This is one of those things I never dreamed I would actually DIY. Seriously, deodorant! I am too vain to mess with things like personal hygiene. But I really want to eliminate as many crazy chemicals as possible in our home.
I tried the store bought “natural” deodorant and after 2 days I felt like I was radiating B.O. YUCK!
But instead of grabbing the aluminum-laced antiperspirant, I decided to give homemade deodorant a try. I couldn’t believe that it worked!
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The first recipe I tried was a soft deodorant that you applied with your fingers, it was a little weird to get use to that, but worked beautifully. But I did miss my stick of deodorant that I could apply quickly and get on with my day.
The recipe I used had only coconut oil as the base. Which melts when it gets the slightest bit warm. In my lotion making adventures, I discovered that Shea butter is pretty solid and with a little beeswax, it would be nice and firm, even in the summer.
So I started messing with some measurements and came up with this recipe. My husband and I love it!
And we have put it to the test, 4 days camping in southern Utah, hiking in the sun, deodorant worked! Hammering stakes into the ground in the greenhouse on a 75 degree afternoon, deodorant worked!
I am sure I will be able to give many more examples this summer 🙂
The one thing I will point out, this is not antiperspirant. It is a deodorant. Your body is made to sweat, so that is a good thing. Smelling like sweat, not a good thing! So it did take a bit to get use to sweating, I kept thinking, it’s not working. But I was fresh, just sweating.
Making deodorant is super fast too, just measure out 3/4 oz beeswax, 2 oz coconut oil, and 3/4 oz shea butter into a glass 2 cup measuring cup. I like to weigh my ingredients because it’s more precise than measuring ingredients that are solid.
Put your measuring cup in a small saucepan with a couple inches of water and simmer on low until your oils are totally melted.
Then remove it from the water and add in 2 Tbsp baking soda, 2 Tbsp corn starch and 1/4 cup arrowroot powder.
Stir until totally mixed together and smooth. Add in the Tea Tree oil and stir.
Then pour into your deodorant containers. I bought mine on Amazon, they can be washed and reused so my set of 5 will last forever 🙂
If you pour slowly, the sides will start to harden and you will get a cut little rounded top! I don’t know why, but I really like that. This recipe makes exactly 2 containers worth. One for me, one for the hubby.
Now your deodorant is all done, you just have to let it harden. If you need it fast, you can refrigerate it.
This homemade deodorant stick will stay solid at normal room temperatures, but if you go camping in the heat, keep it in the cooler or it will get too soft. Learned that the hard way!
Have you tried out homemade deodorant yet? Are you ready to?
Homemade Deodorant Stick
A fast & easy solid homemade deodorant stick that really works! You can make 2 sticks in 10 minutes with all natural ingredients you can feel good about.
Ingredients
- 3/4 oz beeswax
- 2 oz coconut oil
- 3/4 oz shea butter
- 2 Tbsp baking soda
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
- 10-20 drops tea tree oil (or other essential oil)
Instructions
- Weigh the beeswax, coconut oil and shea butter into a glass measuring cup.
- Place in a small saucepan with a couple inches of water and simmer until the oils are completely melted.
- Remove from heat and stir in baking soda, cornstarch and arrowroot powder. Then stir in tea tree oil.
- Pour into 2 empty deodorant containers.
- Allow to harden before use.
Rita
Saturday 7th of September 2024
Hi Kati, I made this recipe for the stick deodorant and it did not solidify the way I thought it would and when my husband tried using it, it just crumbles and feels gritty, not smooth. Can you suggest something that might firm it more or prevent it from crumbling. I read putting it in refrigerator will add moisture to it and it will not be firm. I used the coconut oil, shea butter and 1.5-2 tablespoons of beeswax and perhaps that was too much. Difficult to measure in terms of 3/4 oz so I guessed.
Timothy
Monday 21st of October 2024
@Rita, I'd recommend adding about 4 grams of candelilla wax to the mixture. And if that makes the deodorant too hard, I'd recommend adding less beeswax to the mixture.
Aggie
Thursday 4th of July 2024
Hello! I find this is a bit soft in the hot summer months. How much could I increase the beeswax without ruining the product, please?
Timothy
Monday 21st of October 2024
@Aggie, Replacing a bit of the beeswax with candelilla wax should help. Around 6 grams should do for a mixture this size.
Danuell
Friday 21st of June 2024
Hello, I tried to prepare the mask and used a combination of essential oil of peppermint and lavender, it smells wonderful and refreshing. I will come back to update!
Jessy
Monday 29th of May 2023
Anyone know how to stop product from collapsing in container while drying?
Joey hung
Friday 3rd of March 2023
Hello I was just wondering what the shelf life of these deodorants would be ?