Natural Alternatives To Commercial Deodorants

If you feel like joining the green movement, you can create your own natural deodorants at home. Do you want to know how? Keep reading.

In many stores, we can find commercial antiperspirants and deodorants. However, did you know that it is also possible to create natural alternatives to combat body odor?

As you read, combining some ingredients that you surely have at home, you can create your own homemade deodorant. Have you been interested in the proposal? Well then, keep reading.

Natural deodorants

Before introducing you to the natural alternatives to the most popular and widespread commercial deodorants, please note that many of these options are not scientifically endorsed. Either way, home remedies can cause allergic reactions; therefore, its use with moderation and care is recommended, as well as a dermatological consultation before its application.

1. Baking soda and cornstarch

Sodium bicarbonate has an alkaline composition that would help fight body odor; however, researchers have determined that the normal pH of the skin is 5, with which it could be inferred that the use of a substance with a higher pH could affect the balance of the skin and cause discomfort or redness. On the other hand, we have not found true information on the use of cornstarch.

Ingredients

• ⅛ teaspoon of bicarbonate (0.6 g).
• Some water.
• Optional: 6 parts cornstarch to 1 part baking soda.

What should you do?

Mix the baking soda with a little water, but without dissolving it. The purpose is to leave a paste, which will be the one you will rub on your armpits. 

You can also create a mixture of baking soda and cornstarch to combat odor and prevent moisture from building up. The cornstarch would absorb perspiration similar to how commercial deodorants do.

2. Lemon juice

Making your own deodorant is very easy. The best? You can customize it to suit your tastes and needs through the incorporation of different essential oils.

It is advisable that if you prepare one of these recipes and it does not work for you to eliminate the smell as you wish, you try another option . Remember that each person has a different pH and, depending on it, the results may vary. Let’s look at some possibilities together:

1. Natural deodorant with coconut oil

In this case, we suggest you incorporate coconut oil due to its delicious aroma. In addition, an in vitro study concluded that it has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities that could help protect the health of the skin.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons of baking soda (40 g).
• 4 tablespoons of cornstarch (40 g).
• 5 tablespoons of coconut oil (75 g).

Preparation

1. With the help of a fork, combine the baking soda with the cornstarch in a bowl.
2. Add the coconut oil little by little until you get a paste with the consistency you want.
3. To store it, you should store it in an airtight container or reuse a clean, empty deodorant stick container.

2. Natural moisturizing deodorant

Grandmothers often recommend using cocoa butter on chapped lips. Its use is supposed to be beneficial to the skin; however, there is no conclusive scientific data to support this theory.

On the other hand, the use of shea butter has spread in cosmetics due to its anti-inflammatory and moisturizing properties , characteristics that it shares with vitamin E, according to data from Oregon State University .

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of cocoa butter (30 g).
• 3 tablespoons of shea butter (45 g).

• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch (20 g).
• 3 tablespoons of baking soda (30 g).
• 2 softgels of vitamin E (you must squeeze the contents of the capsules).
• Essential oil to taste.

Process

1. Heat and mix all the ingredients except the essential oil.
2. Mix everything very well and then add the oil that you consider necessary.
3. To store it, due to its high oil content, you should put it in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator.

3. Oil deodorant

This proposal combines different essential oils to obtain a more unctuous mixture with an interesting moisturizing power. Of course, you can choose the ones you prefer.

Ingredients

• 5 ½ tablespoons of cornstarch (55 g).
• 5 ½ tablespoons of baking soda (55 g).

• 10 drops of lavender oil (you can replace it with eucalyptus or tea tree essential oil).
• 10-15 drops of peppermint or sandalwood essential oil.
• 3 tablespoons of coconut oil (45 g).
• 2 tablespoons oil Vitamin E (or the content of a couple of vitamin E softgels, about 30g).

Process

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until you get a thick paste.
2. Store it in any commercial deodorant container or similar.

4. Deodorant with beeswax

A 2016 research published in the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine concluded that beeswax has an antimicrobial effect that could be useful in fighting armpit odor generated by germs.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ tablespoon of beeswax (15 g).

• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil (15 g).
• ½ tablespoon of cocoa butter (5 g).
• 15 drops of rosemary and thyme oil.
• 25 drops of lavender oil.
• 3 drops of Castor oil .

Process

1. Melt the wax in a double boiler and add the cocoa butter and the oils.
2. Mix well and place in a bowl before it cools.

Talk to your doctor about these options.

As noted earlier in this article, natural ingredients can cause different types of allergic reactions. For this reason, before starting the regular use of any of these alternatives, consultation with a dermatologist is recommended.

If you feel discomfort or itching, see redness or any other symptoms of irritation, use should be discontinued immediately and seek medical advice without delay.