Monday, March 21, 2011

Homemade natural deodorant

I found a recipe for natural deodorant, comprising of ingredients I already have in my kitchen:

1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup corn starch
5-6 tablespoons coconut oil

I've never liked the host of chemicals in antiperspirants... Apparently aluminium is used in them, and has been linked to a number of diseases including breast cancer. Some proponents of this natural deodorant recipe swear by its stink fighting properties... I'm going to try it out and see what happens; while many people rave about it, my main concern is that it is going to stain my clothes. Guess I'll be wearing cotton t-shirts over the next few days!

Update:
Making the deodorant
I started with 1/4 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup corn starch, and 7 tablespoons of liquid organic virgin coconut oil (I froze it so that it would harden, then added the solid coconut oil to my mix). The mixture was a little too watery for my liking so I added a couple more tablespoons of baking soda and corn starch, then threw in an extra tablespoon of corn starch for good measure. I did not use any essential oils to scent my deodorant.

Application
I used a pea sized amount for each side, but either I did not apply it properly or I used a little too much, because ten minutes later I had to remove the residue with tissue paper. Tomorrow I'll try rubbing it in a little more.

Smell
The deodorant, when applied, gave off a faint coconut smell that I actually found pleasant, kinda like the scent of coconut soap. This is in contrast to when I oil my hair with coconut oil and the smell gets really overpowering and unpleasant. While the scent lingered for the first half of the day, by the second half of the day it was gone.

Texture
I expected the texture to be oily, but it wasn't in the least! Rubbing it between my fingertips, it starts off a little creamy then fades to a powdery finish. It really feels like commercial antiperspirant.

Verdict
Generally I do not sweat a lot, and I didn't have a very active day today, but the deodorant passed the test! Stink free! I am amazed that it worked as well as it did. I am going to monitor it for the next couple of days, but I think it is safe to say I am a natural deodorant convert!

Update: 27/03/11
It has been almost a week, and I have been using the deodorant with no major problems. To prevent any stains on my clothing I have been careful to remove any excess with tissue paper, about ten to fifteen minutes after application, when the deodorant has "settled" into my skin. Also, because I live in a country with a tropical climate, the coconut oil in the deodorant is not really solid at room temperature.  Coconut oil melts at approximately 23ºC to 26ºC, so it does affect the texture of my deodorant somewhat. I have observed a thin layer of liquid coconut oil on the surface of my deodorant, so to make the texture of my deodorant uniform when applying, I use a small plastic fork to whip the deodorant. It takes a couple of seconds, and I then use the fork to take out the amount I want to use for application so that I don't contaminate the entire mixture. Right now my deodorant is in a plastic container, but I am going to transfer it to a glass container, which I believe may help keep the mixture cool and put an end to this problem. I will post any updates here, so keep your eyes on this space (:

No comments:

Post a Comment

Free Blog Counter