Homemade Baking Soda & Coconut Oil Deodorant

by Mandi on February 1, 2012

homemade coconut oil deodorant

source: Mandi Ehman

Embarrassing confession time: since having babies, my hormones seem to be a lot more active, and there have been times that I’ve resorted to buying the expensive “prescription strength” deodorant to deal with the excessive sweating and resulting odor. This is especially true in those first few postpartum weeks, but I’ve found my sweat glands to be more active in general in the past few years.

However, deodorant is one of those things I’ve always been wary of. I haven’t really ever worn antiperspirant because the idea of stopping my body from doing something it was created to do doesn’t sit well with me.

There are also many people who believe sweating is one way our body rids itself of toxins; although the mainstream medical community doesn’t support this claim. In addition, antiperspirants also contains aluminum, which may contribute to Alzheimer’s, breast cancer and other diseases. Even regular deodorant contains many chemicals that I avoid in general, such as triclosan and artificial fragrances.

Frankly, while those connections haven’t been proven, I figure better safe than sorry. For a while I was simply patting my underarms with baking soda, which is very effective. Unfortunately, it’s also a bit irritating.

Last year I took it  a step further and decided to try making my own deodorant. It’s easy, inexpensive and the most effective deodorant I’ve ever used!

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup baking soda
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 5 tablespoons coconut oil
  • essential oils, optional

Directions:

Mix the baking soda and cornstarch together in a bowl. Add the coconut oil. Mix well. You can also add essential oils for a more noticeable scent, but it’s not necessary.

Note: If it’s as cold in your house as it is in ours right now, you may need to warm the coconut oil up a bit first to make it soft enough to mix! I recommend doing that on the stove rather than the microwave. Or wait until after dinner and stick a bowl of coconut oil in the oven for a few minutes while it cools.

Store in a jar with a tight lid or transfer to an empty deodorant container.

Coconut oil’s melting point is just 76 degrees. The baking soda and cornstarch will give it a thicker consistency, but you may still want to keep it in the refrigerator during warmer months!

Have you tried homemade deodorant?

Mandi Ehman is the founder and publisher behind Life Your Way and the co-author of All in Good Time, as well as a wife and the homeschooling mom to four beautiful girls. She lives with her family on a little slice of heaven in wild, wonderful West Virginia and loves coffee, chocolate, easy meals, beautiful things and minimalist spaces.

  • L Denius

    Does it smell overly coconuty?  

    • http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

      Not at all!

      • B_ziehl917

        I made the deodorant yesterday and noticed that I have a rash under both armpits. Could it be the baking soda or cornstarch? Should I try less BS, use arrowroot instead of CS and add tea tree oil? My skin tends to be sensitive. Also, I didn’t have any odor til the next day. That’s a plus.

        • http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

          My guess would be it’s from the baking soda, which is the more abrasive. You could try heating up the coconut oil to try to get the baking soda to dissolve some (which someone else suggested in the comments but I haven’t yet tried) or using less baking soda and more cornstarch to make it a smoother compound. Hope that helps!

  • http://www.gardenofedengoods.com/ Gardenofedengoods

    oh, I can’t wait to try this…the idea of aluminum and breast cancer has me scared!  anyway to reduce the chances works for me,

  • Calliope

    Hi! Is cornstarch the same as corn flour?
    TIA

    • http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

      Hi Calliope — I think this might be a regional term:

      “Called cornflour in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Commonwealth countries, except in Canada, where it is also known as corn starch. Not to be confused with cornmeal.”

  • http://townsend-house.blogspot.com Heather

    I love to make my own deodorant.  After I had my first baby I stopped wearing it because I was nursing, and was too nervous to have her be so close to those chemicals.  I wasn’t overly sweaty though :-)  And I don’t think the coconut oil is scented that much.  I tend to add lavender to mine though.

  • donna puizina

    how do you apply it? Is it solid or you need to use your fingers to apply it?

    • http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

      If you’re using an old deodorant container, you can apply it just like deodorant. I’ve also made it in a bowl and applied it with my fingers.

    • Heather

      depends on the temp in your house

  • Jessica

    Wow, this sounds like a great idea!!  What will the finished products consistency be like?  I see you say you can store it in a used deodorant container… does it make a complete solid? Or more like a gel?  And also where do you find is the best place to buy coconut oil? Thanks so much for sharing!!

    • http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

      It’s kind of a soft-solid. If it’s very cold, it will be pretty hard, but stored at room temperature, it will be soft.

  • KimH

    I do use a non-toxic ingredient for a deodorant.  Generic Milk Of Magnesia!  It works GREAT on menopausal hot flashes & trust me, thats saying something. Much better than any clinical deodorant. I’ve turned many others on to this, and they agree, its the best!

    You want to make sure you are getting the generic version that has nothing in it besides water & magnesium hydroxide.     I bought a large bottle for about $4 at Walmart (equate brand) last summer & Im still using it.  My daughter went to get some recently and they had added  another ingredient that turned out to be bleach, stay away from that one.

    I put some in a spray bottle (or you could use a squeeze bottle) and just spray a little on my underarms or you can swipe some on your hand and wipe.

    It has always done wonderfully to get rid of a ring worm that refused to go away.  Its long gone now, thankfully.  I’ve also read that it will work to get rid of athletes feet and other bacteria related infestations.

    • http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

      Thanks so much, Kim — I’m definitely going to keep this in mind!

  • http://www.athankfullheart.blogspot.com/ Miranda @ A ThankFULL Heart

    I’ve never seen coconut oil in stores here before. Anything else that can be used?

    • http://joyceandnorm.wordpress.com Joyce and Norm

       I keep hearing about coconut in the blogosphere, but I hadn’t seen it anywhere before either. Someone told me that they have it at Trader Joe’s, and my husband actually picked some up randomly on a shopping trip. If you have a TJ’s near you, they should have it there. I’m not sure where else they sell it.

      • Guest

        You can get in at Walmart for around $5.

      • http://www.athankfullheart.blogspot.com/ Miranda @ A ThankFULL Heart

        We have nothing like that! –major small town :)

    • http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

      Walmart or your grocery store should have it!

  • http://www.ohiofamof4.blogspot.com/ CajunWife

    I was using this for awhile but it makes me break out in a rash.  Not sure which ingredient it is though.  Might try that Milk of Magnesia idea and see how that works.

    • http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

      Hmm. I wonder if it’s the baking soda that does it? I’d love to hear your thoughts if you try Milk of Magnesia!

  • Pingback: 12 Do-It-Yourself Projects to try this year | The Sensible Mom

  • EFeld

    You can get coconut oil at Walmart in the baking aisle for around $5.

  • Rebecca

    You can get coconut oil on Amazon.com as well.  I have it on autoship because I use it for all my cooking/baking now, and it’s great as a moisturizer for skin and hair.  And, no, it doesn’t smell overly coconutty… in the jar it has a mild coconut scent, but whatever you cook in it doesn’t smell or taste like coconut. 

    • Haganland7667

      Don’t you find it to be wonderfully buttery when you cook with it?  I dearly love it and I’m so glad I found such an amazing oil to use In my body as well as ON my body!

  • blablabla

    I absolutely love this deodorant. Ive been using it for almost 2 wks now and it works better than any store bought ever did. I have very sensitive underarms and could only use a certain solid without getting a very nasty rash. This causes me no problems and works much better.

    • http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

      That’s awesome! So glad you like it as much as I do!

  • kenzie

    I sweat alot on my underarms, will this help?

    • http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

      Hi Kenzie!

      This deoorant doesn’t prevent or stop sweating; just prevent odor. I have concerns about the idea of “stopping sweat”, since it’s one of our body’s most basic functions, and I don’t know of any natural antiperspirants. Hope that helps!

  • Tokyo Vogue

    I have made a few different batches of this first i tried 1tbsp cornstarch, 1tbsp BS and 3 tbsp coconut oil i then added tea tree & bergamot oil. It worked great (no odour!) then on day 3 my underarms were a little raw so i decided to make two different batches to try next, So i tried equal amounts of BS and arrowroot powder with 1 tsp of clay some coco oil and tea tree and lemongrass scent. It worked great for 1/2 days but was very gritty and harsh which my other mixture was not, but the odour now returns half way through the day. my other mix was 1tbsp bs, 2 tbsp arrowroot and 3tbsp coconut with tea tree, lemongrass and bergamot and yet none of these are working for me i still have odour which i’m not sure if i’m going through detox from antiperspirant or what? I’ve been trying the method for two weeks now and i’m getting embarrassed that the odour returns midway through the day that i’m sure my work colleuges must be put off by it. I’ve tried reapplying and it doesn’t make any difference although the odour is not as strong as it was before using this method but it’s still there and it does ruin the day for me :(

    I just dont know if i should try another recipe or just give up on this natural deodrant? I’m also not sure if i need to just use tea tree and not the other oils because my underarms seem darker with the newer mixtures with more oils in and that’s another problem i’m facing too. I hope someone could maybe guide me a little as i want to stick with this deodorant so much!!

    • http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

      Hmm, my guess is that it’s the baking soda irritating your underarms. You may want to try the original recipe with slightly less baking soda and see what happens. I don’t use any essential oils in mine, so I’m not sure whether those could be contributing to the problem as well. Tea tree oil is pretty strong and irritating, though, so it could be!

      Hope that helps — good luck with your experimenting!

  • claudia

    what a great advice! I never thought of mixing it with oil! I’ll try it!

  • Pingback: Baby Steps Along My Green Journey

  • Pingback: Vitacost Coconut Oil (54 Oz.) for $10.99 Shipped!

  • Mgrant7209

    I can’t wait to try it!

  • Miogiardino

    Goggle Theives Oil,read about it and then buy or make some. It is a blend of 5 essential oils that work well together to be used as a deodorant, among other things. I put three drops in the palm of one hand and use 2 fingers of other hand to apply to underarm,then switch palms and apply to other underarm. A few drops of Theives Oil could be added to a deodorant recipe. It can also be put in a capsule and taken internally. Do not put on a cut.

  • Libertymtn

    I’ve been using plain old raw apple cider vinegar. I don’t sweat much but I do have an issue with smell for some reason. My husband sweats like crazy but does not smell. Neither of us has used store deodarants for decades. The vinegar is the only thing I’ve found that gets the smell. I smell like a salad for a while but once it wears off, I can be *sweet* for up to a week. Sometimes I have to reapply the next day but not very often. Vinegar kills bacteria and that’s usually what makes you smell bad.

    • http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

      Great tip – thanks for sharing! I’m not sure how I feel about smelling like a salad, LOL, but I love that it’s long lasting! Is there anything apple cider vinegar can’t do?

  • Denneeze54

    I am going to try this:)

  • Cjgrad

    Help!  I make this and I love it, BUT if I keep it in the fridge, I can’t turn the deodorant stick (from the bottom), but if I don’t keep it in the fridge, the coconut oil melts…..It seems I’m in a catch 22……any suggestions. 

    • http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

      Does your deodorant container have a lip along the top edge? I think it might help to use one without a lip so it can slide up without having to change shape. Another option would be to keep it in a bowl and apply with your fingers. I actually did that the first time I made this formula because I didn’t have an empty deodorant container to use!

  • Guest

    Have any of you noticed a difference in your t-shirts? My t-shirts always get yellow stains from my sweat and I wonder if this home made deodorant would stop that from happening

    • http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

      I can’t say I’ve noticed a difference, but I’d love for you to come back and share your experience!

  • Pingback: {30} Uses for Coconut Oil

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=638111135 Tramaine Ray

    i can’t wait to try this, hope i don’t break out though. i have semi-sensitive skin.

  • Thesillygoose

    I tried this the other day and found it to be somewhat abrasive under my arms so decided to melt it in the microwave for 30sec and then throw it in my blend tech. Problem solved. Now I have silky smooth deodorant to use.

    • http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

      Huh! That’s a really interesting idea — great thinking!

  • Hopeandtravis

    what can I replace the baking soda with? I’ve gotten a rash from it

    • http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

      Hmm, I have a feeling that the baking soda is a key ingredient in this. But you could try increasing the coconut oil and corn starch so that there’s a lower concentration of baking soda. And actually, even if you omit it completely, coconut oil has some deodorizing properties; it just may not be quite as effective!

    • Heather

      heat while mixing to dissolve the baking soda

      • http://lifeyourway.net Mandi @ Life Your Way

        Interesting — do you find that the odor-fighting properties of the baking soda change at all when heated?

    • Brii

       arrowroot powder works as well. But I prefer baking soda.

    • Macrae

      Try Bentonite Clay/ Kaolin Clay/ Red Morrocan Clay or any clay of your choice. It works fantastic plus clay is very healthy and beneficial for your skin and it is really good at absorbing sweat.

  • http://www.naturallyfreshdeodorantcrystal.com/ natural deodorant

    These deodoratns are looking good.. I would suggest to use aluminium free deodorants because most of deodorants are harmful to skin.

  • Jennifer

    I’m 12 weeks PP and my hormones are def different now! Can’t wait to try this!!!

  • Keborne

    I made this a few days ago and find that it works perfect…no odor even after all day in almost 90 degree weather..next time I am adding a bit more tea tree oil.. I put about 6 drops but could def use more..

  • Pingback: DIY: Homemade Deodorant | The Sensible Mom

  • Pingback: The Problem with “Natural” Products | Green Your Way

  • Pingback: Sete produtos de beleza caseiros | Jornal Joseense News

  • Pingback: 30 Uses for Coconut Oil - Imperfect Homemaker

  • Pingback: Pensando No Nosso Futuro!

Previous post:

Next post: