! Love it! Nothing works better.
I use the lavendar and tea tree oil in mine and love it! I used too much tea tree in my first batch though and it burned, so I had to mix another batch of oil and soda and added it to the origional batch and it was perfect again. I first started using this recipe when I lived in PA but the real test came with moving to NC and adjusting to the intense (for me) heat/humidity. One application in the AM is all I’ve ever needed, even now.
This is totally new to me who needs industrial strength deodorant (I live in Florida, for one…). Thanks for the recipe. You probably know this but will relate it for others: you can buy coconut oil/or in solid form at health food stores. It’s very good for you and is good on sandwiches (well..banana and peanut butter, for instance). I heard it also is good to assist in wright loss but check it before you eat a whole jar. Mine keeps well in pantry. If u refrigerate it, it of course gets to ohard to use and takes a long time to soften up.
I just made a batch and am so excited to see how it will work for me.I’m glad I didn’t throw out my almost empty Tom’s deodorant tube!!
I just made a batch and am so excited to see how it will work for me.I’m glad I didn’t throw out my almost empty Tom’s deodorant tube!!
I can’t wait to try this
For those of you with sensitive skin, just reduce the amount of baking soda. I use 1 tbsp. baking soda to 3 tbsp. coconut oil and it works fine for me. I tried using more baking soda for summer, but it started irritating my underarms, so I went back to the first ratio. I absolutely love it and it’s pennies to make!
I found this site because I was looking for a recipe to replace this amazing deodorant I just bought. It has all the same ingredients as the above recipe but it has beeswax too. I am telling you all this because I think it is the solution to the worry about the coconut oil turning to liquid in warm weather. I have not yet made mine, but I plan to add a little bit of beeswax because I live in Florida where my coconut oil is liquid for a large part of the year. They also added vit. E which I think is a nice idea too.
I tried this way back when….before I went soap and detergent free….and the baking soda did cause my armpits to break out. (I did wonder if it was a reaction from the baking soda and any aluminum that may have been left in my skin from recent past use of aluminum deodorants) That said, I have very sensitive skin and have always had skin problems until recently when I stopped using soaps and detergents. I only use baking soda and vinegar (except once in a great while I will use the natural baby soap). Most of my skin problems have disappeared. I no longer have itchy bumpy legs from shaving and my eczema has almost disappeared. I use Toms deodorant now, and it is ok for me, but not great. I am going to try this again and see if my skin is more tolerable to it now. Thanks for the post.
Hi Hal,
Just came across your comment about not having itchy, bumpy legs from shaving by using baking soda and vinegar. Is there a recipe you use for making shaving cream? And, do you make your own kind of soap/detergent?
Thanks for the insight!
Heather
I use a similar recipe. Instead of a tub, I lined a toilet paper tube with plastic wrap and just press the “stick” up when I need more. Since I’m allergic to commercial deodorants, this is a godsend!