Walking around with greasy arms and legs from homemade lotion is one thing, but walking around in my own pig pen type funk is something else entirely.
But then a friend of mine tagged me in a Pin about making your own deodorant and told me I should try it. I wasn't to excited about it but.....
The pin that my friend tagged me in was one of those that gives you all the details in the pin so there is no need to click on it. However, I did click on it to see if there were any other details that weren't in the pin description and hello...... it took me to a site that had nothing to do with deodorant. It was a site about going 'poo free. As in not using shampoo to wash your hair.
Of course this intrigued me and read the blog learning a lot about keeping your hair clean without shampoo, but that is for a future post.
Since I have no idea where the details about making your own deodorant came from I can't give credit where credit is due, so I will just put on the details from the pin.
Homemade Deodorant
Best deodorant ever!!!! 1/4 c. baking soda, 1/4 c. cornstarch, and 6 T. coconut oil (which you may have to melt first). Mix well, add more coconut oil if you need a more creamy consistency and I put it in a glass bowl on my bathroom counter. It’s unbelievable. You can wear your shirt for days if need be.
Every homemade deodorant recipe I have read has tea tree oil in it, since I am a huge fan of tea tree oil I decided to throw in a few drops.
I melted the oil in the microwave then mixed everything together. The baking soda and cornstarch dissolved very easily. I then poured it into an old deodorant container and let it cool.
I used it for three weeks and for some crazy reason the entire world decided to ask me what my latest DIY project was during those weeks. When I told them I was testing a homemade deodorant the typical reaction was this.
The Verdict:
(Disclaimer: I don't sweat much. Pretty much not at all, I'm the person you see at the gym that is all red faced but completely dry. So keep that in mind while you read my verdict and decide if you want to try it for yourself)
It worked a lot better then I thought it would. The first week I had a couple of "HOLY SMOKES!!! I STINK!!" moments. But I think I wasn't using enough. Once I put more on in the mornings it worked great.
One morning I realized that I had completely forgotten about a social event that I had to be at and was suppose to leave the house in 5 minutes. During my mad dash of clothes, make up, and shoving food at the kids I never reapplied the deodorant. Of course I remembered this half way there and did a quick pit check. All was well. What I had applied the day before kept the body stank at bay for almost 36 hours.
However, I am not fully convinced that this is a great deodorant. I want to try it in the summer to see how it holds up in the heat. However, I did put it up against a very intense miracle workout and it seemed to work the same as my store bought deodorant.
The consistency took a few days to get use to. It would sort of melt onto my skin, but dried fairly quickly. It also seemed lighter, like some how my armpits didn't have goop slathered all over them.
Unfortunately, It didnt' last long in the old deodorant container. It worked for about 5 days and then for some reason I couldn't pull it up anymore. I got out the rest of the deodorant out of the container and put it in a bowl. I tried to apply it with my fingers but that was a huge hassle and very messy. I ended up just putting toilet paper around the bar and applying it that way. When I make it again in the summer I plan on finding an easier way to apply it.
And there you go, never judge a book by it's cover. Who knew that I would actually enjoy a homemade version of deodorant and that it would work. At least I think it does, no one has told me that I smell. Maybe everyone is just being polite.
UPDATE: 7/12/13 - I ended up using this deodorant for 3 months. I love it. It's very easy to make, I like the way it feels and it works great. The biggest problem with it though is that it melts easily. My bathroom tends to get fairly warm in the summer so once the temperatures started to rise in May I wasn't able to use it anymore because it was always halfway melted and the ingredients would separate. Maybe I need a mini fridge in my bathroom.