Geranium Eucalyptus Tea Tree Oil Deodorant

First attempt at Homemade Deodorant

As I had a visitor to the school staying this week who makes her own deodorant, and as she made it seem so easy, I had to try it.  Basically a homemade deodorant can just have baking soda, coconut oil, shea butter, corn starch, vitamin E oil (which for some reason I have around, but you can just open up those gel capsules too), and essential oils.  Some recipes call for cocoa butter instead of coconut oil, but hey, I had coconut oil.

In this land of perpetual summer I've been having two problems with my natural deodorant:

1. It tends to crumble a lot because it's not really a true solid at 80 degrees.
2. One needs a ton of deodorant because it's so hot here (which is hard to accomplish with a deodorant that crumbles).

I decided to leave mine as a thick lotion.  I thought if I added enough cornstarch to make it a solid, I'd be watering down the components that actually work.  Plus, it's easier to use a lot if it's in lotion form.  Today was my first attempt, and it worked great all day.  I'm so excited!  It's pricey to ship Pitt Putty here.  If I can make deodorant myself, and if it stays on longer as a lotion, so much the better!  :)  And the combination of the geranium oil, eucalyptus oil, and tea tree oil smells amazing.

I'm just glad I discovered this before it gets really hot again.

Homemade and Natural Replacements

I blogged about this a few years ago, but I thought I'd offer my updated list of cosmetic items for anyone who's interested (with a few cleaning product replacements thrown in):

• soap-- castille soap Dr. Bronner or, here in the Dominican Republic, they sell bars of unscented olive oil-based castille soap
• shampoo-- castille soap (both have to be watered down) that I rotate with Lemon Tea Tree shampoo from Desert Essence Organics
• toothpaste-- Trader Joe's (no sweetener or color added)
• deodorant-- Pitt Putty (Bubble and Bee)
• lotion-- shea butter 100% Organic West African Shea Butter 16 oz
• hair gel-- shea butter (Owen)
• after-shave-- rubbing alcohol (not exactly "natural," but better than the scented and chemical-filled alternatives), these days Owen doesn't use it b/c he uses a natural moisturized soap 
• shaving cream-- Oatmeal and Honey soap from Trader Joe's 
• sunscreen-- Purple Prairie botanicals, or (for those in tropical climates or for a beach day, the less natural but waterproof Pure and Simple kids or baby 50 (Coppertone)
• lip balm-- Western family all natural (I found it at Giant in the check out lane for really cheap)
• perfume--Ecco Bella Organic
• mouthwash-- vodka, peppermint oil, and water
• detergent for dishes-- Trader Joe's
• laundry detergent-- Econuts
• floor cleaner-- vinegar, dish soap, and water (with some clorox added for a stronger job--a less natural addition that my maid here insists on adding because she's convinced I'm not taking the germs here seriously enough)

For more ideas, visit ewg.org (Environmental Working Group).