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Natural Deodorant Paste

Body & Skin Care, Recipes, Recipes Featured

Many commercial deodorants contain aluminium and chemical fragrances, along with plenty of other nasties that I am not comfortable putting anywhere near my body.  Worse than roll-on commercial deodorants is the aerosol variety; the mist that you inhale goes directly into your mouth, airways and lungs, where it is readily absorbed by your body.

I can only imagine how much toxic crap my body absorbed in my high school PE locker rooms, where Impulse was sprayed liberally by me and 40 other teenage girls… Not good at all. As well as being toxic, commercial deodorants can be expensive!!

So I created this natural deodorant recipe and have been using it since 2015. I must say that I, along with hundreds (even thousands) of others, all agree it’s pretty damn good! Having a thermal appliance makes it easy to create, and a little goes a very long way so you’ll save bucket loads of money too!

To help prevent any irritation, be sure never to apply after hair removal (especially shaving or waxing), when skin is broken and compromised. Or, try either of these versions (Sensitive Deodorant Paste or Carb-Free Deodorant Paste). This handy blog post will you give you lots of tips when transitioning to natural deodorant too! Warning: You will still sweat. That’s a normal, human, bodily behaviour. But, you won’t smell. Trust me, this works!

NATURAL DEODORANT PASTE

Makes: 250 g | 8.8 oz Prep time: < 10 min.

Ingredients

65 g | 2.3 oz shea butter

65 g | 2.3 oz coconut oil (the type that solidifies)

10 g | 0.4 oz beeswax

70 g | 2.5 oz sodium bicarbonate (bicarb)

40 g | 1.4 oz arrowroot flour (or cornflour)

40 drops of essential oils

My choice of essential oils…

My favourite essential oils in this recipe are patchouli, tea tree and lemongrass, but don’t be limited by my suggestions. Use oils that fit your budget, or those that you already have in your collection. Read here for more information.

Method

1. Add shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax to a glass bowl and heat until completely melted. (Double boiler method– place bowl on a pot of gently simmering water and stir frequently; Microwave method– heat in short bursts on low, stopping and stirring frequently). Remove from heat.

2. Add remaining ingredients and mix until combined.

3. Transfer into container of choice.

4. Place into the fridge or freezer to set (this will reduce the chance of graininess developing over time).

Thermal Appliance Method

1. Add shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax to thermal appliance bowl and melt: 4-5 minutes | approx. 70˚C (158˚F) | low speed. Extend time if required, until ingredients have completely melted.

2. Add remaining ingredients and mix for 5-10 seconds on low/medium speed. Scrape down sides and repeat if required, until ingredients are combined.

3. Transfer into container of choice.

4. Place into the fridge or freezer to set (this will reduce the chance of graininess developing over time).

To Use

Scoop a small amount of balm (the size of your fingernail is plenty) and rub gently onto clean armpits.

Recipe Notes

For an extra kick, substitute the arrowroot powder for bentonite clay – a simple straight swap. Sometimes deodorant paste just doesn’t cut the mustard for everyone all of the time and this little hack might just do the trick!

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Krissy Ballinger

Author, Advocate & Founder

Krissy wants to see a world where people make conscious, educated decisions that honour both humans and habitat. With a background in education and health promotion, she devotes her time to passionately increase awareness on common and avoidable toxins, in everyday items like washing powder and deodorant, and to educate individuals on how they can easily reduce their daily exposure, through simple and realistic do-it-yourself ideas and recipes.

Krissy has sold over 40,000 copies of her natural DIY recipe books, including her award-winning book, Naturally Inspired - Simple DIY Recipes for Body Care and Cleaning, and her newly-released kids book, Make & Play - Natural DIY Recipes for Kids. She offers honest and gentle guidance, education and 100+ natural DIY recipes on her website The Inspired Little Pot.

Washing Powder

Cleaning & Outdoors, Recipes, Recipes Featured

The chemicals, fillers, fragrances, etc., in many mainstream washing powders are not what you want sticking to your clothes and touching your body all day. Nor are they the kind of thing we want washing into our waterways.

It takes about 5 minutes to get over the fact your clothes will smell less like a vanilla bean cross frangipani tree cross musk stick, and more like, ah, clothes.

There are so many reasons that I love using this washing powder recipe: the natural ingredients are superstars in the land of cleaning and washing, with grime-fighting, water-softening, stain-removing capabilities; one batch makes over 100 loads so the average person who does 5x loads a week will only need to make washing powder every 5-6 months; you’re washing machine is less likely to get slimy and gunky (only the companies who make fabric softener will tell you to use it. Washing machine manufacturers and repairmen will tell you it’s horrible stuff).

You’re convinced to give a whirl now, right?