Home Made Deodorant (that REALLY works!)

Before going no poo I was pretty much a chemical war zone. I estimate I probably used well over 200 chemicals a day on my body and hair including but not limited to:

• shampoo
• conditioner
• face wash
• body wash
• toothpaste
• deodorant (applied twice a day at least)
• face creams
• nail polish
• face masks
• perfumes

God, that list is disgusting. Ever single day I used almost ALL of those products. Come on!

So, since going no poo I have been awakened to the uses of chemicals (good and bad) in the products we use every single day. The word CHEMICAL is overused in the crunchy society as being anything bad so excuse me if I over use it... by chemical we pretty much mean sulfates and parabens and other carcinogens. Pretty much all the nasty stuff you really want to keep away from your body.

In our house we now use soap-nuts on our hair, soap-nuts for laundry, home made MP soap and natural deodorant. On top of that I now no longer use 80% of the products listed above. I do still use toothpaste and perfume but I am looking in to a healthy homemade alternative to that. (I have heard oil pulling is great alongside natural toothpaste so if any of my readers have tried please let me know in the comments.)

So anyway, bla bla bla. On to the deodorant...

I was extremely fortunate to already have all the ingredients for this and I'm sure 99% of people will also as it is so basic but it really really does work. I used to apply deodorant twice a day at minimum and it had to be antiperspirant. This IS NOT an antiperspirant, it doesn't stop you from sweating, what is does do however is make your sweat smell nice. I have had zero B.O since using this. Yes I have had people check... (thanks Pete and Mum...) I also only have to apply this once a day after a shower. It's amazing.

So... the recipe.

• 1/4 cup cornflour (cornstarch) or arrow root powder
• 1/4 cup baking soda (bicarb) 
• 5 TBS of coconut oil
• 4-6 drops of essential oils (I use rose)

Here is how it looks:

And that is literally it, nothing else. There are other little bits you can add to make it more tailored to you, for instance Zinc stops you from sweating so you could add a bit of Zinc powder or something but I really don't need to. Also, aloe gel is antibacterial, that might work... just experiment.

The first thing I noticed when first making it is how easy it is, you just add all the ingredients together and stir until combined. It will quickly turn thick and lovely and it will feel exactly like a cream stick deodorant. 

At this point you can either fill an empty stick applicator or put into a little pot or jar. I usually put in the fridge for an hour to harden up a bit more and then I just take it out and leave it on my dresser.

Not sure about the shelf life but I cant imagine it would go off as none of the ingredients have a short shelf life. I would maybe throw out if not been used in 6 months or so but I reckon it would be well used up by then.

Happy making guys and if you try and love/hate let me know!

*UPDATE*

My Mum used mine and then immediately asked me to make her some which she is now using in place of shop bought deodorants. We have a convert!

Black tea hair rinse

So it's been 7 days since I last washed my hair (arghhhhhhhhh) I did a quick water only rinse out 2 days ago not because my hair felt gross but because of the high humidity I just needed to feel fresher. I want to go until hopefully Friday without doing a wash as I'm not really leaving the house much until then (reclusive or what) but today, like Monday, I really needed to feel water on my head. It's so hot!  

So I did a bit of googling and found that whole water only is great it's always good to follow with an acid rinse.

Let me explain, the definition of WASH when going no poo is using something that will cleanse your scalp and break down dirt. Something like Basking soda or rye flour or egg. An acid rinse acts as the conditioner so it's fine to use this early everyday if you wish to.

Back to today. Black tea, which is normal tea you drink brewed with without milk or sugar and left to steep for a while in the water is a great acid rinse to use as the caffeine can stimulate hair growth and also it can help to cover greys by staining them. I wouldn't recommend using black tea if you are blonde but there are other types of tea you can use such as peppermint.

So as with a normal wash you scrub your scalp with the hottest water you can stand then add the tea, I use a small spray bottle to spray on lengths and then just rub a small amount in to roots to freshen up.

Unfortunately, it isn't a cleansing wash so it isn't going to get rid of the sebum but it does help you go a few extra days without washing by making you feel fresher and it'd given me much more volume. I have had to kiss goodbye to a partening for the next few days though but I'm still wearing my hair down!

What do you use to wash or rinse your hair with? Let me know in comments! 

Second day hair

OK so I washed my hair with baking soda and apple cider vinegar yesterday. It's been 8 days since I last used shampoo on my hair and I'm sorry to say it my hair looks fucking fabulous.

I washed with an egg 3 days ago and then yesterday used the bs and acv. Normally on day 2 it would be a dry shampoo day to wear my hair down or a bun, but I am proudly wearing my hair down and no product. I am hoping to go a week without washing at this point already! My plan is to wear hair down today, headband Curls tomorrow with a bit of dry shampoo in the form of cocoa powder rubbed into roots tomorrow, and then up in a bun the rest of it.

Now, how does it feel so wash your hair in bs and acv? Well, different. The bs doesn't lather so that's something you have to get used to, also, it feels kind of slippery on your head. You have to put this mixture mainly on the roots and I found it easy to do by using a small bottle and just pouring it on and rubbing it in, really massaging scalp at the same time.

The ACV is quite different too. It's the conditioner part of the routine and it stinks! I literally felt like a salad when I was in the shower. I applied it with a small spray bottle and just sprayed around the lengths. You have to try and not get it on the roots but it's OK if you do apparently it just makes it a bit greasy or heavy. I had no problems.

My hair, as I said, feels incredible, looks incredible and I am feeling very very optimistic. I don't think I will be going back. Anyway, picture. This is the morning of waking up!

Happy no pooing :)