If that silly crunchiness quiz had included this ….
I would have scored SO. MUCH. HIGHER.
Are you dying to know yet?
I make my own deodorant. Yep, you heard me right. And it works ten times better than any store-bought antiperspirant I have ever tried - and believe you me, I’ve tried a LOT of antiperspirants!!!
I found the recipe over at Christine’s blog, welcome to my brain. I read it and giggled. Three weeks later I went back and made it and have been using it ever since.
Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp baking soda
Directions:
Mix. Rub into armpits. Enjoy your odour-free, relatively moist-free pits. Add a few drops of your favourite essential oil if you’d like it to have an odour. I’ve never done this, mostly because I couldn’t come up with an essential oil that I liked enough to smell like, plus, I kinda like smelling like nothing.
Honestly, people, this stuff works. And it works GOOD.
(p.s. Our boiler works again - YAY!)
Jen said,
December 31, 2008 @ 9:43 pm
I am very impressed!
anj said,
January 5, 2009 @ 6:48 am
huh. i’ll have to pass that around. i don’t wear any deodorant. and i don’t think i smell (but maybe i just got used to the stench).
Kathryn said,
January 5, 2009 @ 8:33 am
How long does that recipe last? I have lavender essential oil from the birth and I love lavender, I would like to try that. Does it keep you from sweating, or just stinkin?
kim said,
January 5, 2009 @ 10:47 am
Anj - LOL I could *not* get away with no deodorant. Well, I could get away with it, but I doubt I’d have many friends!!!
Kathryn - Ummm … I think one batch lasts me a couple weeks? I honestly don’t know because it’s so easy to whip up that when I’m out, I rinse out the container (I use a small tupperware) and make it again. It does both sweat and stink - the cornstarch helps the moisture (think: cornstarch in your shoes in the summer) and the baking soda helps the smell (think: baking soda in the fridge). I still sweat, but honestly I don’t know when the last time I had to change my shirt from moisture OR smell was - and I started using this stuff in the summer in our non-air-conditioned century home in Southwestern Ontario with a furnace-baby on me all the time. This stuff works! About the scent - I’d try it without the first time you make it and use it for a few days before adding the scent - you might find you like no scent
Christine said,
January 5, 2009 @ 11:31 am
Ahhhh, YEAH! Another convert.
Mine lasts about a month.
Doesn’t stop me from sweating, but neither did store-bought deodorant. No smell, though. It ROCKS!
I read recently that some people develop a rash with this type of recipe, and you can add some cocoa butter or shea butter to the mixture to combat it. I may do it just to have soft, supple pits.
kim said,
January 5, 2009 @ 9:37 pm
Hmmm … I have found that sometimes my pits get a bit red … maybe I should add some shea butter …
brandy said,
March 15, 2009 @ 12:27 pm
soft supple pits.
hysterical!!
Kim, when you apply do you find any left over in your shirt at all?
I’m seriously considering it.
kim said,
March 16, 2009 @ 2:57 am
No, not generally. It should be pasty enough that there’s no leftovers - if it’s chunking up, you need more oil. Honestly, I found that there was a LOT more leftover on my shirts with antiperspirants!
brandy said,
March 19, 2009 @ 12:56 pm
This stuff rocks.
I smell all fresh and clean with a hint of olive oil
I should have sweat and stunk today but I didn’t. It is sooo nice!!
And my pitties are all soft and not coated in ick.
I made a huge batch since I couldn’t find the tablespoon I used 1/4c ! ahah I have lots now.
kim said,
March 19, 2009 @ 11:00 pm
Yay, Brandy!!! I’m glad you’re enjoying it - isn’t it amazing? When I asked Brad to smell my pits the first day I used it, he gave me the weirdest look and then did it, and then was AMAZED that I smelled like … nothing!
Blanche said,
May 16, 2010 @ 11:24 pm
love this idea! glad to have seen it from the continuum forum! i just ran out of my Tom’s of Main apricot deodorant that I loved so much and used daily. That little bar lasted about 8 months amazingly enough. I’ve had a hard time finding stuff like that here in Israel since we moved last year so I think making my own would be a great idea. Organic, cruelty-free, non-chemical stuff is not high on the list of important products here unfortunately. At least from where I’ve looked. I’m gonna give your recipe a try.
kim said,
May 17, 2010 @ 12:54 am
Blanche - glad I could help you out!!! I love love LOVE this stuff! (Did you know that Tom’s of Maine is owned by Colgate??)