Devil In The Deodorant
I've always known that the aluminium and other chemicals in commercial deodorant are not good for us but I didn't know why and so it didn't feel like a big concern for me. I threw these brief thoughts into the 'I'll deal with it later' basket and didn't really revisit them for a few years. What did become a big concern for me though, was the plastic packaging that commercial deodorants come in! It was the environment's health, not my own, in this instance, that prompted me to review my choices and habits regarding my BO!
I tried an expensive natural deodorant a few years ago when I tried to make this change for health reasons rather than environmental reasons. The one I bought came in the same plastic roller packaging as regular deodorant but it was three times the price and by lunch time I was smelling like a sheep!! I quickly went back to my regular deodorant and the natural deodorant thoughts went back into the 'deal with it later' basket.
Recently my partner house sat for his aunt while she and her family were away for Easter. As a thank you gift, she bought him a box of natural soaps, shaving creams, oils and deodorant from a brand in Yarck called Dindi. They are seriously beautiful products but the one that really caught my eye was the natural powder deodorant included in the box. I tried it a few times and it smelt beautiful and amazingly I had absolutely no BO when I used it! (Remember, I'm a Personal Trainer so sweating all day, every day is what I do for a living!)
Inspired and excited by this natural powder deodorant I hit google to see if it was easy to make at home. The reason I wanted to make my own is so I didn't have to rely on buying it from Dindi and thus using unnecessary plastic postage packaging but also because, disappointingly, the bottle that holds Dindi's product is made from plastic.
Google quickly came up with millions of home made deodorant recipes! Some of them were so complicated - using heaps of exotic ingredients that I wasn't familiar with and many with methods of heating and distilling and other tedious steps. More encouragingly though, there were some that were embarrassingly simple! I opted for these ones as guidance for my own recipe testing!
I made my first trial of home made deodorant and I have been using it for three weeks now and I'm proud to report that there has not been a single hint of BO with its use!! I have put it through some serious tests too - for example, yesterday I rode to work which is a 30 minute bike ride, I then taught 30 minutes of kettlebell followed by 30 minutes of cycle and later in the day taught barre pilates, power HIT and then finally cycle again! Amazingly I smelt fine the whole time!
I am putting this stupidly simple recipe out into the world in the hope that you will give it a go and find that you love it just as much as me! I have also put some of the main reasons why would would want to ditch commercial deodorant below the recipe.
Ingredients:
½ cup of bicarb soda - found in a cardboard box, plastic free in any supermarket or bulk shop
A couple of drops of your favourite essential oil/s. I bought some beautiful pure lavender oil form the St Andrews Market which is locally produced and cost about $10 for a glass vile that will last me a good few years.
Method:
Put the bicarb soda in a container or jar of choice.
Add about 5-10 drops of your desired oil/s.
Mix the two together by putting the lid on the jar and shaking vigorously or alternatively just use a fork to stir.
The deodorant will still be in powder form with a tiny bit of moisture from the oil.
How to apply:
After a shower, while your arm pits are still a bit damp, use two fingers to bring out about ¼ teaspoon of powder and drab/rub into your arm pits. It is easier to do the in the shower or leaning over a sink to stop any of the powder getting on the floor. And you're DONE! No need to apply again until after your next shower or unless you think you need a top up but I haven't felt that need at all yet.
FYI, you can use bicarb soda as deodorant straight from the box! I just added the lavender oil to make me smell delicious.
A FEW REASONS WHY YOU MIGHT WANT TO STOP USING COMMERCIAL DEODORANT:
Love,
Liza
I tried an expensive natural deodorant a few years ago when I tried to make this change for health reasons rather than environmental reasons. The one I bought came in the same plastic roller packaging as regular deodorant but it was three times the price and by lunch time I was smelling like a sheep!! I quickly went back to my regular deodorant and the natural deodorant thoughts went back into the 'deal with it later' basket.
Recently my partner house sat for his aunt while she and her family were away for Easter. As a thank you gift, she bought him a box of natural soaps, shaving creams, oils and deodorant from a brand in Yarck called Dindi. They are seriously beautiful products but the one that really caught my eye was the natural powder deodorant included in the box. I tried it a few times and it smelt beautiful and amazingly I had absolutely no BO when I used it! (Remember, I'm a Personal Trainer so sweating all day, every day is what I do for a living!)
Inspired and excited by this natural powder deodorant I hit google to see if it was easy to make at home. The reason I wanted to make my own is so I didn't have to rely on buying it from Dindi and thus using unnecessary plastic postage packaging but also because, disappointingly, the bottle that holds Dindi's product is made from plastic.
Google quickly came up with millions of home made deodorant recipes! Some of them were so complicated - using heaps of exotic ingredients that I wasn't familiar with and many with methods of heating and distilling and other tedious steps. More encouragingly though, there were some that were embarrassingly simple! I opted for these ones as guidance for my own recipe testing!
I made my first trial of home made deodorant and I have been using it for three weeks now and I'm proud to report that there has not been a single hint of BO with its use!! I have put it through some serious tests too - for example, yesterday I rode to work which is a 30 minute bike ride, I then taught 30 minutes of kettlebell followed by 30 minutes of cycle and later in the day taught barre pilates, power HIT and then finally cycle again! Amazingly I smelt fine the whole time!
I am putting this stupidly simple recipe out into the world in the hope that you will give it a go and find that you love it just as much as me! I have also put some of the main reasons why would would want to ditch commercial deodorant below the recipe.
Ingredients:
½ cup of bicarb soda - found in a cardboard box, plastic free in any supermarket or bulk shop
A couple of drops of your favourite essential oil/s. I bought some beautiful pure lavender oil form the St Andrews Market which is locally produced and cost about $10 for a glass vile that will last me a good few years.
Method:
Put the bicarb soda in a container or jar of choice.
Add about 5-10 drops of your desired oil/s.
Mix the two together by putting the lid on the jar and shaking vigorously or alternatively just use a fork to stir.
The deodorant will still be in powder form with a tiny bit of moisture from the oil.
How to apply:
After a shower, while your arm pits are still a bit damp, use two fingers to bring out about ¼ teaspoon of powder and drab/rub into your arm pits. It is easier to do the in the shower or leaning over a sink to stop any of the powder getting on the floor. And you're DONE! No need to apply again until after your next shower or unless you think you need a top up but I haven't felt that need at all yet.
FYI, you can use bicarb soda as deodorant straight from the box! I just added the lavender oil to make me smell delicious.
A FEW REASONS WHY YOU MIGHT WANT TO STOP USING COMMERCIAL DEODORANT:
- It comes in packaging that usually cannot be recycled and therefore goes to landfill
- The aluminium and parabens in the deodorant have been linked to causing cancer, specifically breast cancer
- The pesticides found in some deodorants can cause hormonal disruptions and imbalances
- Its expensive compared to the recipe above
- Deodorants contain heaps of unrecognisable chemicals which are a serious concern for our health. The skin absorbs what we put on to it pretty readily and can be worse than actually eating these chemicals. This is because when placed on the skin these chemicals bypass the stomach and liver which would usually help to break them down or stop them entering the bloodstream.
A note on bicarb soda: What is it? Where does it come from? Is it actually eco-friendly? I thought this blog summed things up regarding these questions nicely: http://greenercleaner.blogspot.com.au/2007/05/whats-eco-friendly.html
This recipe is cheap, environmentally friendly and so much healthier than commercial deodorant!!! I'm THRILLED.
I would love to know if you try this and what you think? Comment on this post if you do!
Love,
Liza
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