DIY All-Natural Deodorant for Tweens & Teens {and everyone else!}

DIY All-Natural Deodorant for Tweens & Teens {and everyone else!} The Unlikely Homeschool

My daughter is "of an age" now. You know THE ONE...the age when things slowly begin to change and your body begins to do things that it's never done before.

Like sweat.

Real sweat. The kind that stains your clothes and makes you think twice before raising your arms above your waist.

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She came to me the other day and announced that she'd like some deodorant. She knows that I make my own. She's seen me make it. She's seen me wear it.

She asked me if I could whip her up some of her own.

"Make some deodorant?" I asked. "Sure. No sweat!" Ok...so maybe just a little sweat. Otherwise, what would be the point of making the deodorant?...but, I digress.

A few years ago, after learning of the links between antiperspirant use and breast cancer, I went on a quest to find an antiperspirant-free deodorant. Unfortunately, without fail, every brand I tried either did not work to hide that "all-natural" smell or made me smell UNnaturally like an elderly man.

A bit ago, my lovely friend, Rachel, shared a DIY deodorant recipe with me. I've been wearing it ever since.

No sweat.
No fear of cancer-causing chemicals.
Perfect for me.
Perfect for my young daughter during this tumultuous time of change.

Rachel has graciously agreed to share her recipe with you. Didn't I say she was lovely? And she smells nice, too!


DIY All-Natural Deodorant for Tweens & Teens {and everyone else!} The Unlikely Homeschool

For DIY all-natural deodorant

In a small bowl, whip together the following:

1/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 c. baking soda
6 Tbs. coconut oil
15 drops of lavender oil
5 drops of Purification oil or the cheaper version Deodorizing oil

Once thoroughly mixed, place in a glass jar. It should have the consistency of a really thick paste. Apply with your fingertips.

At ten, my daughter has a body that is still developing and growing. I have no desire to encourage her to slather all kinds of unpronounceable chemicals onto her sensitive areas. I've made her some all-natural deodorant knowing that she'll smell nice and avoid unnecessary risks.

22 comments:

  1. What could be used in place of the purification oil?

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    1. Perhaps thieves or any oil that is known for killing germs. I'm not quite sure. This is just a guess.

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    2. Thieves! Great idea, worth a shot at least:)

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    3. Tea tree oil would be a great sub for purification as well.

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  2. Love this post if for no other reason than the fact that my husband thinks I am turning into a hippy because I use cloth diapers and raise chickens, this would have him hammering in the last nail to my coffin on the hippy subject; especially since I told him a few weeks ago "at least I don't make my own deodorant!" Thanks for posting Jamie, I am excited to give it a try.

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    1. Works great for me. I, too, get a little of that from my hubby. But, not when it comes to deodorant. He loves the fact that I don't use traditional deodorant as it is linked to breast cancer.

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  3. I love this idea. With the way they make everything today. You don't know what is it anything. Just wondering since you make your own deodorant do you also make your own shampoo?

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    1. Nope. I haven't gotten to that yet. But, I do use a dye-free "natural" variety of over the counter stuff.

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  4. I like the idea of natural deoderant. You know how coconut oil can be cold and hard and in the summer warmth more easy to blend?
    Would you melt or soften it before you mix it with the other ingredients?

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    1. It should be the consistency of Crisco..solid but able to be stirred. If that makes sense. Because I store my coconut oil in the bottom of a dark cupboard, mine never really melts to the liquid point. Liquid oil would not work very well. It should have a pasted quality to it.

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  5. I am thinking of making some of this for my daughter. I use some that I bought on etsy and they say to only use one "swipe" so it doesn't stain your clothing. Have you ever had this recipe stain your clothing?

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    1. Not anymore than other deodorants. Remember, every store-bought deodorant has oil in it too...usually castor oil or mineral oil. I only use a small fingertip amount.

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  6. Oooh! I'm excited at the prospect of MAKING deodorant! I truly never thought of DIYing this "I-use-it-every-day" product! Thanks to you and your sweet friend for the recipe!

    This is off topic. But I am wondering something. So we are combining some subjects as needed into a group effort with our K and pre-school kiddos. What I'm wondering is, it seems like my pre-schooler "gets" / retains very little of what we learn, whereas my Kindergartner retains SOOOOO much. Could be just different learning styles too, but I'm wondering if I'm sort of cheating him if I don't go over it with him again when he's older/old enough to understand what we're talkin' 'bout. For instance, today we learned there are 7 continents. We sang a catchy little ditty to learn their names and we played a game where we hopped onto a piece of paper with the picture and name of the continent on it taped to the floor. But after all was said and done, our pre-schooler (age 3.5) still couldn't remember even a single name of any of the seven continents. Where as our Kindergartner (age 5) was tracking pretty well and remembering all but two of them. Do you run into this? How do you navigate this in your own school day? Maybe you already have written a post about this very thing?

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    1. Yes. That happens daily and is perfectly normal. Homeschooling multiple ages is like driving a bus. Your kids will "get off" at different stops due to their attention span, learning ability, and age. That's OK. That's why I think it is important to choose curriculums that will eventually spiral back around again. In other words, this shouldn't be the only time you ever look at continents. It should be brought back into the mix in a few years. Your kindergartener might learn about it when he/she is 5 and your preschooler might not learn it until he/she is 9 (when it shows up again), but the point is, they both will learn it.

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  7. That makes a lot of sense! We're in our first year so I haven't experienced the spiraling back around yet but I'm glad you mentioned it so I can be sure I AM picking curriculums that continually re-visit topics and subjects. Thank you very much for the insight :)

    Also, does Lavender have any special qualities that make it "more" appropriate for deodorant or can a person pick any smell they prefer?

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    1. Lavender has anti-fungal properties which makes it perfect for deodorant. But, it's not the only essential oil that claims that. So, I think another oil could be used as long as it, too, is anti-fungal.

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  8. Thank you for sharing this. I am excited to try it out!

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  9. I tend to be very sweaty. Does this help as an anti-perspirant or is it just deodorant?

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    1. It is just deodorant. It's the anti-perspirant in traditional deodorants that are linked to cancer. That being said, I am a very sweaty person. In the past when I wore the regular stuff, I had to reapply a few times in the day. Since using THIS homemade recipe, I rarely ever have to any more.

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  10. I have been making this for years (with different essential oils) and it has never stained my clothes. I use half the amount of baking soda because it irritates my skin and it still works great. Liquid or solid coconut oil works equally well, I usually mix with my fingers and apply with my fingers

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  11. I’d like to substitute another EO for my so . What would you recommend?

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