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I don’t know about you, but I live in the SOUTH, where it is hot and humid for most of the year. A good deodorant can become your best friend. And a natural antiperspirant? Even better. I’m not saying that this will keep you from sweating, but the arrowroot powder does help. The baking soda neutralizes any odor and lasts all day long. Best of all, it’s much more solid at room temp than other homemade deodorants. You don’t need to keep it in the fridge all the time. After many trials and errors, this is the best recipe I’ve come up with for a GOOD, SOLID deodorant that lasts all day.
Melt beeswax and coconut oil in a pan or double boiler over low heat. Whisk in the baking soda and arrowroot powder. Remove pan from heat, and stir in essential oils. Add more if it isn’t fragrant enough for you. Pour into deodorant container. Leave uncapped for 24 hours or until cool. Then cap.
Thanks – we are both up way too late I see :)
I just got 5 gallons of each coconut oil – so I might have a bit to try this out with. I have tried many recipes but they are always melty and my husband does not like them. I will try this one and see what he thinks. We just don’t have any more of those deodorant things anymore…
Do you use expeller pressed coconut oil (that does not smell like coconut) or regular coconut oil (very coconutty)? I looked at the sight you recommended but it has both listed there on the same page…
I always use the coconutty one. ;) I love the smell and taste of coconut.
I’m about to make a batch using coconut oil and shea butter, would it work just as well as beeswax, or do I really need the beeswax? I live in Texas. And what do you put them in again? I’m having a hard time figuring that one out except for maybe a toilet paper roll lined with parchment paper.
I recommend following the recipe if you want the result. If you use substitutes, it will turn out differently. The beeswax keeps it solid in higher temperatures. I used an empty deodorant container.
Hi! I use almost the same recipe minus the beeswax! I have to keep mine in the fridge otherwise it gets soft and leaks…Ugh! Does the beeswax really help? We love the version we’ve been using!
Yes! The beeswax really helps! Mine stays solid at room temperature and even in hot cars.
Had to share this testimonial from one of my FB fans. Made me smile!
Posted by Amiste Sanders: “I just made it this week! My first ever homemade deodorant and your recipe turned out perfect, so easy to follow (i made no subs or changes). My husband and i are both using it and so far it is working just as well for us as the bad stuff we used to use. Thanks so much for sharing this! I’m no longer intimidated by this diy product that i had been avoiding trying to make and use :)”
Another way to get away from BPA- line a cupcake pan or similar small receptacle with parchment paper and pour your deodorant in there! Wrap and apply your cute sticker after it dries then just peel it like an icecream sandwich as you use it!
I just read this the other day: http://www.mommypotamus.com/does-lavender-oil-cause-estrogen-imbalance/
I just copied and pasted this from the blog article of the link you have posted. Lavender Essential Oils does NOT cause an estrogen imbalance. Read below.
Have You Heard . . .
That lavender and tea tree oil can cause little boys to grow breasts? Though I’ve definitely pulled out the lavender for my kids on many occasions and I use tea tree oil in my wipe solution, there have been times when I’ve held back over concerns about possible estrogenic effects, both for them and myself.
Turns out, there was nothing to worry about.
Thanks to a tip from Paula on a Facebook post last week, I dug up the often cited 2007 study which first claimed lavender and tea tree oil are hormone disruptors. Not only was it poorly constructed and vague, it has a sample pool of only three people!!
The boys (ages four, seven and ten), apparently used **some kind of product** which contained these oils. The products weren’t analyzed for the presence of other potential hormone disruptors, and the oils weren’t checked for purity. After developing their hypothesis, the researchers decided to test lavender and tea tree oil with human cells in a petri dish. Though the results did show estrogenic activity, that’s probably because the solvent they used to dilute the oils – dimethyl sulfoxide – is a known estrogen mimicker! Furthermore:
If you take a close look at the study, some issues are raised . . . The full list of ingredients in these products were not mentioned, nor the possible chemicals included in the packaging of the products. Parabens were likely included in the ingredients and phthalates in the packaging. In a recent study, diethyl phthalate was found in 103 out of 252 products, which included fragrances, hair care products, deodorants, nail polishes, lotions, skin cleansers and baby products.3 Both phthalates and parabens have been shown to have an estrogenicity presence.4&5
Clearly, the results of this study are desperately lacking in meaningful analysis. So what do we know, really?
What Studies REALLY Say About Lavender & Tea Tree
According to three doctors representing Wake Forest, Yale and Harvard respectively, “Traditional use and clinical trials have not suggested estrogenic effects of tea tree or lavender oil, though estrogenic effects have been reported for other essential oils and plants.” (source)
Even more helpful is this study, which measured ”the effect of a test substance on the uterus of immature or estrogen-deprived female rats over three days. Any estrogenic action causes a rapid and measurable increase in uterine weight. The assay has been in use since the 1930s, was adopted by the OECD in 2007, and is now regarded as the ‘benchmark animal assay for estrogenic effects.’” (source)
The results? Even in concentrations 6,000 and 30,000 times greater than estimated exposure from multiple cosmetic products containing lavender oil, there was absolutely no effect on the uterus of the rats.
Zip. Nada. Nothing.
As far as I can tell, the 2007 study is the only one which implicates lavender and tea tree as estrogenic. Given how poorly constructed it was and the fact that the only “gold standard” study we have says lavender is not estrogenic, I am not inclined to trust the results on tea tree oil either. Thank you Paula for putting my mind at ease!
d@mn!t. i didn’t know about the estrogenic effect of tea tree oil before! I just made up my first batch using tea tree oil. i knew lavendar was very estrogenic so i swapped it for patchouli. i guess next batch i will skip the tea tree oil.
Here’s a little more recent info about lavender and tea tree essential oils: http://www.mommypotamus.com/does-lavender-oil-cause-estrogen-imbalance/
I just copied and pasted this from the blog article of the link that was previously posted. Lavender Essential Oils does NOT cause an estrogen imbalance. Read below.
Have You Heard . . .
That lavender and tea tree oil can cause little boys to grow breasts? Though I’ve definitely pulled out the lavender for my kids on many occasions and I use tea tree oil in my wipe solution, there have been times when I’ve held back over concerns about possible estrogenic effects, both for them and myself.
Turns out, there was nothing to worry about.
Thanks to a tip from Paula on a Facebook post last week, I dug up the often cited 2007 study which first claimed lavender and tea tree oil are hormone disruptors. Not only was it poorly constructed and vague, it has a sample pool of only three people!!
The boys (ages four, seven and ten), apparently used **some kind of product** which contained these oils. The products weren’t analyzed for the presence of other potential hormone disruptors, and the oils weren’t checked for purity. After developing their hypothesis, the researchers decided to test lavender and tea tree oil with human cells in a petri dish. Though the results did show estrogenic activity, that’s probably because the solvent they used to dilute the oils – dimethyl sulfoxide – is a known estrogen mimicker! Furthermore:
If you take a close look at the study, some issues are raised . . . The full list of ingredients in these products were not mentioned, nor the possible chemicals included in the packaging of the products. Parabens were likely included in the ingredients and phthalates in the packaging. In a recent study, diethyl phthalate was found in 103 out of 252 products, which included fragrances, hair care products, deodorants, nail polishes, lotions, skin cleansers and baby products.3 Both phthalates and parabens have been shown to have an estrogenicity presence.4&5
Clearly, the results of this study are desperately lacking in meaningful analysis. So what do we know, really?
What Studies REALLY Say About Lavender & Tea Tree
According to three doctors representing Wake Forest, Yale and Harvard respectively, “Traditional use and clinical trials have not suggested estrogenic effects of tea tree or lavender oil, though estrogenic effects have been reported for other essential oils and plants.” (source)
Even more helpful is this study, which measured ”the effect of a test substance on the uterus of immature or estrogen-deprived female rats over three days. Any estrogenic action causes a rapid and measurable increase in uterine weight. The assay has been in use since the 1930s, was adopted by the OECD in 2007, and is now regarded as the ‘benchmark animal assay for estrogenic effects.’” (source)
The results? Even in concentrations 6,000 and 30,000 times greater than estimated exposure from multiple cosmetic products containing lavender oil, there was absolutely no effect on the uterus of the rats.
Zip. Nada. Nothing.
As far as I can tell, the 2007 study is the only one which implicates lavender and tea tree as estrogenic. Given how poorly constructed it was and the fact that the only “gold standard” study we have says lavender is not estrogenic, I am not inclined to trust the results on tea tree oil either. Thank you Paula for putting my mind at ease!
I have been making a deodorant myself which for the most part I have been very pleased with. It calls for 1.5 tbsp beeswax, 4 tbsp shea butter, 1 tbsp cocoa butter, 4 tsp bentonite clay or kaolin clay and essential oil. It’s a pretty solid recipe compared to store bought but I do notice towards the end of the day I get a little stinky. It;s not an overpowering smell of B.O., I can’t quite describe it. I’m wondering how this recipe holds up? I don’t feel I sweat a lot which is good but that funny smell as the day goes on isn’t pleasant if I’m in public or at the gym after a sweaty workout LOL. Thanks for your help :)
Thank you for sharing. Just tried making this weekend and boy did I ruin some dishes trying to make this. Took me an hour just to clean up after this :( What do you make yours in?
I just make mine in a small saucepan. And because I use beeswax, I first wipe it clean with paper towels and then pour boiling water into it to wash it out.