
Why should you make your own all natural homemade deodorant? Simple! Homemade deodorant is better for your health. You control what goes into your deodorant. Plus, homemade deodorant is super easy to make. It uses a few all natural ingredients, and it takes less than 30 minutes to make.
Recently, The Guardian published an article entitled “Is your deodorant safe?“. It says, “Of all the products in your bathroom cabinet, deodorant is among those linked to the most health concerns.” The article lists the most common ingredients in store-bought deodorants. It explains the ingredients’ potentially harmful effects. Among these questionable materials are:
- Aluminum-based compounds – antiperspirant, have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease and breast cancer. Cause potential problems for people with severe kidney disease.
- Parabens – synthetic preservatives, have been found in breast tumors (cancer). Disrupt endocrine system. Banned by European Commission and Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
- Triclosan – antibacterial, contributes to antibiotic resistance. High level of exposure shown to change hormone regulation in animals.
- Phthalates – chemicals, have been connected to asthma, attention-deficit disorder, learning disorder, obesity, breast cancer and diabetes. Banned in children’s products by U.S. Congress, State of California, and European Union.
- Propylene Glycol – an alcohol, causes skin irritation and hives.
- Talc – can be contaminated with asbestos fibers, a known carcinogen. Asbestos-free talc is carcinogenic in animals and increases risk of ovarian cancer.
The most troubling ingredients used in store-bought deodorants are aluminum-based compounds and parabens. According to Cancer.gov (the website for the U.S. government’s principal agency for cancer research):
More research is needed to specifically examine whether the use of deodorants or antiperspirants can cause the buildup of parabens and aluminum-based compounds in breast tissue. Additional research is also necessary to determine whether these chemicals can either alter the DNA in some cells or cause other breast cell changes that may lead to the development of breast cancer.
Yes, if you do your research, you will find information out there saying that there’s no direct link between these ingredients and breast cancer. But that doesn’t necessary mean that these ingredients are safe. The U.S. government says we need to do more research to figure out if they are safe.
I don’t know about you, but I am not willing to place myself or my loved ones at risk. I don’t want to take any risk, when the scientists are still doing more research. Oh, did I mention that it’s very easy to make all natural homemade deodorant? Want to know how?! Keep reading!
All Natural Homemade Deodorant
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Yields: 1 tube of homemade deodorant (2 oz)
Ingredients Need to Make Homemade Deodorant
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- Beeswax – 3 tablespoons (Beeswax Organic Pastilles)
- Coconut Oil – 1 tablespoon (Any brands of extra virgin coconut oil will work.)
- Shea Butter – 4 teaspoons (Unrefined Raw Shea Butter)
- Arrowroot Powder – 1 tablespoon (Bob’s Red Mill Arrowroot Starch Flour)
- Baking Soda – 1 tablespoon (Bob’s Red Mill Baking Soda, you can get it in your neighborhood supermarket)
- Calcium Bentonite Clay – 1 teaspoon (Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay)
- Lemongrass Essential Oil – 20 drops (Now Foods Lemongrass Essential Oil)
- Orange Essential Oil – 10 drops (NOW Foods Orange Essential Oil)
- Natural Vitamin E – 1 drop (NOW Foods E-Oil, I sometimes use natural Vitamin E capsules from Whole Foods)
- Deodorant Containers (Deodorant Twist-up Empty Containers. You can also reuse one of your used deodorant tubes, be sure to cleaning it thoroughly)
Instructions on How to Make Homemade Natural Deodorant, Aluminum-Free, All Natural
1. Place Beeswax, Coconut Oil, and Shea Butter in a container. I use a glass measuring cup that pours melted ingredients into an empty deodorant tube easily.
2. Place container in a pot that has about 2 inches of water. You are creating a double boiler to melt the ingredients.
3. Melt Beeswax, Coconut Oil, and Shea Butter completely. It took me about 10 minutes with medium heat on the stove.
4. Add Arrowroot Powder, Baking Soda and Calcium Bentonite Clay into the melted mixture. Stir the dried ingredients into the melted mixture well. The clay will give your homemade natural deodorant a light green tint.
5. Mix Essential Oil and Vitamin E well into melted ingredients.
6. Pour melted ingredients into a deodorant tube.
7. Let mixture cool completely in the deodorant tube. It took me about 20 minutes. Then enjoy your very own homemade natural deodorant. It is aluminum free and contains only all natural ingredients.
That’s it! What do you think?! Super easy to make your own homemade natural deodorant, right? My hubby and I have been using this homemade natural deodorant for quite some time and we’ve both noticed that we sweat less. We have not detected any body odor on ourselves or each other. So, Yay! We are thoroughly happy with how well this homemade natural deodorant has performed.
I hope you will give this homemade natural deodorant recipe a try. I’d love to hear how effective you find this homemade natural deodorant. If you like the recipe, be sure to share it and pin it! As always, feel free to ask me any questions about this recipe or anything else about handcrafting your own beauty and body care products naturally.
I made a couple changes with what I had. I used Magnesium Hydroxide instead of baking soda. And my coconut oil is refined and didn’t say extra virgin, but is organic, so I only started with 2 tspn and added more after the dry was mixed in to make sure the consistency wasn’t too oily. My husband is testing it tomorrow at work and I’m so excited to hear about it. I’m trying to figure out a better cleanup method so I’m not pouring Shea butter and oils down my drain.
Is there a substitute for the tablespoon of coconut oil? Or can it just be omitted?
Thanks! 🙂
Great question! You can substitute the coconut oil with another liquid oil, such as sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, or even olive oil. I don’t recommend omitting the liquid oil, because without it, the deodorant might be too dry to apply on the underarm. Keep me posted on how it goes please!
Thank you so much!
Love your site. I’ve been making your body butter without coconut oil (my partner is allergic) and we love it!!! Looking forward to making the deodorant and many other things…
Thanks for sharing! Cheers. 🙂
I’m so glad you like my site and all natural body care recipes! Please keep me posted on how your homemade deodorant turns out. 🙂
Thanks for the oil substitution recommendations; I used grapeseed oil. Awesome deodorant! Amazing scent!!! 🙂
Oh, that’s wonderful! I definitely prefer homemade deodorant over many store bought ones. Homemade deodorant doesn’t contain any (potentially) harmful ingredients. Glad you like the recipe.
I tried this deodorant. Throughout the day time the deodorant worked perfectly though the smell of lemongrass was very powerful for a woman I think. I think I would prefer it if it had a little less lemongrass. Also, the deodorant stopped working around 6pm after having used it the entire day from 8am.
I’m so glad you gave this recipe a try! If you find lemongrass scent too strong, try substituting 10 drops of lemongrass with 10 drops of lavender essential oil. Lavender essential oil has some of the same antibacterial, antifugual and antimicrobial properties as lemongrass essential oil, but it has a more mild floral scent. I’m thrilled that this all natural deodorant lasted 10 hours! I’ll keep researching to see if I can tweak the recipe so the deodorant would last even longer. Because this all natural deodorant doesn’t use aluminum compounds that prevent your body from releasing toxin, it won’t last as long as the store-bought ones that are filled with synthetic and potentially harmful ingredients. Thank you for sharing your experience!