The reason behind using a natural or homemade deodorant are numerous, but for me it all goes back to letting the body work the way it’s supposed to. So while I do want to stay away from conventional deodorants because of aluminum, parabens, and other multiple chemicals, one of the main reasons I choose to use homemade is that it allows my body to work as God intended.

You see, when we sweat we also cleanse and detoxify. It’s a way for our body to get rid of either what it no longer needs or the toxins that lie within. Using antiperspirants we cause those natural passageways to become blocked, causing toxins to move elsewhere.

For awhile I had just been using a small amount of coconut oil with a drop of tea tree oil under my arms, and while it did work, it also didn’t last as long as I would have liked. So a few months ago I started mixing a couple more things into it. This ‘recipe’ is super easy (only 4 ingredients), frugal to make, and well loved by a lot of different bloggers and natural living enthusiasts.

Homemade Deodorant

1/4 cup baking soda

1/4 cup organic cornstarch or arrowroot powder

5-6 tablespoons coconut oil

5-10 drops tea tree oil

Mix all ingredients together and press into an old deodorant container. To use, let it rest against your skin for a couple seconds to soften the coconut oil, do one slow swipe under each arm and use the palm of your hand to spread it around.

Personal Experience

I’ve been using this for a couple months now and actually like it much better than any of the ‘natural’ deodorants I’ve tried from the health food store. I’ve learned I don’t need to to use near as much (to much will start balling up under your arm) and I’ve actually begun to not only sweat less, but stink less as well when I am busy working. It also doesn’t stain my clothes.

Tips

*I like to mix mine with the coconut oil melted as I find the mixture to be more consistent that way. Just place your mixing bowl in the refrigerator or into a sink of cold water to firm it back up with in a couple minutes. If you’d rather use it in it’s solid state – feel free to do so.

*If you live in a warm climate, since coconut oil has a melting point of about 75°, you may want to put it in the refrigerator so it doesn’t melt. Another option would be to use cocoa butter in place of the coconut oil.

*You may also use another essential oils, I just use the tea tree oil as it is naturally antibacterial and will help with any odor.

*You may need to go without any type of deodorant for at least a few days when switching from a conventional deodorant to help clear out any toxins that have built up.

So tell me, what type of deodorant do you use? Are you comfortable using it?

Just a couple things to remember:

1. It’s Monday and I don’t clean over the weekend. Hence the mess.
2. It’s right after the holidays, hence some of the non real food.
3. I have not grocery shopped in over a week, so I have little on hand.
4. I have also run out of  a lot of my homemade items so the dressings and condiments you see are all my husband’s store bought stuff. (yes, there are a few things he refuses to eat homemade. Stinker.)
5. I was having a bad day last week and running on little sleep, my husband brought ice cream home for me. He gets me.