This is one of those things I never dreamed I would actually DIY. Seriously, deodorant! I am too vain to mess with things like personal hygiene. But I really want to eliminate as many crazy chemicals as possible in our home. I tried the store bought “natural” deodorant and after 2 days I felt like I was radiating B.O. YUCK! But instead of grabbing the aluminum-laced antiperspirant, I decided to give homemade deodorant a try. I couldn’t believe that it worked!
The first recipe I tried was a soft deodorant that you applied with your fingers, it was a little weird to get use to that, but worked beautifully. But I did miss my stick of deodorant that I could apply quickly and get on with my day.
The recipe I used had only coconut oil as the base. Which melts when it gets the slightest bit warm. In my lotion making adventures, I discovered that Shea butter is pretty solid and with a little beeswax, it would be nice and firm, even in the summer.
So I started messing with some measurements and came up with this recipe. My husband and I love it! And we have put it to the test, 4 days camping in southern Utah, hiking in the sun, deodorant worked! Hammering stakes into the ground in the greenhouse on a 75 degree afternoon, deodorant worked! I am sure I will be able to give many more examples this summer 🙂
The one thing I will point out, this is not antiperspirant. It is a deodorant. Your body is made to sweat, so that is a good thing. Smelling like sweat, not a good thing! So it did take a bit to get use to sweating, I kept thinking, it’s not working. But I was fresh, just sweating.
Making deodorant is super fast too, just measure out 3/4 oz beeswax, 2 oz coconut oil, and 3/4 oz shea butter into a glass 2 cup measuring cup. I like to weigh my ingredients because it’s more precise than measuring ingredients that are solid.
Put your measuring cup in a small saucepan with a couple inches of water and simmer on low until your oils are totally melted.
Then remove it from the water and add in 2 Tbsp baking soda, 2 Tbsp corn starch and 1/4 cup arrowroot powder.
Stir until totally mixed together and smooth. Add in the Tea Tree oil and stir.
Then pour into your deodorant containers. I bought mine on Amazon, they can be washed and reused so my set of 5 will last forever 🙂 If you pour slowly, the sides will start to harden and you will get a cut little rounded top! I don’t know why, but I really like that. This recipe makes exactly 2 containers worth. One for me, one for the hubby.
Now your deodorant is all done, you just have to let it harden. If you need it fast, you can refrigerate it.
This homemade deodorant stick will stay solid at normal room temperatures, but if you go camping in the heat, keep it in the cooler or it will get too soft. Learned that the hard way!
Have you tried out homemade deodorant yet? Are you ready to?
Homemade Deodorant Stick
Ingredients
- 3/4 oz beeswax
- 2 oz coconut oil
- 3/4 oz shea butter
- 2 Tbsp baking soda
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
- 10-20 drops tea tree oil (or other essential oil)
Instructions
- Weigh the beeswax, coconut oil and shea butter into a glass measuring cup.
- Place in a small saucepan with a couple inches of water and simmer until the oils are completely melted.
- Remove from heat and stir in baking soda, cornstarch and arrowroot powder. Then stir in tea tree oil.
- Pour into 2 empty deodorant containers.
- Allow to harden before use.
I’m linking up to some of my favorite Link Parties.
Love this recipe!
Looking to substitute the beeswax for candelilia wax to make it vegan.
How much would you recommend to use in this recipe as apparently candelilia wax is stronger than beeswax so you don’t need as much?
I have never used candelilia wax so I am not sure how it might change the recipe. I say play around with it a little. Just an FYI, in the summer when my house is naturally hotter, the deodorant is softer so maybe leave the amounts the same as we are entering the warmer months.
Do you have a suggestion for an alternative to coconut oil? I’m allergic to coconut.
Thanks!
You need something that is solid so I would use shea butter or cocoa butter.
Do you have printable labels for the deoderant?
I’m sorry Lori, I do not. But they are easy to make so have some fun with your favorite colors.
Hello, and thank you for linking up this recipe for Merry Monday’s! This looks awesome, and while I agree with your comments about sweating, this blend might need to be a bit stronger for those of us living in the deep south, where with humidity, the average summer day can far exceed the triple digit marks, and where sweat lingers and sticks to the body, clothing, etc. Thanks for linking up this week!
Yeah, we get to 100 here in Utah but it’s a dry heat and only for a week or two. I know some people make a stronger homemade deodorant and other combinations of essential oils help with that too. Good luck this summer 😉
Wow, who knew? I just love this idea and appreciate the step by step instructions.
By the way, I’d like to invite you to post on my new blog hop (www.myflagstaffhome.com) that is open all weekend, if you’re interested.
Jennifer
Thank you Jennifer!
What a great idea. I’m trying to make more homemade products, so this is one I’m going to try. Thanks for linking up and sharing with us at Funtastic Friday. Hope you join us again this week.
Thanks you Sherry! I hope you give it a try, it’s really great and simple to make.
I would have never thought to DIY deodorant! I bet using different essential oils would create different fresh scents. Thanks so much for sharing at the Creative Inspiration party!
Hello Kelly! You can use any essential oils you want to customize the scent. Just be careful with citrus oils because they can cause sensitivity to the sun, but if you don’t expose your underarm a lot, they would smell awesome!
I’ve never attempted to make my own deodorant but I have thought about it. Now that I know that it’s pretty easy I will for sure be trying it.
It is really easy to make and I love how much it works. I hope you get a chance to try it soon 🙂
Great recipe!! What about adding scents, like lavender essential oil or citrus? Would it work with those ingredients?
You can definitely add other scents with other essential oils. Be careful about citrus oils, they can cause sensitivity to sunlight, but if you don’t expose your underarms a lot in the summer, it would smell amazing :). I always prefer citrus scents for the body.