DIY All-Natural Detoxifying Deodorant (i.e. “The Anti-Antiperspirant”)
Body DIY Natural DIY
Looking for a safe, natural deodorant that works? This DIY All-Natural Detoxifying Deodorant is a tried-and-true favorite among Body Unburdened readers. Not only does it stop odor naturally, but it contains an ingredient that actually helps to draw impurities from the skin. Plus, it’s so easy to make with just a few simple ingredients!
I’m a multitasker…
A check-my-email-while-brushing-my-teeth, cook-dinner-while-catching-up-on-Downton-Abbey type of gal.
Which is why when I finally bit the bullet and made a homemade deodorant, I decided to take it beyond all-natural and add a powerful detoxifying ingredient that actually pulls toxins from the skin.
Yes, it’s the anti-antiperspirant.
Oh, and it works. As in no odor and reduced sweat (no natural deodorants completely stop sweat).
Here’s what some Body Unburdened readers have had to say about the DIY All-Natural Detoxifying Deodorant over the years!
“I just wanted to tell you that my whole family loves this recipe. We live in Texas so it has gotten a thorough trial and works wonderfully not only on us gals but also my husband and boys.”
“I have tried many homemade deodorants and this is my favorite so far. I didn’t even have to reapply after working out!”
“I have a hard time using commercial deodorants because they irritate my skin, and the natural ones just don’t keep me smelling sweet. I mixed up some of this and love it. It works! Feels great on my skin, no irritation at all, and keeps me smelling sweet in our hot Missouri summers.”
Bentonite clay is the all-star of this homemade deodorant recipe.
It’s one of the most effective and powerful healing clays.
It has the amazing ability to attract and bind toxins and impurities.
For this reason, it’s popularly used as a detoxification agent
Bentonite clay also has a very fine velvet-like texture, is odorless and non-staining… which are all very important qualities for a deodorant! Clays also quickly and easily absorb moisture.
So let’s get to it!
DIY All-Natural Detoxifying Deodorant
DIY All-Natural Detoxifying Deodorant (i.e. “The Anti-Antiperspirant”)
Looking for a safe, natural deodorant that works? This DIY All-Natural Detoxifying Deodorant is a tried-and-true favorite among Body Unburdened readers. Not only does it stop odor naturally, but it contains an ingredient that actually helps to draw impurities from the skin.
Ingredients
- 6 tbs or 3 oz organic virgin coconut oil — a great natural antibacterial (If you notice the deodorant is at all flaky on the skin, you may add more coconut oil as needed.)
- 2 tbs baking soda — neutralizes pH and body odor
- 3 tbs arrowroot or organic cornstarch — absorbs perspiration
- 2 tbs bentonite clay — adds extra wetness protection by whisking away sweat, and pulls toxins from skin
- 20 drops tea tree essential oil (optional but highly suggested) — a potent antibacterial
Instructions
- Put the coconut oil in a large mixing bowl. If the oil is hard (since coconut oil has a melting point of 74°F, it may be solid or liquid depending on how warm or cool you keep your home), mash it with a fork to soften it a bit. Then add all of the other ingredients. Mix everything together until you have a smooth, consistent paste. Lastly, simply transfer your deodorant into a small jar.
- To apply, simply rub your finger on the top of the paste to warm it a little, and scoop out a small amount to rub on your underarm. The paste will “melt” (as coconut oil does) right into your skin and absorb rather quickly.
- The tea tree essential oil may be a bit overpowering while mixing everything, but has just the right amount of scent when applied to the underarms. Rosemary and lavender essential oils also have antibacterial properties and so could be used with or instead of tea tree oil.
Keywords: homemade deodorant recipe, DIY deodorant
Troubleshooting: Skin irritation from natural deodorants.
Baking soda can irritate the skin by throwing off its pH.
Baking soda has a more alkaline pH (8) while the skin’s natural pH is slightly acidic (5.5-6).
So if you experience irritation this DIY deodorant recipe or from any natural deodorant that contains baking soda, that’s the likely culprit.
You have a couple options:
- Rebalance your skin’s pH with apple cider vinegar. Make a mixture of 1 part ACV to 2 parts water, and dab it on your underarms with a cotton ball.
- Reduce or remove the baking soda from the recipe. While this may affect the effectiveness, you can certainly give it a go and see if the recipe works for you even without the baking soda.
I make my own deodorant…..so I thought I would give this a try since I have the clay on hand.
It wasn’t until AFTER I added the clay that I wondered why no one had talked about the fact that this would RUIN your clothes.
Other recipes (without the clay)? YES! This recipe that will ruin your clothes? NO!
Interested in making this but wondered if you could put it a container for applying
like other deodorants or would the recipe need to be adjusted.
Thanks Nadia! I will try adding more coconut oil. It was getting a bit flaky. I will update again! 🙂
I haven’t made a new batch since I made this first in April and don’t have any problems! In the past I have had an issue with deodorants loosing effectiveness after using them for awhile, I think just as my body became adjusted to the formula. But this has yet to happen with this deodorant for me.
Shannon, I was just going to leave a message to ask her that same thing: does it lose it’s effectiveness?? Everything I’ve tried store bought that was natural worked for a little while, then stopped…some after only a week! Yesterday at soccer practice I had huge sweat rings and I had just put deodorant on beforehand…personally, at home, I couldn’t care less…but it IS embarrassing to look like a sweaty mess in public!! And, living in SC, sweat is abundant. If it’s a case of make a new batch every 2-3 weeks I get that…and I’ll probably make it just so it’ll last however long it’ll last…I think that was my frustration with the store bought deodorants…I don’t mind forking out the money for stuff that works, but don’t want to pay all that for something that doesn’t do any good…So, that being said, Nadia, how’s it still working for you?? Is it just an old batch issue?? Thanks!!
Hi, Shannon. Boo that stinks!! I haven’t had this problem. Perhaps since it’s the bottom you are getting less moisture/coconut oil and more of the clay, arrowroot, and baking soda and this is the reason? Maybe you could add a little coconut oil to what you have left and see if this solves the problem? Let me know!
Hey there! Just wanted to update. I’ve been using this recipe since July, and have loved it up until the last couple of weeks. I wanted to run this by you and your followers and see if anyone has had the same problem/can offer a solution.
I made my first batch in July and commented above. I loved it for a couple of months – up until last week, actually, when something strange started to happen. When I wore the deodorant, toward the end of the day I noticed huge “salty sweat rings” under my arms on my clothing (if that makes sense). Now, I will say that two of the times I noticed it, it was with bright clothing (one red shirt, one bright blue shirt), and the last time was yesterday and I was wearing a pastel striped shirt.
The first time it happened, I just thought perhaps the deodorant was reacting with the dye in the shirt (it was a new work shirt), but then it washed out… and it’s washed out each time. The problem is, I’m a 4th grade teacher and am on my feet (and sometimes sweating) a lot. I can’t have my pits looking like huge salty sweat rings. I was so bummed when this happened because I thought that FINALLY I had found an all-natural deodorant that ACTUALLY worked for my sweaty self.
Have you ever experienced this? Could it be that the batch was just “old”? Could it be that since it was the bottom of the jar (I had stored it in a glass baby food jar) it wasn’t mixed as well?
Any help is appreciated! I definitely don’t want to go back to commercial deodorant, but I also don’t want to have ugly salt rings on my work clothes.
Yay! I’ll check back and see if you had any success! Thanks for the response!
Hi, Brenda. You would definitely need to add beeswax in order to put it into a stick, but I think this could be done, no problem. I’m not usre of the amount you would need. I need to make a new batch soon – perhaps I’ll experiment for us 😉
And thank you for the compliment!
Oops…* meant to say, “to thick to pour”…sorry!
I love everything about this recipe…except the rubbing it on with fingers part. Would it work, do you think, to heat the coconut oil just enough to make it liquid, add the other ingredients and pour into a re-purposed deodorant stick container? I’ve done that with a similar recipe that only includes coconut oil, baking soda and eo’s. But I’m trying this because like the idea of the clay…but perhaps that addition will make it too think to pour? Any thoughts you have would be appreciated! Great blog! Love it!
arrowroots ph is 9 in case anyone else wants to know
i wonder what the acidity of arrowroot powder is? i am going to get the couple ingredients i dont have and make this as the natural products i have bought are too smelly and dont really work. thanks! and to the people with printing problems, you can always cut and paste into a word document
I would recommend NOT using baking soda on the skin. The skin’s pH is roughly 5 (acidic) while baking soda’s pH is over 8 (alkaline). Our skin is *supposed* to be acidic to ward off harmful bacteria….which includes the smelly kind. Bad bacteria thrives in an alkaline environment. This is why using diluted raw organic apple cider vinegar on the skin is ideal – its acidic pH is the same as our skin.
That being said, I think this would be a great DIY recipe without it!!
I just wanted to tell you that my whole family loves this recipe. We live in Texas so it has gotten a thorough trial and works wonderfully not only on us gals but also my husband and boys. We’ve been using it since July this year and it has worked much better than crystals, ACV and even plain coconut oil. We not only use it for our underarms but it also makes a fantastic toothpaste! 🙂
Definitely. I use it primarily for the detoxifying effect. It also helps to absorb some moisture. But some people use JUST coconut oil as a natural deodorant and swear by it! Plus baking soda does a wonderful job of absorbing odor.
Can I replace the bentonite clay with something else or just not use it? I have all the others ingredients but not the clay. Love love your blog – keep up the great work.