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!

The great Unwashed - 11 days

Sorry it's been a while since I last posted, I have been busy making my own soap, my own deodorant, cooking up batches of soapnuts and generally being a stay at home mum and human being. That being said I certainly feel more human... One month no poo!

It's been 11 days now since I last washed my hair. The last time I washed it I used BS AND ACV but tomorrow I will be using soapnut liquid so expect an update on that.

If I wasn't leaving the house tomorrow I wouldn't even bother washing it but mini me has his post op checkup and I would like to look clean as his surgeon is a bit yummy... Oops ;)

So yeah, here's the picture. 11 days Unwashed but a WO rinse yesterday. Looks  and feels OK just slightly clumpy and wet look but while up it looks totally normal.

Egg Wash for No Poo Hair

Oh. My. God. I cannot recommend this enough. 

Bit of background: up until yesterday I was washing my hair once a week with a paraben free shampoo. Yesterday I decided after 4 days without washing to just jump in and go WO washing. Water. Only. Washing. Wow.

So my hair felt disgusting right away. After washing with hot water and scrubbing I blow dried and straightened my hair and it just felt like candle wax. I couldn't even cope. Today, after brushing with my boar bristle brush it literally felt wet and my fingers felt that same greasiness after you play with a candle (oo err).

So, I did a bit of googling and with some help from the ladies on the no poo low poo forum I decided to go for an egg wash.

Here's what you do: you mix one egg with a bit of water and then apply to wet hair in shower. Really try and get to the roots and scrub scrub scrub. Leave for any thing between 5 minutes and 20 minutes then rinse. I must stress use COLD WATER. If you use hot water the egg will COOK IN YOUR HAIR.

Unfortunately I don't have a before picture but it was literally like candle wax, literally. My mum came around and said my hair looked wet. It wasn't wet. Yuck. The after picture shows my hair is nice and clean! It feels ALMOST like I used shampoo! Some of the hair underneath does still feel a bit waxy and heavier but I think I should have used more eggs as some people say they use 3 eggs. 

No it doesn't smell like eggs, or anything actually just like hair. I'm so happy with this and think I will be able to go a few more days without doing anything to it. Sigh of relief.

What is your story? Let me know in the comments.

Oh yes, and the picture 