The good selection of ingredients – especially essential oils – is crucial for your natural and homemade deodorant to be a success.
Making your own deodorant with natural ingredients is a very useful project. You save money, you make sure that the deodorant does not contain toxic substances, and it is also a lot of fun to make. The first step in this adventure is selecting the right ingredients.
A homemade deodorant can contain a wide variety of ingredients, such as baking soda, coconut oil, shea butter, hydrogen peroxide, apple cider vinegar, or clay. They are products that you may already have at home and that, in any case, are easily available.
WHERE CAN I GET THE INGREDIENTS?
Vinegar, alcohol, and cornstarch or baking soda can easily be found in any supermarket. The other ingredients can be found in herbalists, pharmacies and organic product stores, either physical or online.
Many recipes call for essential oils, which provide disinfectant properties and a good smell. You have to be careful with this product because if you do not pay attention, you can take home an oil designed to give the atmosphere and that, in addition, is not natural.
In hygiene and natural cosmetics, pure natural essential oils are used, if possible certified for organic production. See if these concepts appear on the label.
In the formulas to make at home there is the possibility of making changes based on personal taste, but remember that not all essential oils can come into contact with the skin. Some are irritating or need to be diluted a lot. That is why it is better that you follow the instructions of a reliable source of information to the letter
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In any case, to minimize the risk, try the homemade deodorant that you have made on a small portion of the skin, on the forearm, for example. If no irritation appears after several minutes, you can use it on the armpits.
A general advice is not to exceed 20 drops per 100 milliliters of basic oil or cream. It is best to start with two or three drops and increase the amount if necessary.
IS HOMEMADE DEODORANT GOING TO BE CHEAPER FOR ME?
A self-made coconut oil deodorant, for example, costs less than € 1.50 per 100 grams. Comparable deodorant products are much more expensive.
You can reduce the price by purchasing large quantities of each ingredient instead of small doses. For example, with a kilo of coconut oil, 400 g of baking soda and 400 g of cornstarch, you can prepare more than 50 servings of deodorant cream (approximately 30 g each).
You may wonder if it is not going to spoil you. It is true that the life of natural homemade products is shorter than that of deodorants with synthetic ingredients and preservatives. But if they don’t contain a lot of water or are dry, their life can be long.
For example, you can put an expiration date of up to two years on a deodorant cream with coconut oil and baking soda. In contrast, a self-made spray-on deodorant will last only a few weeks. This time can be significantly increased by using a higher proportion of alcohol in the composition.
In general, you don’t need to store your homemade deodorant in the fridge. But it is true that a dark and cool place is the most suitable. In fact, if you use coconut oil and you want the product to have the consistency of cream, you should store it at less than 25ºC (above this temperature it becomes liquid).
If you appreciate that your deodorant smells rancid, it is that the fatty ingredients have oxidized and you can no longer use it. If you like the deodorant, the next time you make it again you can add a few drops of vitamin E (you will find it in pharmacies), which prevents the oils from spoiling.
VERY SIMPLE HOMEMADE DEODORANT FORMULA
Ingredients:
30 g of baking soda
30 g of cornstarch (cornstarch)
60 ml of coconut oil
Preparation:
Mix the three ingredients to obtain a deodorant cream, capable of keeping you free of bad odors throughout the day. If you want to improve the formula, you can add 10 drops of lavender or eucalyptus essential oil.
