Homemade Deodorant!

I've been browsing the web for the past year looking for a tried and true good homemade deodorant recipe to no avail. Until last week, that is. :-)

I ran across Amy's post over at Homestead Revival where she shared a recipe for a cream deodorant (like what you see in the round container) and she had really great reviews about it not only from her own experience with it, but also her commentators had a lot of great things to say about it! Her recipe is as follows:

"Homemade Deodorant
(Makes one small canning jar - just over  1/2 cup)

1/4 C. baking soda
1/4 C. cornstarch or arrowroot
5 - 6 T. coconut oil
Tea Tree Oil (optional)

Combine the baking soda and cornstarch, then work in the coconut oil. I used my mixer to incorporate the two until well combined. 

If desired, add tea tree oil (anywhere from 5 - 20 drops) which has natural antibacterial qualities. I tried adding some lavender essential oil, but the coconut oil seemed to overpower the scent a bit. Just think of this deodorant as having a tropical scent and leave it at that. 

You can adjust the amount of coconut oil if necessary. I liked mine a bit dryer, but if you want, increase the oil up to 8 T. Also, if your room is warm, the oil might liquify at around 76 degrees, so move it to the refrigerator if necessary or a cooler room. I popped mine in the fridge so that it would firm up a bit after using the mixer.

To use: Rub a small amount on underarms."

But, I needed a stick recipe, at least for my hubby, because that's what he prefers. So I scrounged around a found a few more recipes and pieced something together that turned out pretty well!

As you can see in the picture, I used an old Old Spice deodorant container until I can get some new ones to fill. (The holes are in it because the piece that goes in the bottom has holes in it and even though I put some wax paper down to try to prevent it from going through, it found a way.) The stick recipe made enough for about 2 sticks, so it could probably be cut in half for just one stick.


Stick Deodorant:


6 Tbsp coconut oil
3 Tbsp beeswax
3 Tbsp pure cocoa butter (or shea or any firm butter)
3 Tbsp corn starch
3 Tbsp baking soda
2 Tbsp Aloe Powder
Essential oils as desired
*For his recipe I used about 10 drops of Bay Rum EO and 6 drops of Tea Tree EO.


1- Melt the beeswax in a double boiler over medium-high heat. 
2- Once almost melted, add the coconut oil and cocoa butter and stir frequently until melted.
3- Remove from heat and stir (or whisk carefully) in the powders, one at a time until well mixed.
4- Add the essential oils and stir to mix well and promote cooling.
5- Pour into stick container or mold and set in the refrigerator for a few minutes until firm.
6- Move to bathroom counter to let firming process finish. It should be ready within 2 hours or so.

He loves it! The Bay Rum is the base scent for the original Old Spice, which he likes, and I used the Tea Tree for the antibacterial and antiseptic properties. The Cocoa butter is moisturizing and nourishing to the skin, as is the aloe and coconut oil, and the beeswax has antibacterial properties in itself and helps to firm it up. The cornstarch and baking soda help neutralize odor too. Mind you, this is not an antiperspirant, I would encourage you to read Amy's post explaining how the body was designed to perspire, and it is actually very healthy for the body, but this is a deodorant to help eliminate any foul odor that may come with perspiration.

Now, for myself, I do not mind a cream deodorant so I decided to make mine a bit softer, but utilizing the same basic base. The following recipe yields approximately one cup.

Cream Deodorant:



1/2 cup coconut oil
3 Tbsp beeswax
1/3 cup pure mango butter (or shea or any butter that you prefer. I use Mango for the skin regenerative properties.)
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 baking soda
3 Tbsp Aloe Powder
Essential oils as desired
*For my recipe I used about 1 tsp of Rosewood EO and 1/2 tsp of Lavender 40/42 EO, all purely for the scent.


1- Melt the beeswax in a double boiler over medium-high heat. 
2- Once almost melted, add the coconut oil and mango butter and stir frequently until melted.
3- Remove from heat and stir (or whisk carefully) in the powders, one at a time until well mixed.
4- Add the essential oils and stir to mix well and promote cooling.
5- Pour into a container and stir to cool significantly (because with this being a more liquid-like base the essential oils will separate and float easily, stirring prevents that) and once cooled, set in the refrigerator for a few minutes until firmer.
6- Move to bathroom counter to let firming process finish. It should be ready within an hour.
7- Apply with fingers or cotton ball. (Or if you have one of the stick containers with the little holes in the top, that may work well for this recipe.)

Let me say that I am SHOCKED at how well this recipe has worked for me! I applied it last night before bed and usually I wake up needing to immediately apply more, then by noon I have had to apply it between 4 and 7 times depending on how much I'm doing that day. It is now 2:00 in the afternoon and I've still not had to re-apply it. No signs of irritation yet either, and I have sensitive skin. It's working great for us so far.

Try it and let me know what you think!