Body odor is natural, but there are people who suffer from it more than others. Especially, if the weather is humid and you have a hectic schedule, the underarm gush can be super tough to manage.
Almost everyone has experienced the issue of body odor at some point. And, the first thing that comes to the mind when smelling bad is to wear a deodorant. While there are many factors that play a role in the way you smell such as your hygiene, diet, drinking water, and more, and making changes to these can improve your odor; a deodorant will still be a major part of it.
However, finding the right deodorant can be a difficult task. What makes it even more hard is that there are a myriad of options available in the market, and most of them include ingredients that really don’t suit every type of skin. You cannot afford to apply aluminium and other strong additives every day and cause harm to the sensitive skin of your underarms.
So, what can you do?
Don’t panic! There’s a solution for every problem.
Opting for a Natural Deodorant is a great choice.
What Makes Natural Deodorant the Right Choice?
A natural deodorant is a great deal smell-wise and doesn’t even have any potentially harmful ingredients. It replaces chemicals and irritants with naturally derived items such as coconut oil, shea butter, baking soda, vitamin E, etc.
Though you can get a great variety in the market, nothing is more satisfying than making a fragrant and natural formula yourself that actually works. Moreover, this is being written from my experience as I haven’t been able to find the specific deodorant for myself.
When I found out that a natural deodorant can be easily made at home and is a simple DIY task, it made me so happy and I was obviously too excited to try it. I couldn’t make a better decision for keeping my armpits healthier.
How to Make a Natural Deodorant at Home?
Here I’m sharing two of my favourite recipes that I tried and these worked amazing for me.
One of them includes baking soda, and I’ve read that it doesn’t suit some people and causes rashes. So, you can try on a small part of your skin before preparing the deodorant with it.
The other recipe includes shea butter and I love its softness.
You can customize the deodorant recipes as per your scent preferences with adding essential oils. Also, if you like unscented versions, feel free to omit them.
Recipe 1
Coconut Oil Deodorant at Home
This is an easy recipe made with just a few ingredients and is effective in keeping your body odor away.
Ingredients:
- Organic cornstarch or arrowroot – ¼ cup
- Baking soda – ¼ cup
- Coconut Oil – 6 Tbsp
- Essential Oils – Optional and according to your choice.
Follow these instructions and get started.
Step 1. Take a medium sized bowl. Add arrowroot and baking soda to it and mix them together.
Step 2. Add coconut oil to this mixture and use a fork to mash it properly until it has mixed well.
Step 3. If you want, you can add essential oils too.
Step 4. Store the mixture in an old deodorant bottle or in a small jar for easy use.
Recipe 2
Shea Butter Deodorant at Home
This natural homemade deodorant requires more ingredients than the above recipe but will result in an awesome formula.
Preparation Time: 20-25 minutes.
Ingredients:
- Coconut Oil – 3 Tbsp
- Shea Butter – 2 Tbsp
- Baking Soda – 3 Tbsp
- Arrowroot Powder or Organic Cornstarch (optional) – 2 Tbsp
- Essential Oils – Optional
Follow these easy steps and get started.
Step 1. Take a quart size mason jar and add coconut oil and shea butter to it. Mix them well.
Step 2. Take a small saucepan of water and place the mason jar in it.
Step 3. Put it over low heat, and heat it until the shea butter and coconut oil have just melted.
Step 4. Once done, remove it from the heat and add arrowroot (if using) and baking powder.
Step 5. Mix all the ingredients properly.
Step 6. If you decide to use essential oils, add them as well.
Step 7. Pour the mixture into a glass jar for storage. No need to store it in the refrigerator.
Step 8. As per your preference, let the mixture cool down and pour it into an old deodorant bottle for easy use.
Step 9. Enjoy a pleasant formula!
Notes – The mixture of this deodorant may take a few hours to harden and it can be sped up by putting into the fridge for a few minutes.
Benefits of Using a Natural Deodorant
Being a woman who has struggled a lot with the issue of body odor and someone who has always been cautious to use fragrances and avoid the ones with strong chemicals and ingredients, finding this natural deodorant recipe has been a life-changing experience for me.
Honestly, I have tried many deodorants before I stumbled upon the natural formulas, and they didn’t really work for me.
When I began to use natural deodorant, I could feel a great difference as my armpits started to feel a little less sweatier and with time it seemed to be highly effective.
The following are a few advantages of using a natural deodorant over a regular deodorant:
- Doesn’t include any harmful ingredients and thus is safe to use.
- Keeps your confidence boosted and your underarm skin healthy.
- Doesn’t clog pores, and allows you to sweat while eliminating body odor.
- Keeps you feeling cool and fresh for a long time.
- Can be made easily with DIY recipes.
Even if you do not feel like making a deodorant yourself, you should really try to give it a shot! It’s always better to know what you’re putting on your skin. Trust me, it’s a really good and satisfying feeling to create your own deodorant.
If you try these recipes, feel free to share your views in the comments below.
FAQs
Can I prepare this recipe without coconut oil? Is there any alternative to it?
Yes. Coconut oil can easily be replaced with half as much of a liquid oil such as avocado, jojoba, or almond oil, especially in the second recipe of shea butter deodorant. This will result in a thinner product.
I’m getting rashes after using this DIY deodorant recipe. Did I do something wrong or missed on anything?
All the ingredients are natural and safe to use, except baking soda. There are people who do not react positively to it and develop and underarm discoloration or get a rash. If this is happening with you, then it’s recommended to stop using this product immediately until you’re able to find a solution to this issue.
Also, there are rare chances that your sensitive underarm skin is reacting negatively to the optional ingredient, that is, essential oils. If you’re adding those too, make sure to keep a check.
Another scenario is that you’ve switched immediately from a regular formula to a natural one without going for armpit detox. You can use a simple clay-based armpit detox to get rid of the chemicals from past deodorant use that may have been stored in the underarm and lead to a bad rash.
My clothes are getting stained after using this homemade deodorant recipe. How should I fix that?
Though it’s not a common result of using a natural deodorant and even I haven’t had trouble while using a natural formula too. But, if you’re facing this issue it might because you’re using too much of the deodorant at one time and not giving it enough time to absorb it into your skin before dressing up.
I prefer using a small amount and it’s not needed much, wait for a few minutes and then get dressed. In this way, it absorbs completely into the underarm skin and there are no stains on my clothes.
Go ahead, try these wonderful recipes, and get rid of BO! If you have any questions and would like to share your thoughts after trying these, I would love to hear from you!