Truthbomb: I’ve tried countless lines of all natural, store bought deodorant, and they always leave me stinky and sweaty… which is why I’ve gone hippie and made my own homemade deodorant.
I did this in 2011 and haven’t every looked back. Making my own deodorant has saved me money, made me healthier and actually stopped my sweating AND body odor. Seriously, jump on this band wagon asap!
Why I needed my own deodorant
Although, there’s no solid evidence that aluminum-based compounds lead to cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, there are correlations. And to me, that’s reason enough to ditch commercial deodorants and make my own. I hope you enjoy this recipe and share it with your family and friends!
FYI: I’m an endurance ultra runner, mom of two and pretty much always on the go… so I need something strong! In my homemade deodorant recipe, all I use are simple, natural, safe ingredients that are known to be odor absorbers, antibacterial and antimicrobial. And guess what? It totally works! Imagine that?! Natural deodorant that actually stops the BO for a fraction of the price of the store bought stuff! We have a winner!!!
I’ve been using the exact recipe for over 7 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 I feel like that season.
My #1 natural deodorant recipe
You can put this deodorant on at 5AM, run a few miles, blend a tasty green smoothie, throw on some work clothes, work an 8-hour shift and come home smelling good. Seriously! 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 would slather it on before a long day of helping friends moved, sweated all day and came home smelling good. All you need is these ingredients:
- 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 favs
Simple Homemade Deodorant
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 3 months 1x
- Category: natural beauty
- Method: no bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
I invite you to make my family’s homemade deodorant recipe that uses safe natural ingredients like coconut oil and essential oils. The ingredients for this natural deodorant will fit nicely into a 125 mL Ball Elite mason jar (I got mine at Target).
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup baking soda (you can use less when starting out if it irritates you)
- 1/2 cup arrowroot powder (you can also use cornstarch… but I prefer arrowroot powder)
- 5 tbs unrefined organic coconut oil
- 20 drops of grapefruit essential oil (or another essential oil with antibacterial properties)
Instructions
- Mix baking soda and arrowroot together—I used my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer.
- Next add the coconut and essential oils and mix well.
- Pour into clean air-tight jar (Homemade deodorant will last 3-6 months in a 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. (For the past couple years, I stopped using the popsicle stick and actually just use my fingers and dip them in the jar. Easy, peasy.)
Notes
Note: This deodorant changes consistency depending on the temperature. In cold climates, it can we 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, you can store it in a cooler pantry to thicken it up.
Keywords: natural deodorant recipe, DIY deodorant, arrowroot deodorant
What do you think of the deodorant recipe?
Share your review below and leave a comment. We’re here to help you make this work and love hearing how you tweak it to work best for you.
I also think you should get on my green smoothie bandwagon. I’ve got tons of great recipes for you, your kids and your loved ones to blend up. Come join our Free 7-Day Green Smoothie Challenge where I’ll give you my fav recipes for me and my kids!
I’m looking forward to using this deodorant! I just made it and mine came out very powdery like the consistency of the flour. Can I add more coconut oil to make it more like a paste or will that lessen its effectiveness?
Thank you for sharing this with us!!
:o) Stephanie
★★★★★
Hey Stephanie! Did you melt the coconut oil first? That should help the mixture reach the consistency you want. You can add a little more coconut oil if you need to but add a very little bit (like ~1/2 tsp.) at a time. I learned that the hard way. 🙂
Can I use almond oil as a substitute for the coconut? And tea tree oil instead of grapefruit?
Lucinda, you can use any essential oil that has antibacterial properties. I don’t think the almond oil will work, though. I think you could use shea butter and/or beeswax if you don’t want to use coconut oil.
I see what Wayne’s issue may be, and I wonder if it is because neither the ingredient list nor the instructions say anything about melting the coconut oil. It makes a huge difference! I had the same result Wayne did until I scrolled through the comments and found that one person asked if you melt the coconut oil first. I would suggested adding (melted) to the coconut ingredient list and then providing instruction on how best to melt it. I am excited to try this for the first time!
Sounds good, Helen. Thank you for the feedback!
Only on day 3 but LOVING this deodorant so far. Thank you for making a recipe that’s so easy to throw together!
I’ve been gradually making the transition to plastic-free health & beauty products. I exhausted every local option for a zero-waste deodorant and picked one out online but having something shipped across the country (or from another country) didn’t feel right. I tried your recipe because the ingredients are so readily accessible I figured it would be a pretty low-risk experiment. Bonus- I have access to arrowroot & baking soda in bulk!!
I skipped the detox for now because I haven’t found the bentonite clay locally. Hopefully this will work out okay. *fingers crossed* I’ve been using A&H deodorant for many years so the baking soda shouldn’t be a problem for me.
Before making the switch a few days ago, the pits of my T’s were drenched on a regular basis, as though my previous deodorant wasn’t working anymore – the worse I’ve ever experienced. The past few days have been 70-80 degrees, I did a high intensity strength training session yesterday and 4.5 mile run today. I stayed completely dry yesterday and had very minor sweat spots running but ZERO smell both days.
My husband has agreed to the occasional sniff check such a good sport) and says there’s a nice light coconut smell and that’s it! I added lavender EO since I had some around which he can’t smell but that’s perfect for me, I prefer little to no scent. Once his last stick of deodorant runs out I’ll be making his & her batches!
Looking forward to seeing how it performs long term!
★★★★★
That’s awesome, Kate! Hope it continues to work great for you! 😀
Are the 1/2 cup measurements for both of the dry ingredients correct? 1 cup dry to 5 tbl “wet”?
Should that maybe be 1/2 *tsp* each dry ingredient? I’m mixing this by hand so maybe it takes a lot longer to incorporate but I can’t see this ever becoming “pourable” and seems like this is going to leave big white marks under my pits…
Hey Becky. Yes, the measurements in the ingredient list are correct. You’d be surprised at how well 5 tablespoons (roughly 1/3 cup) of wet ingredients mixes with 1 cup of dry ingredients. The final product should be kind of a paste-like texture. So you don’t want to use too much of the coconut oil, otherwise it will be too runny. I’ve been using this for years and it doesn’t leave white marks. 🙂
It clumps up when putting on pits, like regular deodorant. But I’m not a fan of that. I used gel deodorant for years because of that, before trying your recipe. Is there any way to make this less clumpy and still have the same effects?
Elizabeth, you could add a little more coconut oil and that will help the mixture have more of a creamy texture that shouldn’t clump up.