Make your own deodorant
Why make your own?
For your precious HEALTH!
Aluminium chloride (common in many antiperspirants) have been linked to cancer:
A recent study, published by the International Journal of Cancer by researchers at the University of Geneva, found that: long-term exposure to aluminium chloride can trigger the development of ‘very aggressive’ tumours, which can spread to different parts of the body. It’s thought that the compounds may act on the body’s cells in the same way as oestrogen, a hormone that feeds breast tumours.
Sceptics plead that this study is invalid as it was done on mice so therefore would not apply to humans...what a load of rubbish!
As Chris Exley (a professor in bioinorganic chemistry at Keele University) said: “It’s nonsense to reject [this study] because the subjects were mice. Thousands of medical breakthroughs that have affected human health over the decades have been discovered first in animals. Back in 1921, Canadian physician Frederick Banting and medical student Charles H. Best first discovered insulin in the pancreases of dogs: no one dismissed their breakthrough because they used non-human subjects.”
The conclusion of the study was that aluminium can cause cancerous changes at a cellular level and instigate tumours which can spread beyond the breast. Some real scary stuff.
Still don’t believe me?
Other studies have shown that the aluminium levels are higher in the upper outer region of the breast (known as the upper outer quadrant) compared with inner regions — the upper outer quadrant is also where there is a higher incidence of breast tumours.
Le many experts: “blah this is simply a reflection of the fact that there is more breast tissue in the upper outer quarter. You’d expect more tumours there.”
The facts: the % of tumours in this area have risen from 30% of all tumours in the 1920-1930′s (before widespread use of underarm toiletries) to around 57% today.
It is suspected that other nasty chemicals in underarm products (like parabens) also mimic the female hormone oestrogen, which further fuels the growth of tumours.
The prospect of cancer from antiperspirant does not seem worth the dry underarm experience...
You can save SO MUCH MONEY!
Shop bought cheapest deo (eg. Axe): R15 /50 ml
Homemade deo: R7 /50ml
That’s 50% cheaper, and I find that a jar of the homemade stuff will last for at least a month
Make it biodegradable!
This means that you have 1 less product that you use -everyday- that will not mess the environment up more (yay, go you!)
If you’re like “Nah, my wastewater is cleaned by x company so it doesn’t affect me”, it is tremendously difficult (read water and energy intensive) to remove toxic chemicals from our water...so your overall footprint is unchanged = bad for future generations.
A way better alternative (for those of you with gardens) is to reuse your biodegradable shower water to feed your plants. The ultimate dream is to have a greywater system that automatically waters your plants everytime you shower, like this:
Having said all of that, my homemade deo recipe might not suit everyone: we all different bodies with different body chemistries that will react differently to the same ingredients. Check out this site or this one for a review of various deo recipes (and possible reactions).
This here my recipe I have been using for 4 months now and I love it, it works so well it’s unbelievable and I love the fresh naturalness of the smell. A drawback of this homemade deo is that while it completely eliminates the smell, it does not keep you dry (you will still sweat). But this is a natural and very necessary cooling mechanism for your body, so embrace it rather than fighting it!
How does it work?
The active ingredient is the bicarbonate of soda: it is amphoteric; that is, it reacts with substances that have either strong acid or base pHs. Most things that we consider bad smelling are giving off a vapor of strongly acidic particles (sweat has a pH of 4-5.5, so it’s acidic too!)
Sodium bicarbonate powder, with its large surface area, will react with those acidic particles and neutralize them by making them less acidic.
The other ingredients are useful for other reasons:
Coconut oil - has antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties
Arrowroot powder - thickener and absorbant
Tea tree oil - antimicrobial properties
Essential oils - for super nice and natural-smelling yumminess
Recipe (to make approximately 50ml)
2 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
3 tbsp Coconut oil (melted is easier for measuring and mixing)
1 tbsp arrowroot powder - I used Maizena corn flour because it’s what I have at home, but some people do experience itchiness with corn products, so rather use arrowroot in that case
2 drops Tea tree oil
3 drops lemongrass/orange/lavendar essential oil
Tools
Empty glass jar or container (approx. 50ml)
Tablespoon
Funnel
Mixing stick/toothpick (or teaspoon, depending on the size of the container)
Method:
Simply combine ingredients with the funnel into the chosen container, and you can refrigerate the container so that it becomes a harder gel rather than an oily mixture.
And there you go! I apply it with my finger by sensually massaging a small amount under my arms...and it really does work! I’ve been using it for months now and really enjoying the way it smells and having the neutralest armpits ever yay!!
Links:
https://myplasticfreelife.com/2012/08/great-big-plastic-free-non-toxic-deodorant-review/
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/antiperspirants-and-breast-cancer-risk.html
