You guys, I am embarrassed.
My “make it at home” initiative has grown into an animal. I can't stop myself. I want to make everything. From scratch. Soon I will be making our furniture from trees I harvest and butchering our chickens (which, actually, I would love to do on my homestead one day!) It's a sickness that I don't want to be cured of.
This past weekend, I made something that would make most people shudder to think about. HOMEMADE DEODORANT.
In all fairness, it really only brings up a bad connotation because when we think of deodorant, we think of armpits, which makes us think of gross man armpits, which makes us think of smelly sweat and long armpit hairs stuck on deodorant sticks. Bleh. Not that I want Stuart to shave his armpits, because that would creeeeeep me out. I like his armpit hair. Not that I LIKE it, like it, but I like it more than him not having any. Ah, I digress. Let's move on.
Homemade Deodorant
- 6-8 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
- Essential oil of choice
Mix the baking soda and arrowroot together in a bowl, then work in the coconut oil until it's a smooth consistency. This takes a few minutes and some elbow grease. You can do it because you're a buff rock star.
You can store this in an empty deodorant stick container, or do what I did, and put it in a recycled baby food jar from my sister. We just dip our fingers into the jar and smear it (strong imagery here) all over our armpity-area. As soon as coconut oil gets heated by your hands, it will begin to melt, so it makes it very easy to apply.
Disclaimer: This is NOT an antiperspirant. This fact kept me from making deodorant at home for a long time. How could I survive without the security of antiperspirant? What if I turned into a big giant sweat box and started sweating all over people? Then I remember that God gave us the ability to sweat for a reason and it is a great way to eliminate toxins from your body. Plus, the majority of the time, I wear clothing that wouldn't show if I were to sweat anyway. IF I was going into a high stress situation where I would be deathly embarrassed to sweat, then maybe I will swipe the ‘ol Dove on my underarms, but for everyday use this one works just fine.
When I told Georgia I was going to be using homemade deodorant that wasn't an antiperspirant, she made this face:
Then I told her to quite being such a baby, it's just a little perspiration.
Fact: Even my manly-man Stuart has been using this deodorant and we have had NO smellies. I am pleased to announce that we are a body-odor-free-home.
Fact #2: Coconut oil works so well for this recipe. I have seen other recipes out there that call for use of various other oils, but I will stick with the coconut oil for it's wonderful ways.
Fact #3: I made Stuart and I separate jars so that none of his armpit hair can get stuck in my lovely deodorant. Gag.
And that my friends, is the secret to a happy marriage.
Live on the edge with me readers, try making this and let me know what you think!
I have a different recipe on my site which uses Tea Tree oil and Lavender oil. My sister did the review, and said it does really well. I still haven’t gathered the ingredients to try it myself yet. I’ve been using Tom’s of Maine deo… though I think once it’s gone I’ll try homemade stuff. It’s gotta be way cheaper! Thanks for sharing your experience! Especially that it works for your husband as well 🙂
Oh my goodness, I love your blog! You are amazing and I am in awe. Great writing, by the way. I’m wahooing from a distance – don’t think I can quite see myself making deodorant yet. But I certainly applaud your ingenuity. Now the chapstick – that is more up my alley.
Just wanted to say I enjoyed looking through your blog! The tagline caught my attention, haha. I am a huge fan of preserving food, vinegar, and cloth diapers as well. Great post!
I found your blog via Kendra! I love it. We both share an affinity for homemade toiletries. 🙂 xoxo
Because I have very sensitive skin, my husband and I use ethyl alcohol in a spray bottle. Very cheap! But I love the coconut oil deodorant idea. I use coconut oil for everything!
I love to make everything, too. I have a group of ladies that meets once a month. One of my friends always asks what I am making. They were a bit stunned when I said DEODORANT one time. Now they buy it from me. Homemade hair spray got some reaction, too. 😉
I noticed that there are two different kinds of coconut oil. Unrefined and refined. Which one did you use for this?
Hey Sarah! I use unrefined coconut oil because that’s what I keep on hand. Refined can easily be used to make beauty products, such as this. It’s not as expensive as unrefined because it goes through some processing. However, if you’re not going to be eating it, you could easily use the less expensive refined for products like deodorant, lotion, etc. Hope this helps!
You are awesome. I’ve been making our own deo for about a year now. The hubs LOVES it, and it seriously works better than storebought. I was amazed at how quickly I adjusted to not wearing an antiperspirant. My recipe is a little diff though – 2 parts corn starch to one part baking soda. And I melt the coconut oil- makes for easy mixing 🙂
I’ve made this recipe too and really liked it, until a hot sweaty day; then I just felt like I was wet from the coconut oil. Now my little secret is to wash my arm pits with just baking soda, then out of the shower I put a little more baking soda on…tadaaa…no smell and no greasy feel!
p.s. I’m only anonymous because I don’t know what any of those profiles mean…
oh, have you made your own toothpaste? I like baking soda, sea salt and essential oils…
What is the measure for the oil?
It says 6-8 on the recipe.
6-8 tablespoons 🙂 It has been changed accordingly. Thanks!
I am a do it yourselfer too. However, I tried deodorant and found that the baking soda and/or cornstarched irritated my skin and made it raw. Has anyone else had this issue?
Hello from France ;-)) ! I’ve been using baking soda for quite a while now and it works wonders ….the only thing is that you need extra-fine powder ( like flour ) and not the usual coarse baking soda – and you also need to wipe off the excess with a tissue for example ….Hope it helps , have a nice day everybody !!!
Goustane
If baking soda gives you a reaction you can switch it out for white clay or more corn starch. We’ve been making a similar recipe for 3yrs but minus the baking soda as I have very sensitive skin. If you tend to have dry skin cacoa butter is a nice addition too, moisturising and smells lovely.
Hi! Some people are allergic to baking soda. In that case, you might just have to buy deodorant.
Just wanted to let you know that I made your deoderant on Monday, and I gotta say…LOVE it:) It works crazy well, even for my hubby! He works long, hard hours, and this is the first deoderant that did not give him a rash (yuck) and it fought off the smellies all day. So…Thank You:)
I. Love. Your. Site. I think we’re long lost sisters. (and I don’t mean that to be weird. lol!) Thank you! I have to force myself to walk away and stop diving into another post after another, after… Blessings! 🙂
I use this too. but I use TOM’S Natural deodorant when I have too. TOM’s doesn’t have any aluminum in it.
OMG!! I love all of these and will definitely be trying some of them once I get all the ingredients
I just made this and I used two drops of lemongrass EO and two drops of patchouli and it’s the PERFECT combination for deodorant!
I didn’t put any essential oil in mine because I don’t have any. But I’ve been using this for a couple weeks and I love it. The only problem is, it DOES get onto black clothes… but a damp washcloth takes it right off. (Oh, and I did use cornstarch, because I have a box of it that I’m trying to get rid of so I don’t have to use it anymore. But at least I’m not eating this stuff.)
Cornstarch? Make custard! =)
Day one of homemade Deodorant. I work as a PCA at a local hospital where we go from nothing ot do to running around like crazy. And it’s always super hot on the unit when we’re super busy. SOOOO. 5 1/2 hours into the shift and I still smell pretty!!
Anyone got any suggestions about it causing a rash though?? My hubby is trying it too, but he’s raw and red under ONE armpit!! Makes no sense… But he’s always been really sensitive when it comes to deodorants.
I experienced the same thing. I have a hard time using baking soda. 2 things that have helped me are use Bob’s Red Mill baking soda. It is soooo different than Arm and Hammer. Suggestion 2, use Lavender Essential Oil in it, or separate. It helps with the redness and irritation. (I also use bentonite clay and no cornstarch in my deodorant.) Good luck! 🙂
I meant arrowroot, not cornstarch. Lol.
I’d be a little wary of lavender oils. Lavender is HIGHLY estrogenic. I’d never use it myself, nor would I want my man using it. Also, I use this deodorant myself, and occasionally have the same problem. It is a baking soda burn. I find I can prevent it by adding extra coconut oil to the concoction.
With my new orange coconut deodorant and the garlic coconut oil for my earache, my daughter says I smell good enough to eat. Thanks
I am going to try this. I usually just put 2 drops of lemongrass under my arms. Co-workers call me the pledge lady. I want to find a good anti-bacterial scent to add for myself. Not a huge lavender fan. Maybe Thieves??? Thanks for the recipes. I love your blog!
i can’t believe i made my own deoderant! 🙂 but its now day 2 and i dont stink. used bergamot oil because i love that scent. thank you!
This is such an amazing blog, I can’t stop reading! I hope this isn’t off-topic as a comment on a post about making deodorant 🙂 – but I did just want to mention that soap and deodorant can actually CAUSE odor. I gave up soap and then, a year or so later, deodorant, and lost a considerable snifftiness problem that used to necessitate two showers a day all summer. Apparently soap and deodorant can alter PH in a bad way. Showering is a little less fun without soap, but on the other hand your skin stays healthier, the shower walls stay clean longer, the shower floor doesn’t get slippery, and you can shower faster.
I just recently started using my homemade deodorant. I am sold and will never go back! My quality test was using mid-day after the funk had begun. I’m sure no one else has ever experienced forgetting deodorant in AM, but I’m here to let you know that after the funk starts, deodorant will not end it. This homemade deodorant, however, totally freshened me up until I was able to do so appropriately!
I use unrefined coconut oil so it has that coconut aroma. I am OK with this, but I’m having a hard time convincing my husband of trying it (though he agreed to try it over the weekend since he doesn’t want to smell “like a woman” at work). My question is: If I add a manly smelling essential oil to a batch for him, will it mask the coconut smell? Or would refined coconut oil work just as well for deodorant, but without the coconutty smell? LOVE your blog by the way. I’m not a blog enthusiast, but yours is fantastic. I smile, laugh, cry, and cheer while reading your posts! Beautiful.
Hi there! We’ve been using this combination for deodorant for more than 2 years now. My husband is a FedEx driver and used it for first time on a humid, 90+ degree day and did NOT smell at all. We don’t add essential oils since they tend to bother his skin and we use unrefined coconut oil. We’ve also used refined coconut oil for a time and it seemed to work just fine. While it smells coconutty going on – no one would ever detect a coconut smell just standing next to you. We’ve tried several natural brands and feel this works WAY better than anything else.
I stumbled upon your blog today! I have made a similar deodorant that I continue to tweek for the past few years. I use bobs red mill bc it helps prevent the rash and I only use about 1/4 of the recommended amount. I also add a tablespoon of raw Shea butter to the coconut oil over a double boiler and add the other ingredients (tea tree EO, lavender EO) then pour into a small mason jar.
Being that I live in Florida, I will add a little bit of beeswax in the double boiler to thicken it up a bit.
To those of you with a rash start using more raw, organic apple cider vinegar in the shower and before applying deodorant 🙂 it helps!
Love this?
Hello Shaye,
I stumbled upon a post of yours for eczema cream on Facebook and was curious. we struggle with it for my daughter, with flare ups only in wintertime. the GP prescribed a 2% hydrocorticsone cream which only worked periodically and neither my hubby and i particularly liked using a steroid, for our under 5 year-old, even if it is just topical. anyways, long-story-short, I love your naturalpathic alternatives and will subscribe to your blog and use you as a future resource. keep up the great work!
God bless!
cheers, Lorna
And i thought making homemade laundry soap was wonderful! Love this idea! I’m going to do it. I buy coconut oil by the gallon already. Love that stuff. Is there any reason you couldn’t liquefy the oil for easier mixing? It would become solid again as it cools. Right?
That’d be totally smart. And much easier 😉
I just made this for the first time. I used only 6 tbsp and the mixture was already very sloppy, but maybe that’s because we’re in our hot summer down here Australia, so I doubled the amount of baking soda and arrowroot. The consistency then looked like your final pic and I’ve just used some so now in the testing phase. Thankyou for sharing this recipe ;o)
I gave up using anything a while ago as I kept getting rashes in my underarms, despite using aluminium-free and deodorant-free products, and also stopping shaving altogether (eww, not the look for me). The rash slowly cleared up over time so now I’m looking for something very kind to my underarms, hopefully your recipe will do the trick!
Good luck!
can you use corn flour instead of arrowroot?
I believe so yes, but I have never tried it.
I made this deodorant tonight and am looking forward to the results. I do have two questions though…do your clothes get grease stains from the coconut oil, and now that you have used it for a while has it helped with sweating or just a smell good? Thanks for the love you put into your blog!
Is the oil for smell?
Yep!
This stuff works!! Take it from me (somebody who produces kinda a lot of body oder) i smelled lovely and felt dry all day. Its really quite funny, I used to sweat ALOT wearing that chemical filled antiperspirant, and now I don’t sweat at all wearing some nice natural cream…… Any hoot, thank you so much for introducing me to this new method and for saving me from some smelly embarrassment. 🙂
God bless,
Olivia
ps. you have a very cute baby. 🙂
I am very excited to try and make this home made deodorant!! Though i do not know what arrowroot is, or how to go about getting it.
Thanks so much for sharing!!