all-natural deodorant recipe

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i give up

After years and years of trying all-natural deodorant options, I finally gave up in despair. Minus the one option that (mostly) worked but left greasy stains on the armpits of all my shirts, nothing was cutting it. Was it true, I moaned, that you needed nasty chemicals to effectively destroy the odor? (haha. absolutely not) Because if there was actually something out there, I couldn't find it.

So I reluctantly resigned myself to that fact that occasionally smelling sweaty was just something I was going to have to accept—especially when it came to stress sweat. Sure, it made me extremely uncomfortable (I was forever sniffing my armpits), but I also wasn't going to compromise. The axillary lymph nodes (located in the armpits) are already working hard enough without me adding insult to injury with chemicals galore.

So I suffered.

I wish I could say it was in silence, but alas the complaining was loud. Because... gross.

But then several years ago, I decided to give it one more go. After decades of living an all-natural and plant-based life, I've come to realize that there's a replacement for everything if only I search hard enough or experiment long enough. This time, however, I wasn't doing any more searching; this time, I was going to crack the code myself.

we have a winner

I have absolutely no idea how many batches I experimented with until I found just the right balance and consistency. Then I messed around with the essential oil blend until it was also just right (and oh so gorgeous). And finally, I had to test deodorant tubes until I found one that would work (I wish I could say that my final choice was made from earth-friendly materials, but I comfort myself with the fact that it's endlessly reusable).

In the end, it was ALL worth it because I have never (ever) had a deodorant as effective as this one—even when battling stress sweat.

not the baking soda!

Like many, I usually can't tolerate deodorants with baking soda because they eventually irritate the skin on my armpits. I have found, however, that baking soda is the most effective at odor control, so I tweaked the ratios until I found one that worked but didn't lead to red, itchy, and angry armpits.

Neither I nor my girls have any trouble with the amount of baking soda in this recipe, probably because it's proportionately heavy on the arrowroot powder and light on the soda. Sorry, but I do not have an alternative baking-soda-free variation because this one works for us without a problem. And we all, without exception, agree that it does its job like a champ. I've even had people tell me after greeting me with a hug that I smell great, so my days of worrying about stinky sweat are now a thing of the past (hallelujah).

all-natural deodorant recipe

Ingredients

• 5.5 grams candelilla wax

• 36 grams coconut oil

• 49.5 grams arrowroot powder

• 17.3 grams baking soda

• 8 drops ylang ylang (Cananga odorata) essential oil

• 8 drops cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) essential oil

• 8 drops frankincense (Boswellia carterii) essential oil

• 6 drops Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) essential oil

  
  

Supplies

• 2.5 ounce deodorant tube

• small kitchen scale

• double boiler

Directions

1. Add the candelilla wax and coconut oil to a double boiler. Over medium heat, warm until both are completely melted.

2. While the wax and oil are melting, add all of the essential oils to a small beaker and swirl gently to mix. If you don't have a small and adorable beaker, then simply drop the oils directly into the wax/oil mixture.

3. Once the wax is liquid, add in the essential oils and stir to gently combine.

4. Add in the baking soda and arrowroot powder and, using a rubber spatula, stir until mixed and completely lump-free.

5. Immediately pour the mixture into a deodorant tube. Let stand until completely cooled.

notes

This recipe makes a bit more than what's needed for a 2.5 oz tube, so I usually pour the excess on top of whatever is left in the tube that I'm nearly done with. This means you'll need two tubes at all times, but it prevents waste.

Unfortunately, I haven’t had any success with the eco-friendly cardboard tubes thus far and have resorted to plastic. The oil in the recipe will leach into the cardboard, eventually making it impossible to push up. No worries, though, because the tubes I now use are easily cleaned and refillable time and time again!

I use this small kitchen scale for measuring ingredients.

In the cold, winter months, I often need to warm the deodorant in my armpit for a moment or two to heat the coconut oil before it will easily apply.

essential oil notes

Sandalwood: Sandalwood is a very expensive essential oil because it is on the threatened and endangered list; therefore, I use it very, very sparingly even though I adore it (this bottle has lasted me for years). I generally don't advocate for the use of endangered plants, and in this case I would suggest the Australian Sandalwood because it is faring better than its Indian counterpart. I use this one because of its ethical harvesting standards.

Although sandalwood is an awesome essential oil with many therapeutic uses, because of its environmental status I mostly keep it on hand for this deodorant recipe. If you don't have any sandalwood, however, you can simply replace it with more frankincense or cypress, or substitute it with amyris essential oil instead. Amyris has a similar scent and is a much (much) cheaper option! I haven't personally tried it in this recipe, but it should make a good substitution.

Cypress: This essential oil is one of the secrets to this deodorant's success. Cypress possesses deodorizing and antiperspirant properties making it super for excessive sweating. If you're going to cut any of the essential oils from this blend, I wouldn't suggest it be this one!

The essential oils in this blend don't have many associated warnings, but ylang ylang and sandalwood can both be irritating to the skin in high amounts, so I would stay within the drop amounts listed in the recipe above.

sweet success

I'm not going to lie, finding success with this all-natural deodorant recipe was pretty damn sweet. I might even go so far as to say it's been one of my greatest victories. Maybe all that tells you is how much I despise being stinky, but still. It's a win I'm proud of ;)

Hope you have an excellent and sweet-smelling day! See you next time :)

Much love,

Melinda