Homemade Deodorant Recipe #1: SUCCESS!

This is my recipe with my ingredients and measurement spoons.

 A success! Not a flop! Whooorah! I’m excited! I’m happy! I’m flabbergasted that my homemade deodorant recipe TURNED OUT the way it was supposed to! Yayayayayay! MUCH different than my first homemade toothpaste recipe, which ended up NOT turning out well at all. Now, only time will tell if the deodorant WORKS well. (I am wearing it right now, and it is just fine.) I will update the blog after some time of using the deodorant.

Why did I chose to make my own deodorant? I actually have many reasons, but the main two are 1. Commercial deodorants have aluminum in them, as well as other ingredients that have been linked to cancer and many other diseases. No… I much rather prefer to go natural. and 2. Commercial deodorants can be EXPENSIVE. My normal deodorant cost more than $3.00, whereas this homemade deodorant cost me less than $1.00! I much rather prefer to be frugal.

Here’s how to make your own homemade deodorant!

1. Baking Soda/Cornstarch

Mix 1/4 of each into a bowl or container.

Adding my 1/4 of cornstarch to my 1/4 of baking soda (without aluminum).

Baking Soda and Cornstarch can be IRRITATING to some people’s skin, so you do NOT want to make a large batch your first time, as you determine the correct measurements for your skin. You can reduce your ratio of baking soda/cornstarch to coconut oil, if you find it does bother your skin. Also, an alternative to Cornstarch is Arrowroot powder (of the same measurement). The Cornstarch or Arrowroot powder act as thickening agents for your deodorant, so they are pretty essential to this recipe.

2. Add Coconut Oil

Spoon 6-8 Tablespoons of SOLID coconut oil into your bowl or container of baking soda and cornstarch. You may have to use more, if your deodorant turns out not as solid.

Here I am adding my pure, all natural coconut oil to my mix of baking soda and cornstarch.

Remember that coconut oil stays solid at 76 degrees and below. At 77 degrees or higher, it turns to liquid. If you live in a particularly warm climate, you may consider putting your finished deodorant and coconut oil in the refrigerator to prevent from melting.

3. Add Essential Oils (Optional)

I did not do this, since I am currently still in the market for essential oils, but if you have essential oils on hand, you can add them for scent or flavor, if you like. I do not know much about each essential oils’ qualities; however, I have heard that peppermint, orange, and tea tree oil are all popular choices. You can mix and match to get the scent you desire.

If you do not add essential oils, the deodorant will not really “smell” like anything. (At least mine does not.) I have heard that the coconut oil can be fragrant in itself, depending on the type you use, but mine did not smell like anything in particular.

4. Mash the combination with a spoon

The next step is to simply mash it all together with a spoon until it becomes thick like a commercial deodorant. This may take a couple of minutes, but keep on going, and it’ll get there! 🙂

I had just begun mashing up all my ingredients, and I admit...I was doubtful at first that it would turn out.

5. Place in a Container

You can either place your deodorant in a jar, or you can place it in a used deodorant container. I chose to do the latter. You just need to mush it down. This recipe makes about 1 cup, or about 1 deodorant stick. By the way, if you put it in a used deodorant container, it looks JUST LIKE the store bought kind! 😀

Doesn't it look like the real thing? Even my skeptical sisters were amazed!

What I Did Next:

Since I had been touching it with my 98.6 degree hands, it started getting a little liquid-y, so I just put it into the refrigerator. When I went to take a shower this morning, I took the deodorant out of the fridge, put it on the counter, allowed the heat from the shower to soften it up a bit. Then, I put on the deodorant, and I am wearing, and have been wearing it since this morning, and I am doing very well with it. I have not experienced any rashes or irritation from it. I hope I never do!

CREDIT:

I received my deodorant recipe from Lindsey at Passionate Homemaking. You can see her instructions, her video tutorial, and her FAQ on the topic of homemade deodorant making. I found her article EXTREMELY helpful and informative. You may, too, so Click here!

DISCLAIMER:

You try this deodorant recipe at your own risk. Everyone’s bodies are DIFFERENT, so what works for me is not guaranteed to work for you. Research before you begin ANY project. For example, I did A LOT of research into homemade deodorant recipes before I made my own (almost a month’s worth). If you experience problems, I am neither a doctor nor an expert on hygiene and body care, but I will be available to hear your complaints and help you find a solution.

Homemade Toothpaste Recipe #1: FAIL

Yes…my pretty little marker board with my pretty little smile out of my pretty little “oo,” and the toothpaste was a FLOP! 😦

Despite it’s ultimate FAIL, I learned from this “mad scientist” experiment, a my mother calls it. Here is the GOOD, the BAD and the YUCKY:

The GOOD–

If you can tell, the consistency began very solid. Then, it became soupy!

Okay, I was kidding. There really wasn’t anything good about it at all. It was kind of cool to see how all of the ingredients started out solid-y, and then turned to eventual soup (which it was not supposed to do), but…yea, that wasn’t exactly “good.”

On a good note, the baking soda, peppermint extract, and coconut oil did do a good enough job brushing my teeth. My mouth felt clean when I rinsed with cold water, just not “fresh,” like the mint would give it.

The BAD–

Well, I kind of just told you that, didn’t I? haha 🙂 The bad of it was that I used nearly HALF a bottle of $3.48 peppermint extract on trying twice to get the toothpaste to turn out right and yummy…which ultimately didn’t work. I gave the rest to my mom to use for cooking, since she’s the cook in the household. The Bad was also that I brushed my teeth multiple times with the failed homemade toothpaste, in order to test at different consistencies, measures, and recipe remixes. Nasty!

And, finally, the YUCKY–

I did determine that the peppermint EXTRACT was the main cause of it being so downright yucky (and also soupy). I will try again with peppermint OIL. Baking Soda does not taste exceptionally good, but adding alcohol (in the extract) is absolutely TEN TIMES worse! Don’t do it.

Here was my ingredient list:

Coconut Oil, Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, and Peppermint Extract. Consider the Extract a "bye-bye."

I was disappointed…

because I had all my items set out on the counter, and I had read and researched tons of recipes for homemade toothpaste, and I was PREPARED and EXCITED to go natural on this dental hygiene product.

I am NOT deterred…

because I know what was wrong with my recipe (stinkin’ peppermint extract), and I have read the different testimonies of people who have made their own toothpaste and it turned out well. Their pictures even turned out great, like these from Tammy’s Recipes. I am encouraged in my failure, and I am further inspired to pursue my natural lifestyle.

So…the search and the journey continues on.

Do you have any homemade toothpaste bloopers or tips to share? I would love to learn from your experience!

The Lost Can Be Found

The Princess opened the sliding door, which concealed the spiraling tunnel. Giving into her curiosity and wonder at the untraveled passage, the naive and innocent Princess stepped through the threshold and into the tunnel. After traveling for some time, she noticed the inner parts of her shoes becoming wet. Then her ankles, then her shins, and then her knees. The tunnel was dark; it had led her astray from the door by which she entered, so that she could no longer find her way back. With no other solution, she continued forward in the direction of her initial journey.

The water continued to rise: mid-thigh, hip, chest, neck. As her panic level began to increase, she realized the passage opened up into a waterway. Catching her breath, she dove in–hoping for the best.

Immediately, the Princess noticed the coldness and heaviness of the water. Surely she must be in the deepest of the depths of a great body of water. With great effort of strength, she swam upward, upward, upward. Her arms and her legs burned, but not more so than her eyes, which she found she could not keep open for any great length of time. When her eyes were open, she could not see hardly anything, for the waters were dark and murky. Her air was running out, but she glimpsed a dim light ahead, so she pressed forward to the mark before her.

Conveniently, as she drew closer and closer to the light, a rope seemed to be lowered to her, and eagerly, the Princess reached for the rope and pulled with all her might. All she could acknowledge was the fear that she would not reach the top before her last breath was gone, and so she pulled even more and even harder.

At last, she broke through the water–only to find herself among an oil spilled sea. The darkness, the murkiness, the heaviness as she swam, it was oil! Looking about her, she saw only dark oil plastering the water. Her skin felt not wet, as it would from a recreational swim, but slimy. The fear and panic began to gradually increase within her being again.

A medium size boat, from which the rope came, floated just to her right, and she anxiously swam in its direction. She reached the ladder, and climbed up it, only to find the boat deserted with no one on it. The Princess went to the control center, and started up the boat–and when she did, the boat exploded and parts of it were strewn across the expanse of oily water!

The force of the explosion sent the now horror-stricken Princess back into the water, along with many other pieces, large and small, of the boat. Without knowledge of what else to do, the Princess grabbed hold of the largest piece of “boat” nearest her, climbed on top, and began paddling her way to the shore.

She did not know where she was. She did not know what to do. Lost and confused. Fearful and hopeless. Despairing and regretting that she opened that door paddled she on–on and on and on. Toward the shore, toward her prospective redemption.

But it was so far away, even after her continual paddling. She would never reach it. She would never be found. She would never know what she had gotten herself into. So the Princess laid down across the boat piece, closed her eyes, and prepared to die.

Meanwhile, back on shore, the explosion was heard and the boat in flames was seen. People came running from all places to the beach to see the great disaster. With a shout, one individual said he found someone! A team of five people came to his destination. Sure enough, they saw the Princess, lying across her boat piece with her eyes closed, but knew she was dead. As the boat piece floated nearer to them, they prepared to rescue its passenger, though perhaps it was too late.

The Princess heard the shout, and she heard the talking back and forth between multiple voices. Hallucinations, surely. She thought. But when she felt the jolt of their arms catching her piece of boat, her eyes swiftly opened and beheld her Redeemer, the one who had found her.

A tear slowly trickled down her cheek, as she looked upon him, and she gratefully smiled at the 5 helpers. Her Redeemer lifted her up, and took her to safety. She was not lost! The Princess was not lost!

She had faced the murky waters and fire. She had withstood great fear and panic and terror. She had been lost and confused, but NOW she was found and safe. She had been found. Praise the Lord! She had been found.

_______________________________

In this parable:

The Princess–as daughters of God, the King of Kings, we are Princesses!

The Tunnel–we all choose the paths we will travel, whether they are ones that have been walked before us by the prophets and apostles of old or ones that are foreign to us and are dark.

Murky Waters and Fire–in life, sometimes we go through trials that can leave us with fear, panic, doubt, and despair.

One Redeemer–Jesus Christ is our Redeemer, the One who finds us when we are lost, the One who lifts us up when we are down.

5 Helpers–God uses people to be instrumental in bringing others to Him.