Homemade deodorant recipe

Lindsay [1] shared about making homemade deodorant [2], which of course piqued my interest. While I still use and like my deodorant crystal [2], I still haven't come to any fully satisfactory conclusions about how healthy it is [2].

This homemade recipe, however, is truly completely natural and harmless. And cheap. Maybe not cheaper than a deodorant crystal (since those last years and years!), but still cheap. :)

Ingredients for homemade deodorant:

1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrow root powder OR corn starch
~5 tablespoons coconut oil

Directions for making homemade deodorant:

1. Combine baking soda and arrow root powder in a bowl and mix with a fork.

2. Start with about 4 tablespoons/one-fourth cup of coconut oil and add the coconut oil to the baking soda mixture, working into a paste.

The deodorant will have somewhat of a play-dough consistency, and will be softer or harder depending on its temperature. You can put the deodorant into a small container with a lid, or into an empty stick deodorant dispenser if you have one. My deodorant hardened somewhat after I put it into a container.

Now, for my unbiased review of the homemade deodorant. ;) Remember, this is just my personal opinion, and if you're at all interested in a cheap and healthy deodorant, it'll only cost you a few cents and a couple minutes of time to try it for yourself. And Lindsay raves about it [3]. :)

This homemade deodorant is really quick to make and inexpensive (and I already had the ingredients for it!). I believe it's also, as I mentioned above, healthier than the deodorant crystals, if only because there's still some confusion (for me) surrounding the "natural salt crystal" deodorants.

Ease of use? I've only tried it in a container, which is slightly more bothersome since I need to actually get it warm enough to spread (with fingers). I think in a dispenser, it'd be just as convenient as the commercial deodorants.

The real question: Does it work?

I think it works okay. If you've read my review of the deodorant crystal [3] , you'll know that I like it pretty well, but admit that it's not going to work just like a commercial anti- perspirant and deodorant.

Well, this homemade deodorant works well for about 8-12 hours. In a relatively low-stress, low-sweat environment. It's fine for around the house if you plan to shower every day. I have been using this deodorant for about 3 weeks, and I'll definitely update if my opinion changes, but I'm still not overly thrilled with it.

Definite benefits (like health benefits!)... just not working quite well enough for me. Remember, Lindsay and her husband rave about this recipe [4], though -- so maybe you'll at least want to give it a try! :)

Edited to add:

I am pleased to be adding this update about the deodorant! When I originally published this post, I had been using the homemade deodorant for 3 weeks, a time frame that I thought would be sufficient for testing.

Even though I wasn't thrilled with the deodorant, I planned to use up what I had made -- especially since I knew it was healthy (and possible healthier than my deodorant crystal). 

Now, I have been using this homemade deodorant for about 12 weeks, and it's really working well! I think that for me, it seemed like it took my body about 6-8 weeks to fully adjust to the deodorant -- whatever that means, I don't know -- just that it gradually worked better and better and I am now completely satisfied with this deodorant! Yay!! :) 

I have also tried putting the deodorant into an empty commercial deodorant dispenser but that method of dispensing didn't work as well as I had anticipated. So, it's back to fingers from a container.

More frugal tips and ideas over at Crystal's blog [5]! :)