Homemade deodorant question for the experienced... page

[ciavyn]

So I made the homemade deodorant, using 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 4T coconut oil and some tea tree and lavender essential oil. Best stuff I've ever used. Smelled great, and for the first time, a deodorant held me all day. BUT...it was really gritty, and I ended up getting a really nasty breakout under my arm, in addition to a rash about every three days. The breakout appears to be the result of bacteria buildup. So I treated it with some tea tree oil (irony), neosporin, and voila...it is going away. But I switched back to commercial deodorant (which doesn't last all day -- I've used just about every brand) for it to heal. So now it's healed. I made another batch of deodorant -- this time with 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup cornstarch, and 8+T coconut oil and some cocoa butter lotion, plus the tea tree oil and the lavender. My concern is that it is still surprisingly gritty -- not sure how to combat that. I thought more oil/less grit per container made would help. And the bacterial breakout is worrisome. An easy fix, but I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. The grittiness seems to irritate my skin.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

[HeatherJ]

Many people do report irritation from the cornstarch, from what I understand. This is from Crunchy Betty's blog, and should not be gritty at all:

1-1/2 Tbsp grated beeswax or beeswax beads
4 Tbsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp shea butter
4 tsp clay (bentonite or other)
20-25 drops essential oil (tea tree, rosemary, lavender, lemon, bergamot, or a mixture of any listed)
Empty, clean, sterilized deodorant container

Melt the beeswax and coconut oil on very low heat, whisking often. Once melted, add in the shea butter and whisk a few times, then remove from the heat and continue melting. After that’s melted and you have a liquid, sprinkle in the clay and continue to whisk well until everything is combined. Drop in the essential oil, whisking still. Place the pan into a cool water bath, and leave for 5 minutes or until it just begins to set up. Spoon the mixture into your deodorant container and place it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes (or until completely hard). If, for some reason, it starts to get too soft on a hot day, just put it back in the freezer for a while.

[Zophie]

Do you shave your pits? Sometimes I can beak out if I have just shaved. essential oil is pretty astringent... I would think it would take care of the bacteria.

One day I went on a BO rant and here are my ideas for things to do.

Ancient Embrace: Natural Deodorant

[AuH2Ogirl]

I honestly don't think you need the cornstarch. My ratio of coconut oil to baking soda is pretty high, it's hot here so I have to stir it up to get any actual baking soda. It's a bit gritty, but not much. And it works - maybe try using less baking soda.

[Herbwifemama]

I don't put cornstarch in mine. My first thought is too much BS? I used to dust my pits with straight BS, but that made them break out in a sore rash, especially if I sweated.

(Ok, get all your "BS" jokes out now, people.... )

[PaleoMom]

I'm with the others... ditch the cornstarch and cut back on the baking soda. Coconut oil works pretty well all on it's own. The baking soda is just a bit extra, but no need to add so much it makes it uncomfortable to use.

[wendyland]

Last summer, I used coconut oil, shea butter, cornstarch, bs. It took a couple months for me to start being irritated. I thought it was because my shea butter was pretty old. There are a lot of deodorant threads on the mothering forum. Some people rub apple cider vinegar first & then apply coconut oil. I'm back to toms of maine, but it doesn't always last all day. The lavender scent seems to last the longest.

[Karate Lisa]

I used to make natural deodorant that I sold. I would use 1/4 c of coconut oil, a little grapeseed oil (maybe 1/4 tsp), and 1 Tbs of baking soda. To that I'd add boric acid (a small pinch) to prevent bacteria build up, and some essential oil to scent. Any of the citrus oils will cause irritation, so try to stay away from those. One of the best ways to prevent bacterial growth is simply to rinse your hands well and dry them with a clean cloth. I always advised my customers to do this when using either the deodorant or body butter I made and had not one complaint of spoilage.
Hope this helped !

[ciavyn]

Thank you for your suggestions. I want to try the other recipe, but I'm a bit broke right now, so I have to work with what I have. I made another batch, this time with cocoa butter, so while the irritation is less present...now it stains my clothes and doesn't last all day. :sigh: I also would like to find a way to make one that would turn my black sleeveless shirts powdery and white. Any ideas are welcome. I really, really want to use natural solutions, but right now, it's tough.

[Alexwon]

Hi…
I read your post and really you have done a great effort, I think its one of the great deodorant but I have something to recommend you to use the same thing “Deodorant” I visit many sites and blogs most of the deodorant like but the problem they are not satisfy me but at last I visit this http://www.naturallyfreshdeodorantcrystal.com/ then this product satisfied me at every aspects of the product that’s why I said to all of u to use this and feel the differences.
Thanks