Deodorant Recipe - Make Your Own
I used to prefer spray deodorant, but this is SO easy and works SO well, I am hooked on this deo-cake (it actually smells like cake too!).
(scroll down for youtube video)
INGREDIENTS (cool climate/winter)
- 3 parts organic cold pressed coconut oil
- 2 parts organic arrowroot
- 1 part organic bicarb soda
- 1-2 drops essential oil (like geranium or lotus flower)
- 1 clean glass jar with airtight lid
In Summer, EITHER use 1/2 the amount of coconut oil--as your jar contents will melt & need a stir--or store in the fridge or a cool, dark place.
RECIPE
Combine all ingredients in bowl or mix straight in your jar. If you are making your deo during the winter, it may be too chilly to be soft enough to mix. Put your coco oil in the jar, seal the lid and run some hot water over the jar in the sink to help it soften. Then mix in your powders. Add your essential oils. Seal, store, and use daily! If it feels too abrasive, add more coconut oil or less bicarb soda. EASY PEASY.
*You can take this traveling, just ensure your lid is tight! Some people like to use a small teaspoon to scoop some goop out. I use two fingers to scoop our a very small amount (1/2 tsp), rub between finger tips on both hands, and smear on. It dries clear, is not sticky, and I've never had it stain clothing.
MORE....
It's kind of my general rule that if I haven't heard of most of the ingredients on a label, I don't mess with it. I realise we are all just an assemblage of chemicals, but some are more familiar than others. Our skin is our largest organ and our armpits are full of sensitive nerves and lymph nodes that absorb all those fancy chemicals from your store-bought deodorant stick straight into the capillaries to circulate through the bod in either the blood or lymph.
At least when you eat something toxic, it is broken down by your liver and digestive system, when you put heavy chemicals onto your skin, it will enter the bloodstream un-metabolised. Meaning your body will actually have to use the immune system to fight the chemicals and expel them out as waste--often out the sweat glands of your armpits where the bloody chemicals snuck in!
Blood tests conducted at the North Carolina State University, indicated common deodorant ingredients can get past the epidermis and into the body. Scientists worry that certain compounds in antiperspirant and deodorant could contribute to developmental or reproductive issues and even cancer. Do your own research, make your own choices!
In my humble opinion, sweating is a fabulous bodily function that actually REMOVES toxins from the body. Why work against this handy built-in cleanse? Instead, let's use natural ingredients that we find in our kitchen! If we can eat it, it's safe for our skin. "Bicarb soda" or "baking soda," is sodium bicarbonate. Coconut Oil is composed of Vitamin E, moisture, and about 11 Fatty Acids. Arrowroot is a powdery starch from the rhizomes of the Maranta arundinacea plant.
Quit Plastics. Explore other natural options. Embrace the beauty of it!
Even more...
The most common ingredients used in most deodorants and beauty products are beyond nasty:
- Aluminium – A metal which is the main ingredient in most store-bought deodorant! Linked to breast cancer in women and increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Parabens – A synthetic preservative made of chemicals suspected to disrupt our delicate hormonal balance. Paraben exposure is linked to birth defects and organ toxicity.
- Propylene glycol – A petroleum based material when used in large quantities, is linked to causing damage to the central nervous system, liver, and heart.
- Phthalates – Another class of chemicals that have been linked to a variety of health issues including birth defects.
- Triclsoan – This chemical is actually classified as a pesticide by the FDA and a probable carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency.