Make your own all natural deodorant

Photo by Ana Essentiels on Unsplash

Today we’re going to talk about deodorant. Not why you should use it but what essential oils you can use in your deodorant. Here are 10 essential oils that you can use when making your next deodorant and why they are helpful.

Lavender – Of course lavender is at the top of the list. Everyone knows it’s great for skin, calming, and gentle. It is antiseptic, antiviral and deodorant, nervine, sedative and tonic. Lavender will help keep you smelling fresh.

Tea tree oil – Tea tree oil is one of my favorite oils because it is useful for so many things as it is antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial.

Bergamot - Bergamot is a citrus that is anti-septic and deodorant. It’s a lovely smell that is uplifting and works well with citruses, florals, cyprus, sandalwood, juniper, black pepper, ginger, clary sage, rosemary and frankincense.

Patchouli – Patchouli is anti-inflammatory, anti-septic, antimicrobial, astringent, deodorant, and sedative. It is good on chapped or broken skin and fungal infections.

Cyprus – Cyprus is antiseptic, anti-toxic, astringent, deodorant, and tonic. It is great for men’s skincare. It is useful for skin that is over-hydrated, oily skin and acne.

Lemon – Lemon is antimicrobial, antiseptic, astringent, and tonic. It helps defend against infection.

Lemongrass – Lemongrass is antimicrobial, antiseptic, astringent, bactericidal, deodorant, nervine, and tonic. It helps tighten and tone skin.

Rosemary – Rosemary is antiseptic, antibacterial, antimicrobial and astringent.

Peppermint – Peppermint has a bright and refreshing smell. It is antiseptic and astringent.

Grapefruit – Grapefruit is not only energizing and fresh smelling, but also antiseptic, astringent, stimulant, and tonic. It is helpful for oil skin and acne.

Body Powder Bases

Arrowroot Powder

Arrowroot powder is beneficial for all skin types and is softening and smoothing. It is gentle on sensitive skin and is anti-inflammatory. Arrowroot powder contains helpful ingredients such as zinc, iron, potassium, and vitamin B6. It can help skin with rashes, acne or sores. It is a good skin conditioner and oil reducer. Arrowroot powder can help improve your skin’s texture and help you get the glowing skin you want.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is antiseptic and antibacterial therefore it may help get rid of the bacteria that causes acne; however, not the acne on your face. It is a good treatment for the back or shoulders. It is a natural deodorant, balances PH, and sooths irritation. Baking soda has natural exfoliating properties that can help remove dead skin cells and unclog pores, leaving the skin smoother and brighter. If you have sensitive skin, do a patch test first as it can be harsh on the skin.

Cornstarch

Cornstarch is a natural and safe ingredient that has great absorbent properties and can help keep the skin dry and comfortable. It is gentle on the skin and can soothe irritation. It helps reduce friction by absorbing moisture. It has a smooth texture which can help give body powder that silky smooth feeling.

kaolin Clay

Clay has many benefits for skincare. Clays are bactericidal, antiseptic and balancing. They help cell turnover, are healing, softening, helping acne and managing excess oil. There are different types of kaolin clay that work better with different types of skin including white, red, yellow and pink. If you have sensitive or dry skin, use white clay. For oily skin and acne, use red clay as it is the most absorbing. Yellow clay is absorbing and exfoliating but is still fine for sensitive skin. Pink is a mix of white and red and is good for delicate skin.

Body Powder Botanical Extras

Chamomile

Chamomile is gentle and soothing and a great ingredient for sensitive skin. It can help calm inflamed and irritated skin. It is also great for dry and itchy skin.

Calendula

Calendula is another plant that is great for soothing and healing the skin as it has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.

Lavender

Everyone knows lavender is soothing and calming and smells lovely. Use it if you want a relaxing body powder after your bath.

Rose

With its smell and color, roses make a lovely body powder for after your bath. Rose can help to soften and moisturize the skin.

Rosemary

Rosemary has high antioxidant and anti-microbial activity. It’s a great addition to your body powder, deodorant, or dry shampoo. It can benefit your hair and scalp in many ways. It stimulates hair growth, helps prevent dandruff, strengthens hair, adds shine, and sooths irritation.

Spearmint

Spearmint is a good choice for deodorant as it has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. It is soothing and refreshing. It can help skin problems such as insect bites or burns.

Butters

Butters are created from natural ingredients such as beans, nuts and seeds. These natural butters are all very moisturizing.  They may also have other properties such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. They may also contain vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids.  After you take a bath or a shower when your pores are open from the heat, apply butter and it will absorb better.

Avocado Butter

Avocado butter contains the antioxidants vitamins A, E and D, a natural sunscreen that protects your skin and hair from the damaging effects of the ultraviolet radiation of the sun, and lecithin and unsaturated fatty acids.   It is also able to hydrate dry, mature skin, and hair and is helpful to nails and cuticles. Use it on the face, body, lips, and the hair.  Avocado butter can reduce the appearance of age spots, also known as liver spots.

Babassu Butter

Babassu is a palm tree native to Brazil. It will melt in your hands and easily penetrate the skin.  This butter contains lots of vitamin E which supports and helps create new collagen and elastin. It helps the skin’s elasticity and lessen fine lines and wrinkles.  It also contains fatty acids which help keep skin from sagging and helps skin retain moisture and look younger.

Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter is an excellent facial moisturizer and prevents dryness and peeling.  It heals chapped lips. It is an emollient. This means it protects lips by adding a protective moisturizing layer to them. 

Cocoa butter helps skin elasticity, skin tone, and collagen retention and production.  It is gentle and good at soothing burns, rashes, infections, and things like eczema or dermatitis.  It is also beneficial to use cocoa butter as a pre-shave lotion to prevent nicks from occurring and to have softer skin.

Kokum Butter

Kokum butter is high in essential fatty acids, poly unsaturated fats, has a high steric content, and vitamin E.  This butter has anti-inflammatory properties and is a great ingredient for sensitive skin.  It is non-comedogenic, absorbs into the skin quickly, and is not greasy and lightweight. Kokum butter can help regenerate skin cells and prevents the degeneration of cells and adds elasticity and flexibility to skin. It fights signs of aging and acne.  It is great for dry, cracked, rough and calloused skin.

Mango Butter

Mango butter contains natural antioxidants, vitamins A and E, and essential fatty acids. It is a great choice because it moisturizes dry or rough skin, itchy skin, cracking skin, skin rashes, small skin wounds, and peeling.   It works on fine lines and wrinkles, blemishes, and stretch marks. Use it in a shaving cream for a smooth shave.   It treats sunburn, insect bites, poison ivy, poison oak, eczema and dermatitis.

Shea Butter

Shea butter has a high concentration of vitamin, antioxidants and fatty acids including linoleic, oleic, stearic, and palmitic acids. Its antifungal and anti-bacterial properties can help fight skin infections and the bacteria on the skin. It is anti- inflammatory which helps for things like wind-blown skin and eczema.  It is good for all skin types.  Antioxidants help shea butter to protect your skin from free radicals which lead to premature aging.  It may help acne, fine lines and wrinkles.  It may help prevent hair breakage and dandruff.  Shea butter may also help sunburn, eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, wounds, and insect bites.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is the substance that oozes out when the coconut nut is pressed. It involves gathering and crushing the fruit’s meat and pouring it into a piece of wickerwork covered in gauze.  Water is then added to the pulp then kneaded. Oil rises to the surface.

Coconut oil contains close to 50% lauric acid, myristic acid, caprylic and capric acids, palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, steric acid vitamin A, and Vitamin E.

Coconut oil is well absorbed by the skin, anti-bacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial. It helps with cell turnover and the skin’s appearance and protects skin against oxidation. It is a good makeup remover and lip balm. 

Coconut oil is good for normal or dry skin. It may block pores and cause blackheads.

Zinc Oxide

Zinc Oxide is a chemical compound used to help skin damage. You can use zinc oxide in creams, make-up, moisturizers, deodorant, sunscreen, or diaper rash cream.

It acts as a protective barrier, seals in moisture, is antibacterial, supports wound healing, burns, scars, and irritated skin.  This ingredient is helpful as it is anti-aging, treats acne, rosacea, psoriasis, eczema and diaper rash. It helps prevent sunburn and helps to shrink pores.

Zinc oxide may cause an allergic reaction.  If you are using zinc powder, make sure you are using non-nano zinc oxide.

Deodorant Stick Recipe

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup coconut oil

• ¼ cup butter (I use half mango, half shea)

• ¼ cup beeswax

• 1 tablespoon non-nano zinc oxide

• essential oils

Directions: Melt all ingredients except for the essential oils in a double boiler.  Add essential oils and pour into twist up containers.  You can purchase empty containers or re-use old deodorant containers.

Body Powder Recipe

1 cup arrowroot powder

½ to ¾ cup kaolin clay

2 tbsp non-nano zinc oxide powder

2 or 3 tbsp spearmint powder

Mix all ingredients and blend together. Pour them into your favorite container such as powder puff containers, shakers, squeeze bottles, talcum powder containers, or reuse one of your old containers.