Homemade Deodorant

I’ve been playing around with natural alternatives to antiperspirant for almost two years now. I’ve always been a little on the sweatier side, so your everyday deodorants don’t really do the job. Salt crystals didn’t do much for me and tea tree oil was a little too harsh and expensive.

So when a fellow counselor at the farm led a homemade deodorant workshop during our training week, I eagerly jumped at the chance. It was simple to make and we all had fun choosing essential oils to scent our final products. Since farm camp is my excuse to get my hippie on (my leg hair was glorious last summer), I was able to test my new concoction over the course of several weeks of limited showers and high activity.

It worked better than anything I’ve ever used before.

At the end of the day, my armpits didn’t smell terrible. There was a faint sweatiness to them, but that’s understandable when you haven’t showered in a few days and you were mucking a barn all morning. I felt drier, too.

Now that I’m back in the real world, I’m still using this recipe. 

Homemade Deodorant

• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1/4 cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• Several drops of essential oil

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight jar.

Adjustments and considerations

• If you have sensitive skin, decrease the amount of baking soda and increase the amount of cornstarch or arrowroot powder. 
• I used tea tree oil to scent my batch as well provide anti-microbial properties. Cinnamon and lavender are good options, too. You can use any scent you prefer as long as it is safe to use on skin.
• Make sure you wash this off at the end of the day. The baking soda can be harsh on your skin if left on too long. As long as I shower or clean my armpits once a day, I'm fine.