Zero Waste July Day 11: Wear your Stink & a DIY Deodorant Recipe

Heyyyyyy I uh… yeah, I’m behind on Zero Waste July, hehe.

But hey, it’s summer. I’m workin’, you’re doing things, it’s all good.

Today I’m talkin’ bout deodorant, and why you should make your own! Rock n’ roll music. I want you to go find your deodorant right now, and enter the name and… subgenre(?) into this EWG’s Skin Deep database where the search bar says “Search 73,314 Products…”

I used my partner’s deodorant as an example. Here are the results:

Below the Ingredient Concerns section, you can find each ingredient and the health or environmental issue associated with each one. I trust this website because they not only give you an easy-to-follow rating of the product based, but they also provide extensive scientific sources and links to more information about toxicants so you can educate yourself on what exactly is in your products. They have everything from shampoo to lipstick to toothpaste rated.

Here’s the main reason why you should be concerned about what’s in the products you put on and into your body: According to the National Resource Defense Council, “Of more than 80,000 chemicals currently used in the United States, most haven’t been tested for their effects on human health.” Chemicals are all around us, in our clothes, furniture, cleaning products, personal products, and food. Many of these chemicals are linked to cancer, reproductive problems, and immunotoxicity.

So how do we protect ourselves against these chemicals? For starters, I would explore the ‘Health’ section on the NRDC’s website. Read up a little bit on where there are chemicals lurking in your home. Secondly, start making your own products! Or at least start paying attention to what is in them. Scary list of ingredients that you can’t pronounce? Words that have more than 6 syllables? Those are chemicals that probably aren’t very good for you.

Watch this wonderful video about the Story of Cosmetics from my favorite Story of Stuff people!

Also, be wary of “greenwashed” products available on the shelves. Look out for phrases like “natural,” or “herbal,” and pay attention to images depicted on the products. A product like ‘Herbal Essence’ sounds like a toxin-free shampoo to use (you know, due to the ‘herbal’ bit), but can actually contain neurotoxins, immunotoxins, and chemicals that are poisonous to the environment (in the production process and when you wash it down the drain).

I used to buy all my shampoo, body wash, face wash, and every other product known to man in a plastic bottle, creating a lot of waste and pumping my adolescent and adult body full of chemicals. Now that I’ve become more aware of the things I put into and on my body, I’m much more conscious of the decisions I make regarding body care. I purchase package-free shampoo bars, bars of soap (body, face, hands), and things to make products. I make my own deodorant and dry shampoo from the ingredients I have in my kitchen, ingredients I could even safely eat without poisoning myself.

Here are a couple of my favorite recipes for deodorant. The first one is a simple 3-4 ingredient recipe that I like for summertime:

 

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• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking soda
• 20 drops essential oil (optional; if you like a scentless deodorant just omit)

Melt coconut oil over stove over low heat. Once melted, stir in cornstarch and baking soda and mix with a soft spatula or wooden spoon until smooth. Take off heat and let cool for about 10 mins. Pour into a glass container, stir in essential oils.

 

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You only need to spread a tiny pea-sized amount of this on your armpits. It won’t stop you from sweating, because sweating is healthy and keeps you cool. It will neutralize body odor and make you smell like a human, which I kinda like.

Alternatively, you can melt the coconut oil in the microwave (like 5-10 seconds, if it’s not already melted in your 86 degree apartment like mine), and stir in cornstarch and baking soda. Let cool for 10 mins, stir in essential oils with a chopstick (or stick, or end of a toothbrush, just nothing metal).

This has been working great for me! You can also try this method if you’re more willing to spring for some ingredients.

• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp baking soda
• 3 tbsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch
• 2 tbsp bentonite clay
• 20 drops essential oil (I like 10 drops tea tree with 10 drops lavender) (omit if you like scentless)

Melt coconut oil in a larger, shallow glass jar in microwave for 5-10 seconds, or heat over the stove on low heat. Stir in clay, baking soda, arrowroot powder (cornstarch), and bentonite clay. Let cool for at least 10 minutes, stir essential oils with a non-metal something or other. You only need a small pea-size amount of this also.

I’ve used this recipe for the last three years and it worked perfectly for me. I bought a large container of bentonite clay and still have about 1/4 of it left. The only reason I stopped using it is that I don’t want to shave my armpits anymore and the clay clumps into balls when I used it.

And there you have it! Zero waste deodorant on the cheap.

Love (and sweaty armpits, always),

Ollie