As soon as I learned about all of the chemicals in commercial deodorants, I stopped using them and made the switch to natural deodorant instead. After experimenting with several natural ones on the market without much success, I started making this non-toxic deodorant instead.
So far I have experimented with a few different versions that were just okay until I made this one. This recipe is simple, yet effective. It does the trick to keep your pits feeling fresh and clean. As with any natural deodorant, keep in mind that if you tend to sweat excessively, you may have to reapply a couple times throughout the day.
The Skin and Toxins
The skin is the largest organ on our body, it absorbs everything. It can easily become bogged down with everyday environmental toxins, so if we can spare it from the burden of more hazardous ingredients in our skin care products, all the better.
Sweating is one of the body’s most effective ways of eliminating toxins through the pores of our skin, and the underarms are one of the most important channels for toxins to leave the body.
Antiperspirants are made to stop you from sweating, blocking the body’s natural and necessary detoxification process, which is why I’m not a fan. Many ingredients in deodorants like parabens, propylene glycol, aluminum, phthalates, and synthetic fragrances have been shown to cause things like breast cancer in women, prostate cancer in men, Alzheimer’s, hormone disruptions, and cell mutations.
As if that’s not enough to make you want to quit chemical-laden commercial deodorants, many of these ingredients are allergenic, causing various skin reactions, and irritations such as rashes, especially in people with sensitive skin.
The recipe I’m about to share with you is gentle, and soothing, kinda like a party for your pits! A little goes a long way and even though it seems like a small amount, mine lasts for months, so it’s super cost effective to boot!
Non-Toxic Deodorant Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 3 Tbsp coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp shea butter
- 3 Tbsp baking soda
- Optional: 2 Tbsp arrowroot powder
- Optional: essential oils like lavender or tea tree
DIRECTIONS
- Fill a medium saucepan with a couple inches of water and place over medium heat
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Place coconut oil and shea butter in the glass container or small mason jar you will store your deodorant in and heat in pan until just melted
- Remove, wipe off excess water from jar and add baking soda, arrowroot powder (if not using arrowroot, add a little more baking soda instead) and probiotic capsules, and stir until combined well
- Add essentials oils to your liking, give a stir, and let it set up
- Store at room temperature, it should stay solid but if it melts just put it in the fridge to thicken
Notes: You can also reuse, and fill empty deodorant stick containers, but keep in mind it may melt during warmer temperatures. I have tried recipes without the arrowroot and essential oils but found that they didn’t work quite as well. I’ve also made it without shea butter, but found that it didn’t stay on, or last as long.
Here’s to happy pits =) Hope you enjoy this recipe, your skin and body will thank you for a clean and natural alternative to nasty chemicals!
Have you made the switch to natural deodorant, and if not do you think you will after reading this?
Yes! I’m sharing this right now. This weekend I was searching amazon for non-toxic deodorants. I found out that my arm and hammer all natural, non-aluminum deodorant isn’t quite as good as I thought so needed an alternative. We’re going to give this a shot over the weekend, will let you know how things go! thanks again, great recipe!
Awesome Frank! Good for you for making the switch. Looking forward to finding out how you like it :)
I had always wondered about deodorants, how could it possibly be natural and healthy to use a spray which stops our body from doing what it is meant to do?
I do a lot of running and sweat profusely during and after, will this non toxic version be effective for me do you think?
Jay
Exactly, Jay! We’re supposed to sweat those toxins out, but then being a runner you must get that. If you sweat profusely you will definitely want to reapply more often for best results. Eating clean healthy foods will help with that by reducing body odor too :)
Coconut oil is magic stuff. It works great in deodorant recipes and is also an excellent natural lip balm. It’s pretty expensive, but well worth it. I do use a lot of aluminum-based deodorants, unfortunately — what’s funny is I usually end up sweating through them. I’ll definitely give this one a try!
Coconut oil is incredible, it has so many uses, many of which are mentioned in my article here, in case you want to check it out. I hope you enjoy your non-toxic deodorant :) I would love to hear what you think.
Thank you for this great and helpful post. You have given great alternative to usual deodorants that are full of toxins. I just stopped to use them because I didn’t know that it is so easy to make them. Daily I use coconut oil and essential oils, so I will definitely try your recipe for non-toxic deodorant and I am sure it will be great. I love your site and I will come back. Tamara
Great! Excited for you to try the recipe Tamara. Do come back and share your results :) Thank you for liking my site and please share it with others who will find the information useful! Take care!
Hello,
I have read somewhere online that certain ingredients in “common” deodorants are harmful.
I wasn’t overly surprised but decided to look for any alternatives and found your article. Wasn’t expecting to learn how to make my own!
That is exciting and worth looking into. I may have missed it within the article, but does this particular suggestion work well for males?
Hey Jason! Thanks for stopping by and absolutely this recipe is for guys and gals. A couple of things to keep in mind are that reapplying a couple times throughout the day will help your deodorant be more effective, it varies for each person based on how active you are and how much you sweat. Also, you’ll get maximum effectiveness by adding all three optional ingredients. Good luck and hope you love it ;)
Hey, this is an excellent article! I’ve been quite interested in organic products in the last years, and deodorants were probably some of the products I’ve been searching more than everything.I’m just so happy I found your site, from now on I will only use this type of deodorant, simply because it’s so natural that it can’t do me any harm. I’m also a huge fan of coconut smell, so I guess it would be perfect for me :)
Thanks Ashley! So happy you are going to try this deodorant and love to hear what you think of it. Since you like the coconut smell, I suggest giving a smell before adding any essential oils to see if you like it that way and if so great! If you desire more fragrance just add your essential oil(s) of choice and you’re good to go :) Have fun!
Hey thanks for this. I suffer from psoriasis and I’m going through a very itchy time under my poor armpits! I didn’t know how easy it is to make your own home made paraben free deodrant and I will definitely give this a try.
I’m wondering how long it will keep?
For sure Nusrat! Yeah, it’s super easy and is a great alternative to the many ingredients in commercial deodorants that can be irritating to your skin, among other things. Since your skin is probably already in a very sensitive state with psoriasis :( you may want to try this recipe without the baking soda for your first batch, as it can cause irritation on sensitive skin. It lasts a long time, I am still using my batch I made several months ago, I’ve actually never experienced mine going bad :) Hope this helps and hope your poor armpits feel better with this!
Such a useful tip! I am always wary of using store-bought deodarant as they seem to contain way too many types of chemicals. The addition of lavender and tea tree also sounds really aromatic. I never thought about adding probiotic capsules – but that’s a really a good idea! Thanks for sharing these useful tips!
I’m happy you find the recipe useful! And yes, the probiotics are a great addition since they are anti-bacterial :) Enjoy your deodorant!