rosemary & pines fiber arts DIY home project deodorant

How to make a natural deodorant simple DIY tutorial

This homemade deodorant uses all natural ingredients like coconut oil and shea butter and is scented with essential oils. It is so simple and quick to make and works really well.

For years and years I used a standard commercial deodorant that completely blocked any perspiration under the armpits. Then I started to wonder if it was good for my body to completely block the natural process of sweating.

At this point I had already switched from using standard liquid soap for washing my hands to using cold process soap. I had struggled for years with having really dry hands during wintertime and no hand cream seemed to completely take care of this problem. Then I discovered handmade cold process soap which made a huge difference. I always purchased the soap from small businesses online. And then someday, these online shops started carrying handmade deodorant as well.

simple natural deodorant

Switching To Natural Handmade Deodorants

With my next soap order I ordered a sample of natural handmade deodorant. I tried it out and have never looked back. These deodorants are made without aluminium and just a few natural ingredients. They don’t block the sweating completely, but perspiration is being reduced and there is no smell. I even convinced my husband to try them out and he hasn’t gone back to using standard commercial deodorants either.

Since I am making a lot of things myself these days, of course I also had to try making my own deodorant. There are many different recipes online and I have experimented a bit until I found the ingredients that seem to work best for me. I prefer a softer, more cream-like consistency instead of a solid deodorant bar. Therefore I am using both shea butter and coconut oil in my deodorant recipe.

rosemary & pines fiber arts all natural deodorant

Using Essential Oils For Fragrance

During and especially after my pregnancies I noticed that I am a lot more sensitive when it comes to odors of any kind. This is why I am using only a few drops of essential oil to scent my deodorant. You can completely customize the scent to your preference. But keep in mind that there are a few essential oils that are more suited for a deodorant than others due to their antibacterial properties. I have listed a couple of them for you to choose from below. If you are really sensitive when it comes to smells, you could even make a completely unscented version.

List Of Ingredients

Alright, let’s get into the making process! You will need:

9 tsp. Shea Butter

3 tsp. Coconut Oil

6 tsp. Baking Soda (NaHCO3)

3 tsp. Zinc Oxide (ZnO)

1.5 tsp. Corn Starch

30 drops Essential Oil

This amount fills a small jar with a volume of about 100 ml/ 4 oz and lasts me several months.

Ingredient Properties And Benefits

Before I tell you exactly how to make the deodorant, let’s have a look at the specifics and properties of these ingredients.

Shea Butter

Shea butter is a fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree. In cosmetics, it is used a a moisturizer, lotion or salve. In addition, shea butter is edible and can be used for food preparation. It melts at body temperature and is an excellent emollient for dry skin.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is an oil extract from the kernel or meat of mature coconuts. It has high levels of saturated fat and is used for multiple applications. Furthermore it is edible, an important base ingredient for soap and hydrates the skin. Coconut oil melts at 24 °C / 76 °F.

Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3)

Sodium bicarbonate is als known as sodium hydrogen carbonate or, more commonly, as baking soda. It is a white solid salt and is used in baking as a leavening agent. It has some mild disinfectant properties and is known for absorbing smells. When it comes to personal hygiene, sodium bicarbonate can be used in toothpastes and mouthwashes and, of course, deodorant. It is also a useful cleaning agent.

Zinc Oxide (ZnO)

Zinc Oxide is a white powder and is used as an additive in various products including cosmetics. It has deodorizing and antibacterial properties. Zinc Oxide is considered nonirritating and nonallergenic and is commonly used in sunscreen. Furthermore it is used as a food additive and functions as a source of zinc, a necessary nutrient.

Corn Starch

Starch is an organic compound. It is a polysaccharide produced by most green plant as energy storage. Starch is the most common carbohydrate in the human diet and is contained in many staple foods. It has the ability to absorbe moisture which makes it a useful ingredient for deodorant. There are several starches that can be used. For my deodorant I use simple corn starch because that’s what I have available in my kitchen pantry.

Essential Oil

Essential oils are concentrated liquids containing chemical compounds from plants. They are usually extracted by distillation. When it comes to the scent, chosing an essential oil is completely depending on your personal preference. However there are a few essential oils that are more suited for the use in a deodorant due to their antibacterial properties. I have listed a few of them for you below.

  • Tea Tree Oil
  • Lemongrass
  • Lemon
  • Orange
  • Bergamot
  • Peppermint
  • Lavender
  • Eucalyptus
  • Rosemary
how to make a natural deodorant simple tutorial

Instructions For How To Make Natural Deodorant

Melt the coconut oil and shea butter in a small pot on your stove on low heat. At the same time, mix baking soda, zinc oxide and corn starch with a spoon in a small bowl. Once the coconut oil and shea butter are melted, remove the pot from the heat. Then add in about 30 drops of essential oil. For my deodorant, I used lemongrass essential oil. Stir it in with a spoon, then add the solid ingredients mix. Blend everything together with a spoon. Afterwards you can fill the mixture in a container of your choice. Just make sure to use a container with an air tight lid.

Have you ever tried a natural deodorant or even made your own before? Which ingredients did you use? Come share in the comments!

And if you’re interested in more DIY tutorials like making cold process soap, door wreaths, aroma stones and more, you can have a look at the DIY home projects category of the website.

Pin it for later

diy simple natural deodorant

Did you find this blog post valuable or helpful? If so, you can support my website by buying me a coffee below, purchasing my knitting patterns or yarns or simply by leaving a comment. Thank you!

Buy me a coffee

Annika

I am a yarn dyeing artist, writer and educator.
I am also an avid knitter and love to create something with my hands every day.
Read more about me here:
https://rosemaryandpinesfiberarts.de/about-the-writer/

You might also be interested in these posts...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *