Best DIY Homemade Deodorant Recipe with Coconut Oil
I make this DIY homemade deodorant recipe with coconut oil every couple of months and it’s the best! I love it so much that I wanted to share it with you.
This zero waste swap has been a game changer for me and helps me to be more sustainable in my everyday life. It’s one that I found easy to stick to from the beginning. The recipe uses ingredients that are easy to get hold of, they come in plastic free packaging and are relatively inexpensive. It’s so quick and easy to make that I’ve stuck to making this deodorant for a good few years now and I won’t use anything else.
Why Don’t I Use Normal Deodorants?
There are four reasons why:
I could never find one that worked for me.
I remember spending so much time trying to find the right deodorant. My main priorities at the time were to find one that smelt nice and that stopped me sweating. I struggled. In fact I found the opposite, that they made me sweat and smell more.
Most antiperspirants contain aluminium.
Deodorant is different to antiperspirant. Deodorants make you smell nice and antiperspirants stop you from sweating mostly by using aluminium to block your pores. This situation causes the opposite to what we want and in fact makes us smellier, not in a good way. I no longer wanted to block my pores with aluminium.
They were ruining our clothes.
Another reason I decided to make my own was because, yes, the aluminium again, caused something else I didn’t like. It was ruining all our t-shirts. The armpits of our tops were not washing very well and in fact some of them were turning a bit solid. I later found out it was the aluminium in antiperspirants combined with sweat that cause this and it’s difficult to get out.
Finally, it saves on so much packaging.
Since making our own deodorant, we’ve reused this little tub you see in the photo above that I got from Lush years ago. It’s still going strong. I can’t even imagine how many deodorant bottles we would have sent to be recycled by now if I wasn’t doing this.
Will This Deodorant Make You Sweat?
The short answer is yes, but before you run away let me explain. We need to sweat, sweating is good. It helps to remove toxins from our body and as I mentioned above, stopping this natural process only makes things worse. The ingredients in this recipe will neutralise any odour and keep your body healthy at the same time. Win win.
How to Make Your Own Zero Waste Items
The Ingredients
Before I get to the actual recipe I just want to add a few notes here about each of the ingredients. You should be able to find most of them in plastic free packaging and in your local supermarket or discount store.
Coconut oil
We’ve found that, especially if we’re buying from a discount shop, the coconut oil brands that are available are not always the same. Before buying, we consult the list of ethical coconut oil brands on the Ethical Consumer website to make sure that we’re supporting a good company that cares about the impact they’re making.
Bicarbonate of Soda / Baking Soda
This initially confused me but bicarbonate of soda and baking soda are the same thing. In the UK we used to be able to find bicarbonate of soda at Wilkos and now that we’re in Cyprus we buy baking soda from the local Chinese supermarket. You might have to look around to find somewhere that sells it in a cardboard box.
Corn Flour or Arrowroot Flour
I tend to use cornflour for my own deodorant because we can find it easier and it’s cheaper to buy. However, I did make it with arrowroot flour once and I preferred it. It was creamier and silkier so if you have it available plastic free then this would be the better option.
Essential Oils
Essential oils are a tough subject. I usually leave them out when I make it because I quite like the coconut smell from the coconut oil but if you want to add some to make it smell of something else then please consult the files in the Using Essential Oils Safely group on facebook to check which ones would be best for you and your body.
Ok those are the ingredients; let’s get to the actual recipe.
The Recipe
Makes enough to fill a 45g tub.
2.5 level tbsp coconut oil (measured when solid)
1 level tbsp bicarbonate of soda / baking soda
4 level tbsp corn flour or arrowroot flour
10 drops of essential oils (optional)
How To Make It
Melt the coconut oil on the hob in a small, spouted milk pan. Set aside until you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
In a bowl, mix the bicarb and the corn flour together making sure they’re fully incorporated.
Pour the coconut oil into the bowl with the bicarb and corn flour mix and mix well. Once you’ve mixed it together, the consistency should be creamy and like a batter. If it is too dry add some more coconut oil, keeping in mind that you might also be adding essential oils. If it is too wet then add some more cornflour.
Add your essential oils at the end when it is easier to stir in.
Pour it into your favourite second hand container. We use a small black tub that we acquired from Lush a long time ago and it’s the perfect size for this recipe.
Pop it in the fridge for a few hrs to set.
That’s it!! So easy.
A Few Extra Tips
After making this recipe for a good few years, there are a couple of tips that I’ve learnt along the way that I want to share with you.
In the summer, depending on how warm it is where you are, I would suggest leaving it in the fridge so that it stays solid.
If you’ve accidentally left it out of the fridge and it has melted in the heat, make sure to mix it before applying or putting it back in the fridge as the bicarb tends to sink to the bottom.
In the winter leave it out of the fridge. We usually keep it in the bathroom cabinet and it keeps to a good consistency for applying.
If you see residue on your clothes, don’t worry, it will wash out :)
