Deo for my BO

Okay, I hesitate to share this cause I will end up getting picked on...but I'm staying true to my hippie nature here and you're gonna get more of this as I blog. I just want to share my journey into doing things the unconventional way, in case anyone wants to try...or if you need a good laugh!

So this post is about homemade deodorant! :o)

We are now at the end of my one week trial of making (and using) my own deodorant. I waited a week to mention it because who wants to say they made deodorant that doesn't work? Not me. Plus, who wants to use deodorant that doesn't work? :o) My requirements were pretty simple: I didn't want to smell and I would love the ingredients to not have questionable/controversial effects on my body.

I didn't exactly go out looking for this idea. But I stumbled on a post by one of my favorite bloggers and it intrigued me.

I finally tried it and it worked like a charm! It took about five minutes to whip it together...and I just happened to have all the ingredients on hand because I use virgin coconut oil as a sunscreen and moisturizer. All you need is an empty deodorant stick, 1/4 C baking soda (for odor), 1/4 C cornstarch (for wetness), and a few tablespoons of coconut oil. Mix it together, work it with a spoon into the container...and...refrigerate. Yes, refrigerate :o)

That's the main disadvantage to this stuff. Coconut oil melts at 76 degrees, so it has to stay in the fridge so it doesn't melt on me. So I can see this being weird when we have company over and I ask them to grab the milk, which is right next to my Lady Speed Stick container of homemade deodorant. Hmmmm.

Oh and another possible disadvantage is cost...I didn't crunch numbers this time, so I don't know if this is actually saving us money in the long wrong (typically a requirement for my hippie adventures...like cloth diapers and homemade detergent). And I'm pretty sure the coconut oil wasn't cheap, cause I bought organic from Wegman's and not in bulk. BUT the other stuff is wicked cheap, and the VCO is used sparingly...so perhaps it is cheap. Anyone feel free to crunch the numbers, cause I don't want to! :o)

But other than that! I seriously didn't smell. Even after some of the super hot days we had (and I was doing a sniff test regularly because I was so curious!) I was still in the clear! AND I've gotta say it didn't do a bad job keeping me dry...which is saying a lot for this stuff since, as many of you know, I was blessed with the Rawleigh sweating genes. Meaning I sweat like a man ;o) It's true, sadly. My girly nature has come to terms with it, though. Some of us gals just sweat! :o)

So that's that. I now make my own deodorant. That I can't take out of the fridge. But I like knowing that the ingredients are all food-grade. And I like that I don't stink. And I like doing it myself...cause I'm a weirdo hippie girl.

If you want to check out Katie's post on this here it is. And here is her actual recipe. I love her blog! It's all about balancing our use of God's gifts (time, money, resources, health) in the kitchen. Good stuff. I tip my hat to her...or I raise my non-stinky-arm in her general direction! :o)

Also, let it be known that this is the first post I figured out how to properly include links to other fun stuff. All without my husband's help (who usually fixes all my tech problems...and this explains why it took me two months to figure it out!!)