5 - 6 Simple Ingredients to make a natural and homemade deodorant - and yes, it works, even in this hot, hot Florida humid summer.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Aloe Juice (or water)
1/4 cup Grain Alcohol, or Vodka
1/2 Tbls Chlorophyll
Zest of 1 Lemon
3 - 5 drops of Lavender Oil (or your favorite essential oil - pick one that compliments lemon)
3 drops Grapefruit Seed Extract (optional)
Yields 4 oz
Put all ingredients in a glass jar and let sit for 24 hours. Strain lemon zest, then pour into a 4 oz or larger spray bottle. Apply by spraying under arms. The alcohol content in this is no more than most other deodorants, so you can even use this right after shaving. The aloe helps for sensitive skin, but water works just fine.
What does each ingredient contribute:
- Aloe Juice soothes sensitive skin and dilutes the alcohol
- Alcohol helps extract the lemon zest and essential oils from the zest
- Chlorophyll is the active deodorizing ingredient - some people take it internally to reduce all sorts of funky smells
- Lemon is also deodorizing, plus the acid is neutralizing to sweat and it has a nice clean smell
- Lavender Oil is antiseptic, cooling and mild
- Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) is a preservative and anti-fungal and anti-bacterial. If you do happen to get a little funky in your pits, a little GSE will kill the bacteria, yeast, or whatever fungus you may have developed. The formula stays fine in a bottle for 6 weeks so you do not have to use GSE.
This is a pretty frugal formula too. I have not calculated the cost per batch yet, but I estimate it to be around $1 for the 4 oz which lasts me 6 weeks. Please note that in very hot and humid weather, or based on how much you personally sweat, you may have to reapply during the day. This formula is not very effective for workouts - but I have yet to really find something that is.
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13 comments:
Hey, you told me bergamont oil! I know, you said lavendar too :) Can't wait to try this.
Margee
This is the new, revised recipe. The recipe I gave you is straight out of a book - this is my altered version of what seems to work really well for me. I liked the bergamot oil too, but I never have it - I always have Lavender oil :)
Wow, this sounds like a fun one! I will certainly give it a try. Funny story - I used to take chlorophyll and so I took a bottle of it to work to keep in the fridge. My supervisor saw it, got furious, and complained to our superiors. Took awhile to figure out she thought I was keeping CHLOROFORM in the fridge of an eating establishment!!! Boy do I still laugh over that one...
Diane - your supervisor must have feared you did not care for him/her and were going to use it - that is hilarious.
I think your recipe is a bit more natural since the aloe juice I use is packaged and preserved - I'll have to try yours next when this one runs out.
Hi, great idea! I generally use Tom's of Maine, but if this really works it would be much less expensive. I live in southern AZ where the temps have been around 110 most of this month! Thanks for sharing.
I am so excited about this! I have always wanted to make my own natural deodorant.
That's really cool!
I will defenitely try it out :D
Thanks for sharing!
I love to make natural common items. I am going to be trying this for sure.
Thanks for the very interesting, informative, and cool little bog - you're very handy - I love these projects!
I've added your blog to mine!
(msteidl on swap-bot)
http://flynnsinn.blogspot.com/
Hey Susan, so I'm finally making this today. Does the glass jar need to be covered? I've got mine in a glass Pyrex measuring cup with saran wrap on top. Not sure if it should be covered though or if it even matters. Thanks!
Margee
The glass jar doesn't really matter, but you do want to cover it - like you did with saran wrap or something - the mix is kind of steeping, but you also do not want anything from the air getting into the mix and "contaminating" the entire batch.
That's an interesting recipe for homemade deodorant. Doesn't the chlorophyll leave a green stain on your skin? Here is another recipe I found that seemed to work. http://www.marilynfarms.com/blog/my-favorite-deodorant.html
Jeremy - I was concerned about the potential for stains as well, but so far I have not had a problem. I probably would not use this with delicate fabrics like silk, but I primarily wear cotton and I have not had the slightest discoloration to my clothing.
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