Store-bought aluminium deodorants are not great for our pits nor are they good for our health.
Many moons ago when I was working in a health food store in Melbourne, I used only organic, natural products. Back then, the range of options was OK but they weren't as effective as some of the great brands you can get nowadays, like Black chicken and WooHoo. I used to need a roll-on combined with a spray just to feel fresh throughout the day. It worked - but it wasn't cheap and I didn't love the idea of needing two products.
When I moved to Thailand my access to natural deodorants was limited once more and so I went searching for online recipes to make my own. Many of them called for arrowroot starch and shea butter - ingredients I didn't know where to source so I went to the kitchen/bathroom and decided I was going to try with what I had!
Ingredients
Baking soda (1/2 cup)
Coconut oil (6 tbsps)
Tea tree oil
Peppermint oil
Optional if you have sensitive skin - add 1/4 cup of Arrowroot or organic cornstarch (and reduce the baking soda to 1/4 cup also).
Method
Add a couple of tablespoons of baking soda into your bowl or a short glass jar.
I then poured enough coconut oil to make a consistency that I felt was right. Not too thin, not too gluggy. Smooth enough to rub under my arms without feeling the harshness of the baking soda. If you're in a cold climate you'll need to heat up the coconut oil first.
Then I added 1/2 tsp of tea tree oil and about 10 drops of essential peppermint oil for a nice smell!
The next morning, I massaged a tiny bit under my arms and I could not believe how well it worked. All day. No smell. I used to work long hours, in a very humid environment, with long sleeves and pants and was so happy not to have to reapply through the day.
Unfortunately, what did happen on occasion was that I developed these weird tiny almost blistery type bumps under my arms. A little red and not so sexy. So I tried adding a few teaspoons of raw apple cider vinegar to change the pH and wallah. It was the perfect solution. A super simple, effective deodorant.
You can't go wrong.
TRY it.
Lauren x