Homemade Deodorant

I'll be the first to admit that making homemade deodorant seemed a bit crazy.  I know we've all heard about the accusations that it can be harmful to our bodies (good info about that here!) but I think I'm like most people that put that in the category of "that wouldn't happen to me".  I've also always assumed that people who made homemade deodorant were more willing to smell bad for the sake of good health, and I'd rather smell good so obviously this wasn't the route for me.  But then the more I thought about it the more I realized I'm exactly the right person to give this a try… I don't want to smell bad, not even a little, I've tried natural deodorants in the past and none have ever cut it, and I really don't want to get Alzheimer's or breast cancer so I figured I'd give it a go.  Oh yeah, I also seem to get stinky fairly easily so this would actually need to work really well (that was even embarrassing to type).  

I should also mention that a big reason why I started searching for natural deodorants was because I was just noticing that my daughter was getting to the point where she needs deodorant on occasion.  The thought of giving her something that is so closely linked to breast cancer and Alzheimer's made me cringe.  So like most things, when I'm not good at doing something for myself you can guarantee that I'll be more willing to do it for my children.

Last week I tried a recipe that a friend of mine, Shannon (Kristin's sister), posted on Facebook.  It seemed like a good place to start!  You can find most things at your local market (except the beeswax) but I went ahead and ordered a few of the items online out of convenience.  Once I had everything I gave it a go!  It was really easy to make and took less than 5 minutes, plus extra time to sit in the fridge and get firm.

Homemade Deodorant

1 Tbsp beeswax (I used pellets)
2 Tbsp coconut oil
2 Tbsp arrowroot
2 Tbsp baking soda
4 drops of vitamin E oil
10 drops of Joy essential oil (optional)
Deodorant container- you can buy empty ones or just clean out an old one that you have laying around

Put coconut oil and and beeswax in pan on low heat to melt.  Add arrowroot and baking soda.  Mix together and take off heat.  Add vitamin e oil and your essential oils.  Don't add the essential oils while you're heating the other ingredients because the heat can ruin the properties of them.  Pour melted liquid into deodorant deodorant. Put it in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes. 

Does it actually work?  Well I've been using it for a week and I don't have any complaints!  Just to give you an idea of how well it's working I did a little experiment this week.  I showered Monday and applied the deodorant, Tuesday I didn't shower and I didn't apply more deodorant, I worked out later that day and even after my work out I didn't smell.  Pretty crazy!  I was even surprised with how well it worked.  

If you buy a pound of beeswax pellets like I did you'll have enough beeswax to make deodorant for the next 10 years.  I recommend sharing them with a friend or finding other useful ways of using it- Thank you Pinterest!