Make your own deodorant

So how do you do it. It's quite simple actually, as long as you have all the right things for it and it doesn't hurt to have a microwave.

I followed this recipe from the Angry Chicken, an inspiring craft blog.

I got the ingredients a long time ago but just finally made it few days ago. The ingredients are easier to get than the ones for the homemade laundry detergent (which btw I forgot to add that you can add essential oils to the detergent if you like a scent, which I don't so I totally skipped them) at least in Iceland.

So here are the ingredients:

3 T (matskeiðar) Shea butter
3 T Baking soda (matarsódi)
2 T Corn starch (það er hægt að nota kartöflumjöl í staðin fyrir maísmjöl)
2 T Cocoa butter
2 vitamin E caps (just squeeze the oil out)
Essential oil (I used tea tree oil, which I love the scent and it's antibacterial)

The Shea butter and the cocoa butter are the hard to get items, the rest can be bought in a grocery store except for the essential oil. The vitamin E is good for your skin, but I'm sure you could skip it. The baking soda eliminates odors and the corn starch gives it the necessary consistency.

If you are in Iceland and you are wondering where to get shea and cocoa butter look on my delicious.com bookmarks on cosmetics. You will also find some more bookmarks for making your own lotions and soaps and things like that.

So what is my verdict on the deodorant. Well, it is supposed to be a cream deodorant but since it is still winter in Ohio, the house is cold and the deodorant is solid. In the summer it will probably not be as solid (same goes with the coconut oil I use as moisturizer. It is white solid now but it was a clear liquid last summer.). I have to scrape of pieces. It would have been better to put it in a container I could have gotten it out of then I could have applied it like a regular deodorant.

But it works really well. I am impressed. I have been doing some intense work this week, which includes sweating and the new deodorant has really kept me odor free. Plus it feels good. I have to admit that it's been a while since I shaved under my armpit. Hey! I'm from Europe and it's winter so I'm not wearing sleeveless anything. Well, mostly I'm just lazy though. But what I wanted to say is that the deodorant works great nonetheless.