Holistic Living RN

“Do you make your own deodorant? At home? Can you make me some?!?!”

This was a recent conversation I had with a friend. Like me, she doesn’t use conventional deodorant or antiperspirant, due to its toxic profile.   Most people have at least heard that many contain aluminum, and that research has shown that it may contribute to breast cancer and alzheimer’s disease. Many ALSO contain other toxic ingredients like propylene glycol {which is an anti-freeze} and parabens {which are endocrine disruptors that can cause male sterility and various hormone imbalances in both sexes}. All of these are absorbed through the skin when you put the deodorant on your skin.

I started making my own deodorant when I had tried what felt like every natural deodorant I could find at all natural markets, and feeling unsatisfied with them. I work part time as an ER RN and as such need something to combat not just the everyday sweaty stuff, but also the stress sweat that happens at work. For anyone in a job like nursing with pressure and stress, the chemical profile of sweat is different, and as such smells different. Its more smelly. And is harder to cover up. And no one wants to smell bad at work. So after a few different recipe combinations, I came up with a recipe that works great both at home and for the smelly work sweat. Plus, it’s easy-peasy to make and so much cheaper than even the conventional deodorant at the stores. You just need a couple ingredients and a stove to mix all the ingredients together.

Here’s the recipe:

• 1/4 c. coconut oil
• 1/4c. shea butter
• 1 Tbsp Vitamin E oil
• 1/8 c. baking soda
• 3 Tbsp arrowroot powder
• 10 drops of essential oil of your choice

Melt together the coconut oil, shea butter and Vitamin E oil. Stir in dry ingredients- baking soda and arrowroot powder. Add essential oils and pour into glass containers. Let cool until hardened {It wont be hard, but rather no longer a liquid}. It may take 8 hours for it to harden. To harden faster, you can put it into the freezer. Essential oils I recommend for deodorant are melaleuca, lavender, cedarwood, bergamot, lemongrass, patchouli, geranium, rose, ylang ylang and cypress. I like to combine 2 or 3 in each deodorant.

To watch a how-to video for making the deodorant, click here.

Comment below and let me know what your favorite essential oil combinations are for deodorant. I’m always looking for new scents.