HOMEMADE DEODORANT (THAT WORKS!) – Sustainable(ish)

HOMEMADE DEODORANT (THAT WORKS!)

Roll on deodorants usually come in plastic containers that don't tend to be recyclable.
I wanted to find a reliable homemade plastic free deodorant recipe to reduce the amount of plastic we were sending to landfill, but I was hugely sceptical that I would find one that worked...

But I did!
It's SUPER simple, SUPER cheap AND plastic-free.
AND it works!

If you want to have a go, here's the 'recipe' for homemade plastic free deodorant:

This is what you need:

  • 6-8 tbsps of coconut oil
    Despite the name, it will be solid at room temperature, unless you live somewhere super hot!
    Try and look for one in a glass jar, and that is fair-trade for top sustainability points.
  • 1/4-1/2 cup of bicarbonate of soda
    Try and find one that is quite fine. You can buy it in bulk from somewhere like The Soap Kitchen, but it does come in a plastic bag.
    You can get it in cardboard boxes from hardware stores, but this one can sometimes be a bit 'grittier'
  • 1/4 cup of cornflour (cornstarch)
    I've yet to find this plastic free..!
  • Essential oils of your choice
    I went with lemon and ta-tree oil-about 5 drops of lemon, and 3 of tea-tree

This is what you do:

  • Pop all of the ingredients into a bowl, and simply 'smooth' (technical term) together with a fork. 
    If you're feeling super lazy you could use a kitchen mixer, but it's really not that tricky, just keep going and it will eventually come together into a paste, I promise! 

Some things to note:

  • Bicarb can be quite astringent so can can cause some irritation and redness - if this happens, add some extra cornflour and coconut oil to 'dilute' the amount of bicarb, and use less next time you make it.
  • The bicarb is the main active ingredient, so if you find it's not working as well as you like, add a little extra and mix it in well.
  • In hot weather the coconut oil might melt and then solid ingredients then tend to settle at the bottom, so it can be worth keeping it in the fridge during warmer months.
  • You will still sweat (but you won't smell!) which can be a weird experience if you're used to anti-perspirants which effectively block the pores and stop you sweating.

Do leave a comment to let me know if you give this a go, and what you think of it!

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