Two Simple Homemade Deodorants to Keep Your Body Fresh

Everyone wants to be able to keep smelling fresh throughout the day. Unfortunately, commercial deodorants do not always provide the deodorizing power that they should. Many of these deodorants also contain potentially harmful chemicals and irritants. People with sensitive skin may notice redness or bumps after using certain deodorants.

If you have ever experienced skin irritation due to the use of a commercial deodorant or you want to avoid applying unnecessary chemicals to your body, you may want to try making your own homemade deodorant.

Homemade deodorant is not very difficult to make and it could save you some money. Using DIY deodorant also ensures you do not add chemicals and substances that could be harmful or irritating, such as aluminum zirconium, parabens, and large doses of chemicals that are intended to give the deodorant a fragrance.

To get you started, take a look at the following two simple homemade deodorants that you can use to keep your body fresh.

Peppermint and Patchouli Deodorant

This first homemade deodorant combines peppermint oil, cedarwood oil, and patchouli, to create a pleasant smelling deodorizer. In order to make this deodorant, you will need these ingredients:

• ¼ cup of arrowroot powder (can be substituted with cornstarch)
• ¼ cup of baking soda
• 6 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 10 drops of peppermint essential oil
• 10 drops of cedarwood essential oil
• 5 to 10 drops of patchouli

You should first mix the arrowroot powder and the baking soda. Then add the coconut oil and mix until you have a paste. Add the peppermint, cedar wood oil, and the patchouli. Mix until everything is thoroughly combined.

Both coconut oil and peppermint oil contain very strong antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. This can help kill bacteria that could be causing odor. At the same time, peppermint and coconut oils can help to cool your skin by constricting your capillaries.

The analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties make this deodorant refreshing, even when applying to freshly shaven armpits. The patchouli and the cedar wood oil are added to give this deodorant an earthy fragrance that is suitable for men or women. Patchouli is also a good source of antibacterial properties, capable of killing 20 different types of bacteria.

You may want to spot test this deodorant on your skin, before fully applying. Make sure that you do not have a negative reaction to any of the oils used in this homemade deodorant recipe.

This Homemade Deodorant Is Not an Antiperspirant

This recipe is for a deodorant, not an antiperspirant. If you are a heavy sweater, you will still perspire, but your body odor may not be as strong. Sweating is a natural process and it is not always a good idea to suppress it. Sweating allows your body to expel toxins, from the food and drinks that you consume. That is why you may smell like the substances that you put in your body.

After a night of heavy drinking, when you sweat the next day, you may expel toxins from the alcohol, causing your body odor to resemble the smell of alcohol.

Keep in mind that everyone is different. Also, depending on what you eat and drink, your body odor may not produce an unpleasant scent.

Coconut and Citrus Deodorant

If you do not like the previous homemade deodorant, here is another recipe that you could try. This next deodorant recipe calls for the use of various citrus oils and coconut oil. You will also need a glass roll-on tube, which you can find online. The tubes are often sold in packs of six or twelve and are relatively affordable, especially when you compare the costs of this recipe with the costs of purchasing commercial deodorant.

This natural deodorant is suitable for men or women and contains a mixture of orange, lemon, grapefruit, clementine, and vanilla oils. To make this deodorant, you will need the following ingredients:

• 5 milliliters of coconut oil
• 5 milliliters of a citrus oil blend
• 1 glass roller tube (10 milliliters)

First, you may need to heat the coconut oil, unless it is already soft enough to place in the glass roller tube. If you need to heat the coconut oil, heat on low heat in a saucepan until the oil is melted. Allow to cool and then set aside. Pour the coconut oil into the glass roller tube. Next, create a mixture of citrus essential oils, including one drop each of five different oils. You can create your own combination by choosing between any of these essential oils:

• Lemon
• Lime
• Grapefruit
• Tangerine
• Clementine
• Orange
• Vanilla

You may notice that not all of those oils are citrus-based. You can include vanilla or grapefruit, but make sure that at least three of the oils that you choose are citrus. Add the citrus essential oil blend to the glass roller tube. Insert the roller ball top and then screw on the cap. Shake the roller tube, to mix the ingredients. Your natural deodorant is then ready to use.

Apply the deodorant to your underarms, once or twice per day. Most people find that applying this deodorant in the morning should last you through the day, but you may want to reapply the deodorant in the afternoon if you have plans during the evening.

If you do not like the smell of citrus, you could include a different combination of essential oils and follow the rest of the steps in the recipe. Simply replace the citrus essential oil blend with whatever combination you created. Remember to test your deodorant on a small test spot to make sure that it does not irritate your skin.

These are just a couple of solutions for creating your own homemade deodorant. There are plenty of other recipes, featuring a variety of oils and scents. With any deodorant recipe, you should be able to adjust and tweak the recipe to meet your needs. Feel free to experiment with recipes to find a scent that works for you.