Herbal Stick Deodorant Recipes

Most stick deodorants, even in health food stores, are made with propylene glycol and other petrochemicals (although they usually do exclude toxic aluminum), and they are expensive and often don't work very well to boot. Here are some recipes where one can make deodorants that work better than these and for a fraction of the cost. Experiment with essential oil blends to come up with your favorite both for scent and effectiveness. To make hard deodorant that works well in a stick deodorant dispenser it is necessary to use beeswax. A cream deodorant can be made without wax and works almost as well and is not as greasy as one may think due to the amount of baking soda and other solids in the mix

Also see Cream Deodorant Recipes for a recipe which is easier to dispense into a container.

Recipe 1

2 T beeswax (15g)
1 T cocoa butter or vegetable shortening like Crisco. Don't use vegetable shortening long term due to the potential to absorb it through the skin but it should be okay to use for a batch or two
2 T baking soda
1 T cornstarch or arrowroot powder (or 1/2 T cornstarch + 1/2 T zinc oxide powder)
30 - 50 drops total of non-irritating antibacterial essential oils such as high quality rosemary, tea tree, lavendar, frankincense (boswellin), calendula, etc

Melt wax and shortening or cocoa butter under low heat or in double boiler. Stir in baking soda, cornstarch, and essential oils. Mix well and pour into empty deodorant stick container. This makes a hard deodorant. To make it creamier so it can be dispensed in a jar and rubbed on, use 2T cocoa butter or shortening and 1T (7.5g) beeswax or use 3T shortening, omit the wax, and add another T of baking soda.

Notes:

If zinc oxide powder is available (can be purchased from Bulk Apothecary along with the essential oils and beeswax), use 1/2 T zinc oxide powder and 1/2 T corn starch instead of 1T cornstarch to increase antibacterial action.

Although one of the most gentle on the skin and an excellent topical, lavendar essential oil can be overpowering and smell too floral for some people so go easy on the lavendar, limiting the amount to 10 or 15 drops if it is used at all. Frankincense is also a gentle oil and has a manly woodsy smell so is preferred for men over lavender. Rosemary and frankincense essential oils are good antiinflammatories and lymph stimulants so excellent if there are congested lymph nodes in the armpit as well as good for painful joint conditions such as arthritis. Rosemary can be irritating used in large amounts for long periods as can tea tree oil and pine-y oils such as spruce on sensitive skin. If using a predominance of a mild oil such as frankincense, the amount of oil can be increased beyond the 50 drops total, for example using 50 drops frankincense, 20 drops of tea tree, and 20 drops rosemary.

Recipe 2

by Annie Berthold-Bond, Care2.com Producer, Green Living Channels (www.care2.com)

If you can tolerate essential oils, herbal deodorants are wonderfully effective since so many of them have strong anti-bacterial properties.

Simple Solution:

I am excited to find this formula for making homemade stick deodorant because with this, any one of us can custom make the deodorant using essential oils that one really likes!

That being said, I like the essential oils recommended for this formula by Snow Drift Farms; they are all strongly anti-bacterial:

1 1/2 tbspn beeswax (yellow is best)
1/2 tbspn cocoa butter
1 tablespoon coconut oil
15 drops white thyme essential oil
15 drops rosemary essential oil
25 drops lavender essential oil
3 drops castor oil

Melt beeswax in a glass jar standing in hot water, add the cocoa butter, and when it has melted, add the oils. Stir to mix thoroughly, then pour into a clean, discarded deodorant stick case and leave to cool and set.

For ingredients and more visit Snow Drift Farms (www.snowdriftfarm.com)

Links

WikiHow - How to Make Stick Deodorant