Yep, you read that right. Today, I am going to teach you how to make your own homemade deodorant but first, I must tell you why I starting making my own. I think of my self as a pretty eco-friendly kind of girl and using “green” body care products is part of that. In my quest to be more green, I have tried every single natural deodorant on the market starting at $3 a tube all the way up to $12 and frankly, they all suck. I have funky armpits. Yep. I do. So, time and time again, I have gone back to the powder fresh blue tube we have all known and loved. Only problem is, it completely clogs up my pores and causes cysts to form, really painful cysts and we can’t be having that.
A few months ago, I’d had enough with poor quality natural deodorants, the cysts from the “regular” kind and the funk under my arms. I started googling and found a bunch of complaints similar to my own and one lonely recipe that had rave reviews. Since then, I have made the deodorant for me and my husband and we have both been very pleased with the results. I have fiddled with the original recipe and the method of making it and have come to a deodorant that really works well for me. The original calls for less oil but I have found it to be to dry and crumbly and prefer it to go on more smoothly which is solved by adding more oil.
The best news is that the funk is gone, there are no cysts and I am being a little more green.
Homemade Coconut Oil Deodorant
Makes One Tube*
adapted from Passionate Homemaking
8 tbsp melted coconut oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup corn starch
Start by scrubbing out a couple of old deodorant containers and drying the very well and roll them all the way to the bottom. Combine the coconut oil, baking soda and corn starch into a bowl and stir very well. Pour the mixture into the old deodorant containers and fill to the top. Place the containers in the refrigerator for about one hour for it to become solid. Store the deodorant at room temperature and use as you normally would. Be mindful that when the weather warms up, you may need to move it to a cooler room of your house because it does start to melt above room temperature.
*Be sure that the tube you choose does not have holes in the “plate” in the bottom, otherwise, the deodorant will run through and not roll up properly once it has hardened.
WOW Christie, I never would have thought to make my own deodorant! I’ll have to try this one me before I make it for my husband, I think he’ll be a little skeptical. thanks for sharing!
Let me know if you try it!
This earns you a seat at the power table of green-ness. What a great idea! I’m pretty happy with my Dove but if I ever start having problems…
Elizabeth (The Dallas Celiac)´s last blog ..Pieces of Heaven
wow, christie, you never cease to amaze me! i’m so impressed!
thanks for this…i have an old deodorant container i can dig out of the trash to use! :)
How cool is that?! I’ve ordered the natural products before and found them to be sub-par as well. I might have to give this a try just because you’ve planted the idea in my head now!
Karena´s last blog ..food fight!
I’m sooooo going to
try this! Toms of
Maine works decently for me but as the summer gets on I may have to try
this
What isn’t coconut oil fabulous for?!?!?! I love this Christie! I guess with it’s antifungal/bacterial properties it makes for a good deoderant base? You may really be on to something here, I am actually very curious to try this!
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I know right. Coconut oil is the bomb.
Do people still say “the bomb”?
OMG! I have the very same problems! And every time I try a natural product, it just doesn’t work well. I’m definitely going to try this.
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I never cease to leave your blog without learning something new! Very interesting Christie :)
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I’m trying this this week! Where do you get coconut oil? Any grocery store?
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I buy it at Whole Foods but have also seen it pretty much anywhere. If you look for it in your regular grocery, it is normally in the organic/natural foods section. Also just a note, the refined is not going to have a scent but the unrefined is going to smell (and taste) like coconut so if you don’t like coconut, use the refined.
Thanks for the deodorant recipe! I’ve been on the lookout for an all-natural deodorant, and it looks like maybe making it myself is the answer! I think I’ll have to try it myself, before getting the husband on board, though… he’s in LOVE with the scent of his current deodorant! ;)
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Thanks for posting this! I might have to make some if I can find a deodorant container. I started getting those awful cysts back in 2002 and I’ve been using natural deodorants since 2004. The only thing that really works for me is Alvera’s Aloe & Almonds Roll-On (it’s been working since 2004, too… I still buy it at iherb.com) but I like to have other options on hand, and this will be unscented too… nice when I don’t want to smell almond-y. :)
I truly wish more people would give up chemical deodorants. If it gives me cysts, what is it doing to everyone else…? My girlfriend refuses to quit using antiperspirants despite a history of breast cancer and that really worries me. I might offer her some of this recipe and see if she’ll give it a try.
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I have wanted to make this since I read the post. Now, 3 months later, I finally had an empty deoderant container! I made it yesterday and after only 2 days of using it I must say…I think I’m in love! Also, 1/2 of my jar of coconut oil is gone. I’ve never used it before but since yesterday I’ve made the deoderant, slathered it on myself and my 2 kids after bathing, drizzled some over my dog’s food, and had a teaspoon of it in my oatmeal this morning. I’m trying to pace myself since I’ve heard some people have a negative reaction if they use too much too soon. Thanks for introducing it to me and thanks so much for the deoderant recipe. I will never go back to store bought.
i made this but when it starts melting all the oil seems to go on the top and the baking soda and corn starch seems to settle on the bottom ( i have it in a glass container for now) should i add more baking soda and corn starch or is this normal?
What do you mean “when it starts melting”? I melt the oil, then stir in the corn starch and baking soda. Then pour into the containers and pop into the fridge right away. I have never had it separate but I never let it sit very long after I get it into the containers.
that could be it. the thing is that i sometimes leave it out since its not in a deodarant container yet, i find it hard to apply right out of the fridge, so i let it melt a little before applying it. however, when i do that i find that the top is pretty much the oil and the bottom is where the rest of the “ingredients” are. also when i just apply from the top (where the oil is) i find that my underarms get more sweaty than when i stir it a little and then apply it like that. ( am i making any sense???…i hope so LOL) anyway, thanks for replying so soon!!