I’ve used countless store-bought natural deodorants, and they always leave me stinky and sweaty. In 2011, I made this homemade deodorant recipe and still use it daily. I love it, along with thousands of others who swear by it.
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Why I Use Natural Deodorant
Making your own deodorant saves money, is healthier for your body, and actually stops sweating and body odor. Seriously, jump on this bandwagon ASAP!
In 2011, I went on a journey and started making homemade granola bars, natural cold and flu remedies like honey lemon ginger tea, elderberry syrup, homemade lip scrubs, and even went 10 days without shampoo (I don’t recommend that last one).
It was during this time that I began questioning all the things I was putting in and on my body.
Most store-bought deodorants contain parabens, aluminum, dye and a bunch of chemicals I can’t even spell (or type correctly). Why put these things on your body if there are safe, natural alternatives that work even better? Since I started this journey, new “safer” products have been launched, but even they contain ambiguous ingredients like fragrance. What does that even mean?
To me, that’s reason enough to ditch commercial deodorants and make my own. I’ve been using the same recipe for over 11 years now and I absolutely love it and use it every day. The only thing I change up is the essential oils I use, depending on what scent I feel like that season.
The Best Natural Deodorant
No joke— you can put this deodorant on at 5AM, run a few miles, blend a the world’s Best Green Smoothie, throw on some work clothes, work an 8-hour shift and come home smelling good.
At first, my husband and I were baffled by how well it worked. We would smell each other’s armpits just to brag. Then we decided to push the boundaries and slathered it on before a long day of helping friends move. We sweat all day and came home smelling good!
Ingredients to Make Homemade Deodorant
You only need four ingredients to make your own all-natural deodorant. Chances are you probably have at least half of them already. You can buy arrowroot powder in the baking section of most natural food stores or online.
- baking soda (feel free to use less if you’ve got sensitive skin)
- non-gmo arrowroot powder (a better choice than traditional cornstarch)
- organic unrefined coconut oil
- essential oils: grapefruit, tea tree, spruce and sweet orange are my favorites
How to Use Homemade Deodorant
Using natural deodorant can seem a little intimidating at first. Since it’s stored in a jar, you have to scoop it out with your finger, a popsicle stick or a tongue depressor. If you’d prefer to have it in “stick form,” you can add a little bit of beeswax and shea butter to the recipe to thicken it. I found that didn’t work as well for me and went back to the jar recipe.
Tips for Starting Natural Deodorant
Some people encounter issues with an itchy rash, red bumps or more sweat and odor than usual as they transition to homemade deodorant. Don’t let this prevent you from making the switch!
Drinking plenty of water and dry brushing are two awesome ways to assist your body as it adjusts away from the chemical-laden deodorants you used to use. My #1 recommendation (drumroll, please!) is to detox your armpits. Sounds weird, I know! But it’ll help speed up your body’s adjustment period to this homemade deodorant.
In addition to detoxing your armpits, you may also want to consider detoxing your whole body. All the processed foods we eat contain chemicals that end up affecting the way we smell when we sweat. Try out a seasonal cleanse to get started on a whole-body detox.
These cleanses are super easy to follow and use only whole, plant-based foods (no expensive supplements!) to gently clear your body of unwanted toxins.
Best Natural Deodorant to Buy
While making my own deodorant works for me, I’m also a realist and know that not everyone wants to go this crunchy. That’s where Pretty Frank (formerly known as Primal Pit Paste) comes in.
They have natural deodorant lines that have a variety of strengths and scents that work and are better for your body.
I’ve used them while on vacation or if I run out of my own homemade blend and haven’t had time to make another batch.
More Home Remedies
If you’re ready to try a few new recipes (that really work!) and transform your home with safer products, then give my go-to remedies a try. They can help you sleep better, fight illness faster, clear congestion, hydrate and more:
- Fire cider: While this tonic is not for the faint of heart, it does wonders to shorten the length of an oncoming cold and I keep a batch on standby year-round.
- Lip scrub: A hydrating and fun recipe to make for gifts or just for yourself.
- Elderberry syrup: A great supplement to take during cold and flu season to keep your body healthy.
- Hot-flash remedy: Menopause, pregnancy, post-COVID- anything that brings on the unwanted hot flash can be soothed through this cooling beverage.
- Sleep tea: A tea that will help you drift off to sleep more naturally.
- Vapor rub: My kids and I use this at night to clear away congestion.
- Popsicles for sore throats: Whether it’s allergies or a cold that’s causing that sore throat, these tasty and soothing popsicles can help!
Leave a rating and review to let me know how this recipe worked out for you! As you can tell by the over 200+ reviews so far, this is a recipe you must try.
Simple Homemade Deodorant
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- air tight container
Ingredients
- ½ cup baking soda you can use less when starting out if it irritates you
- ½ cup arrowroot powder you can also use cornstarch, but I prefer arrowroot powder
- 5 tbsp coconut oil
- 20 drops grapefruit essential oil or another essential oil with antibacterial properties
Instructions
- Mix baking soda and arrowroot together. (I used my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer.)
- Add the coconut oil and essential oils. Mix well.
- Pour into clean air-tight jar (Homemade deodorant will last up to two years in an airtight container.)
- Use a popsicle stick to get the deodorant out of the container and transfer to your finger. Make sure you use enough under your arms to keep you “sure” all day long. A pea-size amount is usually good.
Notes
- Consistency: This deodorant changes consistency depending on the temperature. In cold climates, it can be pretty hard to get out. If that’s the case for you, I recommend storing it by the shower and allowing the steam to warm it before applying. If you live in a warm climate and the deodorant is too liquidy, store it in a cool cupboard to thicken it up.
- Technique: For the past couple of years, I stopped using the popsicle stick and actually just use my fingers and dip them in the jar.
Hello!!
My batch turned out super grainy, I used my kitchen aid as well, melted coconut oil and mixed for several minutes. I even tried re-melting in a double boiler, adding more oil and mixing again. Is baking soda suppose to dissolve completely in the oil? Im guessing this will show on dark clothing… any suggestions??? Over all I like that is a basic recipe!! I will use my batch anyways 😉
Hmm I would try adding in some extra coconut oil and see if that helps make it less grainy. It should be a pretty solid consistency at the end especially if you are in a semi cold environment. Also, we have never had it where the deodorant shows up on clothes. Everything should dissolve into your skin.
Hope that helps!
Hey, I love the simple ingredients and cant wait to try it out but I’m allergic to coconut, is there a good alternative? I’m having trouble finding a good recipe without coconut
Hey Natalie,
I would try jojoba oil with this recipe. The only thing is it might be mushy since it will not be a solid form like coconut oil, so I would add in less oil. We have only used coconut oil for this recipe so we cannot say if this will work or not.
Let us know how it goes!
Hello! For some reason the consistency stays quite powdery and dry no matter how long I mix it for. What could I be doing wrong? Please let me know, thanks:)
Hey Jess,
Have you tried mixing it with the coconut oil melted? If that still doesn’t work make sure that you have the correct measurements because it should blend pretty well at the end. Also, try using a mixer if you are doing it by hand 🙂
Hope that helps!
Has anyone tried this with a sweaty teenage boy? I do not love him using commercial deodorant products but the natural alternatives in the store did not work well enough. I would love for this to be the answer!
Hi Heather,
My brother has used this deodorant for a while now and he really likes it. It doesn’t make the sweating go away but it keeps him smelling fresh!
This is my go-to recipe for deoderant. I don’t smell *at all* even the morning after. And it’s way better than any of the natural deoderants you can buy in the shops.
Hey Rawkstar!
Yay!! Glad you found this awesome recipe 🙂
Hi Jen,
Thank you SO MUCH for this deodorant recipe! I LOVE it!
Here in New Zealand, we are in the middle of a hot dry summer and heat means we sweat … ALOT!
but despite being out in the sun most of the day, I am completely odour-free!
Well not COMPLETELY, I chose to use ‘thieves’ essential oil as flavour, because of it’s anti bacterial properties and it is a faint lingering scent which I just love on my clothes and fingers -after application.
My 15 year old is putting together a low budget magazine for our little home school group and we were wondering if we could share your recipe with the 10-15 families here. We would be sure to acknowledge you as the author and invite people to your web site. Please let me know as soon as possible because this issue is due out in a week.
Thanks again, I love the recipe!
Hey Esther,
That is so fantastic! I have not tried this recipe with thieves yet but I bet it smells SO GOOD!!!
Yes of course you can totally share our recipes with your home school group 🙂
Love that!!!
Just tried this recipe a few days ago, at first it was burning my pits for a day but as soon as I kept using the homemade deodorant with tea tree oil, it feels ok. I guess I put too much baking sofa haha! The only downside is that it gets hard and living in a cold climate country like Ireland doesnt help things lol.
Despite my one complaint I definitely recommend people trying out this recipe because honestly, we all would be better off not using sprays with aluminium!
Hey Georgina,
We have had a few rawkstars put their deodorant into old deodorant sticks and they said it worked just as well as store bought. Since it is so cold where you are maybe that would be a good option for you!!
Enjoy!!!
Hi there, I live in the UK and want to make this but my measurements are different, also the pot I’m using is only 60ml? Can you advise on measurements? Thank you.
Hey Sarah,
No problem! I would cut the measurements in half so that it fits into your jar perfectly.
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrow root
2.5 tablespoons of coconut oil
10 drops of grapefruit essential oils
Hope that helps!
How essential is it to use unrefined coconut oil? Nutiva’s site claims that both refined and unrefined oils have the same nutritional profile, but also every blogger states that unrefined is so much healthier. I have refined coconut oil and all the other ingredients, I just wanted to know if there was a reason specific to this deodorant recipe for unrefined because that requires a trip into town.
Hey Rosina,
Great question! Unrefined is the “purest” form of coconut oil which means it is less processed. With it being less processed you have more coconut flavor as well as more nutrients in your oil.
Hope that helps!
Yes aluminium is nasty! It is also connected to women’s breast cancer yet it is ingridient of 99% antiperspirants and deodorants found in the shops!
I am currently using one from lush as any other with baking soda gives me rash 🙁
It os nice to see more and more people going natural and zero waste ! It is better for our health and for the planet ❤
It really is and we are so happy to see how many people are going the all natural route!
I am sorry that you are sensitive to baking soda. You can always add less and try it out on a small area of skin.
HI there! What are other disinfecting oil options? I want to make this for my sis but she doesn’t like the grapefruit essential oil. Thanks!
Hey Shannon,
Some other great disinfectant essential oils are lavender, tea tree, and lemon.
Enjoy! 🙂
ok, so I added in the essential oils (young living grapefruit) at the end, and forgot that it needs to be added to the coconut oil and mixed well. I halfed the recipe, but probably added 20 drops of grapefruit oil and 5-6 drops of lemon oil, and I still can’t smell anything. is that because it wasn’t dissolved into the carrier oil first? what difference does it make though if you add the essential oils at the end? I mean it shouldn’t make a difference, should it? could it just be that it doesn’t pick up the citrus scent as well?
thanks
Hey Jess,
Adding the oil in the beginning with the coconut oil allows it to be mixed evenly. Most of your oils could be at the bottom if you do not smell anything. Also sometimes a certain oil is not as potent as others. If you would like it to smell stronger feel free to add in more to your mixture.
Hope that helps!
ok so right after I made a smaller batch, where I added the essential oil to the coconut oil and then I left both batches to cool, and I got the same result — so it doesn’t make a difference when you add the essential oils, altho I can see your theory of it not mixing / blending in potentially occurring too.
as for the grapefruit scent, you can smell it once the deodorant cools. so both smelled the same after 2-3 hours and I just mixed them together, the scent comes out stronger after a few hours, I don’t know why, but this happened last time I made it too
Good recipe! Can also be done with tea tree oil, but make sure not to use too much as it is pretty strong (but very effective).
Hey Jessica,
Tea tree oil would be a great addition to this recipe. I bet your deodorant smells so fresh with that oil!
I haven’t tried this one yet but another person asked what I was thinking and this is 1 cup dry ( arrow root /baking soda) to only 5 Tablespoons oil? this won’t mix!!
Yes, it does mix once the coconut oil has been liquefied. The substance is still pretty liquid before it cools down and hardens again. 🙂
Hi I am wanting to try this recipe but just want to check the quantities – is it really 1/2 Cup baking soda & 1.2 Cup arrowroot (that’s 1 Cup dry ingredients) & only 5 Tablespoons oil & then the essential oil drops?? It sounds like it is way too dry?? Please advise
Hey Gill,
Yes those measurements are correct! The coconut oil goes a long way. I would make sure the coconut oil is melted down so that it mixes well without any chunks after.
Enjoy!
This works great & is so easy to make! Thanks for sharing. I used tea tree, Rosemary, tangerine, & lavender essential oils.
Hey Jennifer,
I bet you smelled so great with that combination of oils!
Thanks for sharing with us 🙂