DIY: Deodorant
Have you ever wondered what's in antiperspirants that make you not sweat? Well, the answer is aluminum. According to WebMD, the "aluminum-based compound...temporarily plugs th
e sweat ducts and prevents you from perspiring. Typically, antiperspirants are coupled with a deoderant, which contains the pleasant scent that stops you from stinking."**
When I first read about this, I thought to myself, "Well that can't be natural or good for us..." So I did further research, and deodorants too have harmful chemicals, such as parabens (used as a preservative) and phthalates (used to help the fragrance stick to the skin). Well as you can imagine, I went straight to my bathroom and threw my antiperspirant deodorant stick in the trash, and then decided to make my own deodorant with just a few ingredients I picked up from the health food store and Young Living essential oils.
1. Place the coconut oil and shea butter in a glass container, such as a glass measuring cup. Place the glass measuring cup with the oil and shea butter into a small pot, and fill the small pot with water (water line should be no higher than the ingredients in the measuring cup; do NOT get water in the measuring cup). Put on medium heat, and melt.
2. Once melted, remove from heat. Mix in baking soda and arrowroot powder, then essential oils. (note: always start with less drops of essential oils, then you can increase if you desire)
3. Pour into the airtight mason jars. Place in fridge until cool.
*If you keep this at room temperature, it will be a paste texture. If you want it to be more solid, keep in a refrigerator. Always date your homemade products so you can record the shelf-life.
The baking soda and arrowroot powder will help with moisture absorption. You can choose different essential oils such as lemongrass, lemon, lavender, etc., but I decided to do the above blend due to Purification and Thieves' odor eliminating and freshening power, Melaleuca A.'s skin benefits, and Peppermint's strong smell & cooling sensation. The smell is not over-powering, but smells just a bit like cinammon.
Yes, you will still sweat wearing this deodorant, but sweating is a natural function of your body, so no need to stop what the body does on its own! However, I've been wearing this deodorant everyday for the past couple of weeks, and I have yet to experience bad body odor or residue stains on my shirts, even after heavy, sweaty activity!
Hope you enjoy :-).
**WebMD. "Antiperspirant Safety: Should You Sweat It?" (June 2011) http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/features/antiperspirant-facts-safety.
