About a year or so ago I started making my own deodorant and haven’t looked back. Personally, I was fine with buying store-bought deodorant but my wife never liked the stuff much. In fact, she’s always had a hard time finding deodorant that both works AND didn’t make her break out… seems she’s sensitive to various chemicals in them.
So, she searched and searched and found deodorant from Penny Lane Organics that she thought would finally work, and it did for the most part. Problem is that it was a bit expensive for deodorant and even this organic deodorant could make her break out. The best part is that it happens to contain the exact same ingredients as homemade deodorant! I’m not sure about the ratios but I figure they have to be close.
Anyway, I’ve posted about making homemade deodorant in the past so you can read about my first attempt if you like. Suffice it to say, it’s super simple but I’ve changed the ingredients a bit and actually make quite a lot more at one time than I did back then.
The Recipe
The recipe I follow now is:
- 1 cup coconut oil
- 3/4 cup cornstarch (up to one cup for drier deodorant)
- 1/3 cup baking soda (up to 1/2 cup for drier deodorant)
In fact, you could probably double the original recipe and just about fit it inside a typical quart mason jar. I should note that the original recipe called for adding essential oils but she prefers I do not add any as it seems the essential oils are what can make her break out. I should also mention that she prefers the deodorant to be a little less oily so you can either cut back a bit on the coconut oil or add a bit more of the cornstarch and baking soda; I happen to add a bit more cornstarch/baking soda and, to be honest, it’s still a work in progress to get the ratio just right.
To Make
To make, just melt the coconut oil over low heat. Once melted, stir in the cornstarch and baking soda and you’re done. Really. It’s that easy. 🙂
I prefer to then fill up an old deodorant stick and store the rest in a mason jar. Let it sit overnight to solidify and be sure to label the mason jar lid as “deodorant” and if you like you can further specify as “no essential oils” like I do.
To Refill
When you need to refill your deodorant stick, slowly heat the mason jar with the lid OFF in a pot of water which will eventually melt the deodorant. I prefer to use a lower heat such as 3 or 4 on my stove (out of 10) just to be sure nothing bad happens. I actually like to sit my jars atop the mason jar band like this (yes, that is a pot, not a pan):
Wait a while and give it a good stir when you think it’s done to be sure it’s fully melted and mixed. Then just repeat the stick filling process above. That’s it. You can now make your own deodorant, be better prepared for it, and probably smell better too.
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