DIY Solid Deodorant

We all have heard the scary stories about chemical-laden antiperspirant.  I have attempted to make solid deodorant before with two problems.  The first is that coconut oil is great at staying a solid at temperatures below 76 degrees, but what if you live in a place like I do where the temperature frequently is much, much higher than that, inside and outside!

The other problem that made me give up DIY deodorant?  Well, I will get to that in a minute.

I love this particular recipe because it will actually stay in a solid form!  What do you need?

For this recipe I gathered together beeswax pellets, cornstarch, baking soda, coconut oil, an empty deodorant container, and some essential oils.  I am not endorsing any of the above products.  This is just what I happened to use.  If you have a favorite brand, feel free to use it instead.  I am all about budgets here, so use whatever you have on hand!

I started by melting together the oil and beeswax, stirring frequently until combined.

Then I added in the powders.  Making sure there are no lumps before adding will make things move a little faster.  I added the essential oils at the very end and stirred until everything was well combined.  

Though you want to make sure everything is mixed well, don't spend too much time making this as things will start to firm up fairly quickly as the beeswax cools.

Whoops!  This was a bit more than the container I originally planned for, so I ran to the craft room and grabbed a small container with a lid and put the rest of my mix there.  That one can be applied with my fingers.

That's all there is to it.  Let it cool and you're ready to use.  Now remember this is a deodorant.  It will not clog your pores and you will still sweat.  Don't sweat it (ha!); Sweating is good for you.  Really.

Oh, what's that?  You thought I forgot my second problem with solid DIY deodorant.  The first time I made this product, everything worked great.  (It may take some people a couple weeks to get used to not using the deodorant only but if you feel extra funky, give your body a little time.  It's worth it.)  But for me, and I think many other people, you may start to notice some irritation in your underarm area.  Mine took about 2 weeks to start and then my underarms were red and really dry.  Not good.  So I gave up on my DIY deodorant and thought all was lost.

But now I found the solution!  The problem has to do with the pH balance of the skin and lots of other science stuff you can look up if you really want to know all that.  Instead, I'm just going to tell you how to fix it.  Before you put on the deodorant, spray a small amount of apple cider vinegar to your pits.  No really.  I keep a tiny spray bottle nearby.  Hold those arms up, let it dry (it doesn't take long), and then put on the DIY deodorant and love that you are keeping those pores clear!  Please note:  DO NOT USE THE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR RIGHT AFTER YOU HAVE SHAVED.  You're welcome.

Let me know if you give this one a try!