DIY your Deodorant: Go Natural without going Au Naturel

People. Listen. This is really important. Especially in the heat of the summer. This is my PSA for the month: Deodorant is awful. Have you heard? It has aluminum in it. Really. A-LU-MI-NUM. The stuff that we used to put on houses but decided it wasn’t good enough for them anymore. If houses shouldn’t wear it, neither should you. End of story. Well, not really. The whole story goes like this: There are multiple sketchy things in your deodorant. Aluminum is only one and it is linked to cancer growth and Altzheimer’s. Other ingredients include Phthalates which are known endocrine disruptors that cause hormone Imbalance; Formaldehyde, which we like to embalm things with so they don’t grow fungus. Ugh. It’s also known as a carcinogen. Double Ugh. There are Parabens which have been directly linked to breast cancer and which disrupt hormones. One last winner ingredient is propylene glycol which is also called antifreeze. Hold up. I thought the whole point of deodorant was anti-heat. Confusing and disgusting. None of these sounds like something I want to keep smearing on my pits- that skin right above my lymph nodes Lymphnodes are small and important tools for our bodies. 

“Lymph nodes are small structures that work as filters for harmful substances. They contain immune cells that can help fight infection by attacking and destroying germs that are carried in through the lymph fluid.”  -the american cancer society site

 I want my lymph nodes to do all that important work of keeping my body healthy without disruption!

So a few months ago, I just stopped wearing deodorant every day. Do the math- it was the winter and it wasn’t quite so vital. I was fed up with  that fact that I was smearing soda cans all over my lymphnodes, and the ick-o stink-o of fake smells… There is nothing appealing to me about being around someone who smells “baby fresh” in their thirties- or teens for that matter. What is that?! Why do grown women who are obviously hormonal enough to have stinky sweat want to smell like baby powdered bums? No thanks. Who knows though, maybe I'm the only one who feels this way. 

When I stopped wearing deodorant, I didn’t really replace it with anything. I know, I know- how rude! But you love me and you really don’t want me to wear toxic chemicals, you’d rather me just declare ripeness as needed. Right? Right? (My sister is not allowed to answer that.) To be fair, I wasn’t around many people during the heat of the day other than my kids. They never complained.  My hubby may have implied a thing or two once or twice. But he loves me too and knows my thoughts about chemicals. Lucky for him I went searching for solutions before summer struck!

As I was searching other options, I learned more about essential oils and too the  plunge and ordered a starter kit from an organization that knew their stuff. I figured these little sweet smelling oils could translate into making me sweet smelling. Or at least I had hope. I first cleaned out an old tube of deodorant and made a beeswax, coconut oil base mix with Stress Away and Tea Tree. I love the way this smells. Stress Away is mostly Lime and Vanilla with a hint of spiciness and it made sense to decrease stress when I am sweating! I didn’t use any recipes with baking soda in them as I had heard a lot of people complain that it was irritating. I hoped that the coconut oils’ antibacterial properties would be sufficient for combating ripeness and the oils would freshen me up. I knew that since I didn’t grind up any soup cans I wasn’t going to fully combat perspiration. But did you know perspiration is your bodies way of detoxing? (More about that later. Don’t skip ahead yet, leave it for suspense). The solid deodorant stick I made was basically a lotion bar. It didn’t really keep me Super Fresh. It was more like Sorta Fresh- and was okay in the spring. I had to re-use it a few times a day and that was way too much habit change for me- nothing to all is hard for me. But it was still a valid, traditional option.

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Clary sage (Salvia sclarea) essential oil contains natural phytoestrogens. It has a mellow, warm, herbal scent that is uplifting and relaxing, making it a perfect choice for supporting a normal, healthy attitude during PMS. It is also supportive for menopausal women. - Young Living Website

Tea Tree oil, also known as Melaleuca alternifolia, can be found in a wide spectrum of skin care and spa products that can comfort and beautify the appearance of skin. - Young Living Website

I decided before summer hit I should go back to the deodorant drawing board. I came across this recipe for Magnesium Spray Deodorant with Essential Oils and it made a lot of sense.  Her main point is that Magnesium Oil is a great way to counterbalance the stink in your pits. “Low magnesium levels in the body have been associated with body odor.  It is estimated that over 80% of us are deficient in this mineral.  Magnesium oil in this deodorant recipe absolutely decreases armpit odor no matter how much you sweat.” I also added to recipe with a sense making scent: Clary Sage- an oil that supports healthy hormone levels. Since human stink starts when hormones kick up it just seemed logical. Plus, I really like the scent. I also wanted to use something that would help with any other things that would cause stink (think sweaty socks) and support healthy skin-  I used Melaluca Alterinofolia (Tea Tree). Lemongrass might be my next EO of choice for this purpose! Eos lend themselves to lots of combinations and if you don't own any yet, your best bet is to become a wholesale member of Young Living and join my oily family as we grow together! The last of this three ingredient recipe is Witch Hazel. I used this Witch Hazel with Aloe in it. It helps to soothe and condition the skin- the Magnesium oil on it’s own can cause a sting. I tried it- It’s not preferable. If you do find that you mix this up and it stings, you could always ease into it with more witch hazel and less Magnesium oil. But also, the sting fades after a short bit and is sometimes only noticeable on days I have shaved. One other trouble shooting thing I added into my routine had to do with the odd stickiness of the magnesium oil. It’s a little tacky on it’s own. I didn’t like tacky pits when I was wearing tank tops so I have started to just dab a little corn starch on after I let the spray dry. When I am thinking functionally in the mornings, I spray upstairs while getting dressed and then put a little cornstarch on downstairs! It is a slight extra step that’s not needed but worth it! Sometimes healthy is a little more work, a little more discomfort and totally worth it! – NO more Stink and NO more aluminum, formaldehyde or anti-freeze! WIN! WIN! WIN! Do it. You know you love your lymph nodes!  

Wait! Freeze! Before you run and get those ingredients, or ask Amazon or Vitacost to do it for you, you may want a little more information about detoxing your pits. I recently came across a blog post about how when you switch to a natural deodorant you can get some sore spots, more stink, more sweat or more sting. I didn’t experience much of this problem since I had gone rouge and just quit deodorant. But you may have more success with the whole process if you start here: Detox the Pits.

Regardless of which way you start. Just start. Please – for the love of the lymph nodes! (And life without stink!)