Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Toxin Free Body: Homemade Deodorant That Works!!!

Even before I started the Maker's Diet five years ago, I began looking for alternatives to conventional deodorant. While shopping at Bath & Body works one day, an employee told me about the connection between parabens (synthetic preservatives) & breast cancer. I tried a "natural" deodorant that I purchased that day, but it didn't work at all.

So I returned to my normal deodorant- until I started the Maker's Diet, and read further about the danger of aluminum in
antiperspirant deodorants- it has been linked to cancer and to Alzheimer's. I knew we had to switch!

We did switch to an organic line of deodorant, first using Aubrey Organics. They work well and we used it for a long time, and in the last five years have used almost every brand of natural & organic deodorant on the market.

Our most recent favorite was
Weleda's Citrus deodorant, but in the end I got tired of purchasing expensive bottles of deodorant every month. When a friend on a Baby Center chat forum posted a recipe for homemade deodorant, I thought I'd give it a try.

I'll admit- I was extremely skeptical. And my husband was beyond skeptical. But as he always does, he agreed to give it a shot. We were both amazed by the results- for pennies a month!

So here is the recipe for an extremely easy, extremely effective homemade deodorant, that is truly
toxin free! (And with no alcohol to irritate sensitive skin.)

Truly Toxin Free Homemade Deodorant
1/4 cup organic corn starch
1/4 cup baking soda
6 tablespoons organic coconut oil

In a bowl,
combine the corn starch and baking soda with a spoon.

(I like using Rapunzel's organic corn starch)

Then add the 6 tablespoons coconut oil to the bowl. I like Nutiva's Organic extra virgin coconut oil, or Garden of Life's coconut oil.Using the back of the spoon (preferably a larger spoon, but not huge!) combine the coconut oil with the baking soda & corn starch.

At first, it will just be crumbly. You will think I am lying to you, and that it won't work! But don't fear,
keep folding all the ingredients together & combining with the back of the spoon for another minute or two. You'll know it's done when it is velvety smooth, without any crumbling.

That's it! I spoon it out and put it into a jar, and apply by hand daily. However, my husband prefers the convenience of a deodorant stick, so I use an empty stick we have, and pack the mixture down into it. Then you just shape it at the top, and the coconut oil keeps it solid, especially after it sets the first day or so.

I promise you- this stuff works! I read an article online discussing using baking soda for deodorant that said, "If baking soda can deodorize kitty litter, it can deodorize you!"

The coconut oil is also antibacterial and antimicrobial, and gives it a lovely, mild scent!

Enjoy your economical, truly toxin free deodorant! If you give this a try, please be sure to let me know what you think!




13 comments:

misty said...

this is so amazing you say coconut oil for this deodorant, I was shaving my legs the other day and decided to use coconut oil, naturally I used the oil for my armpits and it killed the stinky pit smell.. one swipe of the oil and it was smell gone.. in seconds!! so with your recipe I can have a solid lasting application.. so exciting!! worked for my husband too... wow! thanks!

Catherine said...

Misty, the combo of the coconut oil & the baking soda is a powerful one! It works great, and lasts and lasts, hope you enjoy it!

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

Thans for posting this. I've actually been looking for some healthy alternatives. Oh, I found your blog via Garden of Life's page on Facebook. I'd like to do The Maker's Diet...but I'm on an extreme budget..so I"m making baby steps. Thanks for sharing this!!! Love and hugs from Oregon, Heather :)

Catherine said...

Heather, you are welcome! It is a great budget friendly recipe. :) Congrats on making baby steps towards extraordinary health!

Anonymous said...

On my way to try it! I'll make sure to come back and let you all know how it went. I have been very frustrated with all the aluminum free deodorant options at the store. Talk to you later...

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the recipe, can't wait to try it! Have you tried any of Ava Anderson Non Toxic products? They are made without the harmful chemicals! Aubrey Organics does have some toxic ingredients in them. Check them out at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com then check out my site www.AvaAndersonNonToxic.com/DianePossemato

Drea said...

Thanks! Do you think I can I add essential oils to it as well?

Ellie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mary Beth said...

I've tried this recipe on and off (and am "on" right now) for over a year. The only downside I've found is that coconut oil has such a low melting point and the deodorant gets mushy or downright liquid when it's hot. I've read that some people keep it in the fridge but I've spent the past year traveling a lot and I'm not keen on sticking deodorant in someone else's fridge!

Unknown said...

Thank you so much for this recipe, I tried it and I love it! It works great!

Melissa said...

I am loving this recipe so far! I have only been using ot for a few days but am truly loving it! I have a couple of questions though. 1. It seems to be rather gritty, is it possible that I did not mix it long enough or could it just be from the baking soda? and 2. I brought it with me to my boyfriends house and it wasn't in the car for more than an hour, with a/c on, and it got very melty. Is that normal?

Thanks!

product 9 said...

This mix works far better than any other deodorant I have used. Ok, so I got itchy for a few days and then I discovered that you don’t really need much of this stuff (about as much as a squashed pea). I make sure I’ve really rubbed it in so there’s an even spread, no more itch! Love it, and thanks.

Blogger said...

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