Okay I know there's a lot of you hippies that rub lemons and bicarb under ya pits, and that's fine, but I'm a posh hippie bird that likes using something that smells lovely from a cute little tin. So if you'd like to do the same, and have been thinking about getting rid of horrible shop bought deodorants for ages, or you've tried natural deodorants but they're too expensive, listen up. This costs around $1.20 Australian a tin, and that's pretty good. You can even make it for all your smelly friends.
I've written about this deodorant before, but since then I've perfected the recipe by measuring it all out in grams and working out how much candellia wax I need as an alternative to beeswax, mainly for my vegan friends who don't like using bee products. So if you have beeswax instead, simply double the weight of beeswax and you should be good. I actually like the consistancy of the beeswax one a lot better. The proportions below are in grams - I had been given tbsps and cup measurements which drove me crazy, and I did adapt it, so thought precise grams would be a more accurate way of getting it right every time.
COCONUT OIL 57
CARDELLIA WAX 25
SHEA BUTTER 43
ARROWROOT 35
BICARB SODA 70
MANGO BUTTER 20
First of all, you want to melt the shea butter and mango butter and wax in a makeshift double boiler, like below. Super easy. Then, stir in your powders. Give it a good mix as you don't want it to be gritty. Really dissolve it. It doesn't take long so don't stress over it. Then, add about 30 drops of essential oil, mix, and pour into your tins!
These are 30 gram tins, and I filled them right to the top because it's only us using them. If I was going to sell them to my friends I'd weigh them more carefully. Leave them to set before putting the lids on.
Now, as for the scent, I spent ages working on one I like, so if I told you, I'd have to kill you. Or perhaps you could sneak a read of the ingredients on the side of the bottle below. Actually, I've just ran out of geranium, so this mix had a different blend of rose oil, ylang ylang and a few other oils. You might like it just plain. Remember, the butters smell quite sweet, so vanilla might be too much, or you could account for it in your oil blend. A straight oil you like would work great as well! Or you could even add a different set of oils to each tin, and use them on different days according to your mood! Damn, I like that idea - why didn't I think of it? He he.
I had some stickers printed out for mine which are kinda cute, and play into my 'I like cute tins' thing I have going on. I like the 'note' reference as perfumes have notes too, and we can have more confidence to play our own note when we smell good.
I hope this post gives you the courage to experiment with making your own deodorant. Honestly, I believe I've perfected this one after a lot of experimenting and reading online recipes, and both the husband and I have been using it for three years now and love it. So do the friends I've gifted it to. It does take a while for your body to adjust, so you might like to read a bit about the whys and hows of natural deodorant before you begin.
Do you make your own deodorant?
With Love,
https://gateway.ipfs.io/ipfs/QmcGSZxvsXD8YbSCNAo6KWc4a9RjXyRCjWupZdPXJapkXk
@thebigsweed just directed me here and now that I think about it, I wonder wtf he's trying to say?! Dude.. Explain yourself!
Great write up young lady. You told me awhile back about your deodorant recipe, thanks for putting it up. I'm on it! I'll keep you posted. And congrats on the reward. 👍🏿
Oh thankyou! Do tell me if you made it and if you have sucess! I posted about it ages ago too but this is a refined recipe.
Dude, you need to explain yourself, wtf.
Here is my reply to you and I don't believe it has anything to do with armpits.
(I don't know if you read the blog by the lady mentioned above about the HIKE SHE TOOK WITH HER PARENTS, Inspirational for someone of my age. If you have missed it, I recommend you stop by, @dandays.
Try this one on for size.
https://hive.blog/hive-163772/@riverflows/not-for-the-faint-hearted-erskine-falls-to-lorne-river-walk-victoria-australia
I know that the one about the deodorant was also a cool post, but this one is even cooler.
You're a funny dude even when you're not funny.
Hey good morning! That's funny.
I think it's safe to say I misunderstood which article you were so fond of. I'm not gonna lie, I thought you were trying to say I stink so this is one of the rarest times on earth where I'm ok with making a mistake.
You must have started off your day with coffee and a ???
Now I forgot what the hell you said went so well with the first cup of bean.
I'm very, very, very seldom wrong myself, just ask @farm-mom!!!!!!!!!
It's obvious ain't it? I'm a dead bust.
My mama thinks you are really funny being a posh hippie bird. Daddy calls her hippie organic because she wipes avo on her face. We love your deodorant! My mama @buckaroo makes a similar one but with clay instead of the bicarb and shea butter because mango butter is so expensive.
Awwww, ahah!!! I love that you say 'avo' like an Australian, but maybe South Africans do the same thing, shortening that word?
Oh, what kind of clay does she use? And for this recipe you can sub out the mango butter for shea butter, I just added it as I had some and it seemed posh and exotic, haha! I've tried it with dicotomeous earth (made from fossilised shells) but it was a yukky grey colour and it showed up on my clothes. I'll have to give clay a go - I have some bentonite and some kaolin.
Yes we say avo. Mama says you also have marmite. We use diatomaceous earth in seed saving. And mama adds essential oils to it to sprinkle on her goats to keep away bugs and nasty critters. She says she uses kaolin clay. It makes the deodorant a light grey brown. But in her goats milk soap the kaolin is white. And very pretty
Good morning, I knew there was a reason why I've been thinking of stopping by for the last day or so.
Your posts are always fun to read, always informative, and you always seem to put a smile on my face with your humor. 😁
For the past several years I've been using Arm & Hammer deodorant in an attempt to go a little more natural, but the stuff still has shit in it that I can't pronounce.
Great idea measuring all of the ingredients out in grams, definitely makes things precise. I'm glad you have been perfecting your very own concoction for the past several years because I'm about to copy every move.
I hope this isn't plagiarism. 😁
The cost per container is nominal, compared to what you spend on deodorant in the store, plus your containers are as cool as ever.
Have you ever thought about going on SHARK TANK with your goods?
We've been busy as beavers lately and with the weather cooperating, it's been asses and elbows from sunup to sundown.
This kind of sounds like an excuse for not visiting one of my favorite authors in a while, well it is and that's my bad.
Have a wonderful day!
No, not plagiarism at all, do try it and then tell me what you think!!! I'm stoked you are going to copy it!!! It's really cheap to make, though the initial outlay seems expensive. But once you have all the tins and everything there you can basically make heaps of it for the whole family.
thanks so much for stoppoing by, certainly undrestand how busy life gets - garden is calling me now and i'm busy trying to catch up with replies and feeling just as guilty I haven't stopped past many of my fave peeps either!
The homework does tend to pile up. 😁
Ah, this is so nice, I remember a post about you making your own deodorants over a year ago, if I remember correctly I even think you brought some of them with you on your travels?
I love this
Maybe it's no surprise, I am too 😁
I have been using more natural deodorants for the last couple of years but I'm still struggling with finding one that's effective.
This was very inspiring to read.
xx
Hahah of course you are - you are my sister from another mister!
Yes, I struggled with an effective one too but No Pong here works well and this one does as well. Sometimes it takes a month for your body to get used to it before it starts 'working'.
My sister from another mister 🙂 It would be so nice to connect more and have a call at some point xx
OK not wanting to sound contrarian over here BUT! I've tried a similar mix-of-oils-with-soda-and-essential-oils homemade thingie made by a friend and it does not really work for me. Main reason is probably I sweat more than normal esp in the armpits + I have oily skin. So adding more oil under there basically does not help.
What I've noticed is if I stop using ANY kind of product and gasp shaved my armpits gasp there's not much of a smell, if any. In case I'd like to have some nice smell rather than the regular body smell, I'd use wife's deo stick, which even if it's not the most natural thing in the world is still a very nice alternative. And also I can use it as aftershave.
You? Contrarian? NEVER!!!!
That's a bit of a fallacy about oils on oily skin. Oils are good for oily skin - stops them producing too much oil! I think the idea is with nat deo is that it helps with the good bacteria that normal, shop bought, aluminium products kills. So the less you use it the less you smell, so if you dont use any, then you're probably good.
I generally don't wear it at all unless I"m at work, because no one likes a smelly teacher!
I usually make deodorant for myself, but with a much simpler recipe! I never used mango butter and cardellia wax, I didn't know them before your post! Thank you so much for sharing with us ;)
You are welcome!!!!! I didn't know about the wax too until I was reading about vegan alternatives. You don't have to use the mango butter - just replace the amount with shea butter.
It's so cool to see such topics being discussed on this forum. We are so embarrassed by our body odour and we don't talk about it. But discussing this actually brings a solution. Although I personally don't face this issue but I know people who suffer from this issue, will surely recommend this to them. Thanks for sharing.
I am not that smelly, don't get me wrong. It's usually when sweat dries that it gets smelly, or you don't have good underarm health ie the shop deodorant have killed your good bacteria!!! Thanks so much @sugandahaseth, I'll come back to your posts soon - busy as anything today!
No no no no, please don’t get me wrong. All I meant was it is a common issue and people shy away but it’s perfectly natural and nothing to feel bad about. You bringing it openly here will give the courage to people to face such issues strongly.
That is something different to me. ☺️ Because what we are using was we called "TAWAS". This type of rock is mined in the mountains. It is white like salt. 🙂
Oh, yes, I think I know what that is? Is it a crystal?
Yup! A white crystal! (^_^) Sometimes they crash it into powder to use.
I love the stickers! I use bio deodorant but in the hot days yup it does not do the trick. Essential oils help a lot and I think that it also helps your skin to have some natural butters for moisture. I am not a vanilla girl, it is too sweet for my taste. But ylang ylang and roses.... Oh yes
Thanks! The stickers are a bit of fun, but they also help me distinguish the deodororant tins from other tins of balms and salves I have. Yah, vanilla is a bit sweet for me too - I like it a bit earthy. I didn't even think I liked rose until I smelt proper rose oil and got into the medicine of roses - now? swwwwwooooon!!!
Rose frangrance is one of my favourite scents. And freesia. The best perfumes always come from nature.
I can imagine what a mess would be to put balm instead of deodorant 😂
I love it very much @riverflows. I hope i can make this one day. awesome product. Greetings!
Thanks so much!
Hehe I was chuckling my way through your post. Love it!
I used to be a smelly hippie until I discovered I could make my own EO blends too. I've used limes, salt water, and spent ridiculous money on eco friendly ones too.
I just go for the easy option and mix up normally sandalwood, ylang ylang and a touch of patchouli to grapeseed oil.
It doubles as a lovely body moisturizer too.
I think I may try your recipe soon though as I'd like to try some experimenting again.
Love the presentation. I don't know how you find the time to do all these amazing things, you're a super natural woman.
I really enjoyed this xx
Hugs 🤗💚😊
Haha I was a bit flippant there, wasn't I? But I had fun writing it. Can't be serious all the time. OOOOh, sandalwood, ylang ylang and patchouli - you are a hippie girl - I'd love to sniff your armpits!
Hahaha. Yes laughter is good for the soul
I'm sure I read somewhere once that sniffing people's armpits was a healthy thing to do 😂😂.
I love sniffing the hubs's armpits - they smell like fennel and celery seeds and I love it. 20 years on I still like sniffing them, unless he's been sweating all day --- haha.
Such a good post and even better recipe, I think I going to try it!
Thanks, do let me know if you do! YOu can use all shea if mango is too expensive.
The weirdest thing? I'm fiddling and playing right now to make a commercially viable version of this for sale - at the same time that I suddenly seem to have absolutely no more need for deodorant personally. Wtf??!! I sweat buckets but almost nothing under my arms anymore - can only be explained as a post-menopausal benefit really, since my underarm hair has also vanished miraculously in the last year or so.
I'm literally having to recruit testers. 😆 Nice post... lucky for me and our livelihood, most people still will rather buy a tin at the store than make it themselves, and the ingredients remain elusive for many. 😆
Liking the stickers.
Haha - god I'm looking forward to menopausal benefits that's for sure!! Sweating buckets is so good for you and clearly your body is excellent at detoxing - I am shivering and sweating in cold Vic. Either too hot or too cold is driving me nuts!
Yeah, recognising the ingredient list isn't easy for some to get, because you really use a nth of the bulk you buy. Given how cheap it can be to make, makes me think of donating it to those with less, but it's such a weird gift - like you are saying you smell or something, but also that it's a natural deodorant that people don't trust or believe in.
As always your posts grab my attention. This time I actually have a logistical question ~ do you shave your under arms? I do not, and I have been blessed by the genetic gods with an ample amount of hair, so I don't want to go get out my big 'ole box of essential oils, butters, tins, and more without asking first. I would LOVE to make my own deodorant that actually works, it is a challenge balancing the desire for a natural deodorant and one that does the job. I have tried soo many of the commercially produced ones and never really have found one that truly satisfies...
big hugs, @riverflows ~ from one hemisphere (and season) to another I am sending all the love in the world!
Interesting read, @riverflows. I suffered from deodorant alergy for a long time a few years ago. I tried all sorts of different formulas and non-alcohol and no perfume and this and that. One day I simply decided to let go and stop using any at all, just cleaning the armpits with water during the day. Well, during the first weeks I did feel sweaty and stinky. However, as my body worked to clean the horrible toxins out I began to feel way better. Nowdays I don't stink anymore, nor do I need to use anything (unless I want to smell noooice).