I found a recipe for homemade deodorant last night when I was dealing with a bit of insomnia and had nothing better to do. I wish I could find a recipe for an insomnia cure, but anyway, this recipe sounded promising. It was from Homesteading Self Sufficiency Survival's Facebook page. I can get away with using Himalayan salt crystals and solei in the winter for deodorant, but as soon as the weather warms up I have to go for the toxic, commercial stuff. So I am always in search of a natural solution for antiperspirant/deodorant.
The "commercial stuff" that I was buying for my family, which used to contain titanium but not aluminum, is now made with aluminum. Since I have seen firsthand how Alzheimer's can affect the mind, when my sweet grandmother was afflicted with the disease, I do what I can to avoid anything that has been suspected to be implicated in causing the disease. Aluminum has been named as a culprit, but has been played down in recent years as a cause. I am not taking my chances that in 10 or 20 years it will be renamed as a cause, and use aluminum freely in the meantime. I avoid cooking in aluminum pans as much as possible, and rarely use aluminum foil. When I do, I try not to let it come in contact with food. Rubbing aluminum containing deodorant on my arm pits every day is out of the question.
This afternoon I took what was left of a bottle of almond oil, a jar of coconut oil, and the last drops of three bottles of lavender oil and combined them with a few drops of tea tree oil and a good 30 drops of grapefruit seed extract and a bar of beeswax to make a balmy lotion, using the deodorant recipe I found last night and my own for lip balm as inspiration.
It worked for the rest of the day as a deodorant. I will hike with it tomorrow to see if it can stand the test of some real perspiring. Pretty picture, I know, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Growing boys and young men aren't supposed to topically use lavender oil but if my homemade balm stands up to the back ridge hike for Mama, I may make a lavender-free version for them and see if we can get the "commercial stuff" out of the house for good.
Here is as close to the recipe as I can relate. I eyeballed the whole thing and will try to duplicate it using this approximate recipe the next time, if it works out well.
Homemade Beeswax and Natural Oil Deodorant
1/4 c. almond oil
10 drops lavender oil
1/2 c. unrefined, cold-pressed, virgin coconut oil
Block of beeswax (1/4 c., maybe?)
30 drops grapefruit seed extract
3 drops tea tree oil
Combine almond oil, lavender oil, grapefruit seed extract, and tea tree oil. Shake well. Heat coconut oil and beeswax over very low heat, swirling until wax melts. I took it off the heat, periodically, and let the warmth of the pan and coconut oil melt the wax slowly so I wouldn't overheat the coconut oil and kill any of the beneficial properties of it. Add the oils and stir until combined. Pour into jars or molds and allow to cool completely.
I had intended to include baking soda in my recipe, as the original deodorant recipe called for, but completely forgot.
I have been using grapefruit seed extract and water for the last few weeks on my face rather than soap, cleanser, or the sulphur ointment I had been using for the last year and a half for rosacea. It works well, but I am still experimenting with other natural ingredients, refusing to submit to lifelong use of topical antibiotics to treat my skin condition. I basically don't wash my face anymore, just use the diluted grapefruit seed extract. It's a bad time of year to experiment, though, because my rosacea is so mild in the colder months. It's the humid, hot, sunscreen season that is so bad. But I guess maybe I will get a more accurate test with new products by trying them in the winter. I researched beeswax ointments before putting my new balm on my face. Sounds promising. It could go either way, though, since each individual rosacea sufferer differs from the next. My face may mellow out or go completely haywire. We'll see, I guess.
I did try it out by rubbing it all over after my bath, however, and my skin, especially my hands and feet, are butter soft. No post shaving stinging under my arms like solei produces, either. Nice!
I think I would try it anyhere but on my hair. I don't think a beeswax based product would make a good conditioner. You never know, though. I may end up trying that too!
Update:
Whoops! Check out the results of my experiment. It's a No-go As A Deo.
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