Crafting deodorant

I would gladly stop using deodorant, but the people around me would not be so glad. Sadly, we aren't born equal with regards to our armpits! So when I finished my deodorant a few weeks ago I had to get a new one, but the brand I was used to (for like 12-14 years!) is both expensive and slightly hard to come by.

Alright, what does the DIY “zero waste” Youtube game has to say about deodorants? Well, there is some consensus about methods to make stick deodorants, and here is the most simple one. It requires the following stuff for a small testing quantity:

Bicarbonate of soda (aka baking soda), 2 tbsp

Coconut oil, 2 tbsp

Cornstarch (aka Maïzena), 2 tbsp

Essential oils

An empty stick container to reuse

Photo of my ingredients (176KB)

The choice of essential oils is mostly according to what you believe works. Supposedly tea tree is antifungal, palmarosa is antimicrobial, etc. I used tea tree for its properties, lavender “fine” for the scent and Java citronella grass because I mistakenly thought it was some citrus oil which is purifying or whatever. At least I'll repel mosquitoes! Six drops for each oil but adjust as you like.

The recipe is very simple:

Gently melt the coconut oil, by placing it above hot water or in a microwave.

Add the other ingredients and mix well with a spoon or fork so that you get a nice liquid paste.

Pour the paste into the stick, with its wheel all the way down, and wait for it to solidify to room temperature; you can put it in the fridge but don't forget it there, it is not very usable when cold.

Photo of the stick (72KB)

I have been using it for more than a month now and it works perfectly for me. Here are some questions I had, feel free to ask me yours.

Does it really block the smell? Yeah. I lightly smell like anti-mosquito spray though but that's a mistake on my part and I'll fix it on the next iteration :D

Does it leave traces on clothes? No. Apparently for some people it does, but maybe they use too much of it: a slight application is sufficient for the whole day. I personally had absolutely no issue regarding white traces or stains.

Ain't baking soda irritating for the skin? Yes and that would be my biggest issue as I have a sensitive skin with eczema. If you use a bit too much of it you can feel some discomfort at first but nothing really bad. There are alternative recipes that do not use baking soda but they necessitate different ingredients that I do not usually have (green clay, shea butter, etc), so I didn't bother.

Does it melt or expire or? It can melt a bit during hot days. After like 40 days it's still very stable and you can leave it in the bathroom without care most of the year, but with the summer arriving early this year I store the stick in the fridge, along with other DIY stuff hehehe!

Are you going to continue using it? Absolutely! It's easy and quick and cheap and fun to do, and I'd like to explore a bit the scents you can get with different oils. I'll update you if I find something cool!