Deodorant Recipe #1

I finally got it together enough to post about my first adventure in making deodorant.  With pictures no less.  :)

I used the recipe in Making It.

Step 1:

I cleaned out my old deodorant dispenser - I only had one, a Dove deodorant that did not have a base that moved up, but instead a twisting center rod.  

I took out the remaining dove deodorant, wiped it out as best as I could, then rinsed it several times with plain vinegar, wiping it out in between each rinse.  That seemed to clean it well.  The directions said not to wash with soap and hot water because vinegar cleans much better, so that's what I did.

Step 2: 

I got all of my ingredients together.  

- 1 TBSP of Organic Beeswax Pastilles

- 4 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

- 1/8 tsp of Tea Tree Oil

- 1/8 tsp of Rosemary Essential Oil

- 1/8 tsp of Lavender Essential Oil

Step 3: 

I made my own double boiler using a stainless steel bowl that fit inside a regular sauce pot.  I put water in the sauce pot and brought it up to a simmer, then plopped my bowl in that.

Step 4:
Add the 4 TBSP of Olive Oil and heat up

Step 5:
Add the 1 TBSP of Beeswax pastilles to the hot olive oil

Step 6: 

Stir the beeswax and olive oil until all the pastilles are melted.

Step 7:
Remove the sauce pan from heat and add in the essential oils (keeping the bowl in the sauce pan so that the oil stays hot).  Rosemary and Tea Tree oil act as bacterial killers and the Lavender is to make it smell good, but you could probably use any essential oil you like to scent the deodorant.

Step 8: 
Pour a tsp or so into the bottom of the dispenser to seal it.  Let it cool for a few minutes.

Step 9:  
Pour the rest of the concoction into the dispenser and let cool fully before trying to use it.

Results:

1.  I used the wrong type of dispenser.  If you are going to make this recipe, you have to have a container that has a base that will push the deodorant up.  Just having a twisting center rod isn't going to work because the mixture, even when fully cooled is too soft to twist up.  The rod just turns in place.  I was disappointed by this discovery.  I ended up having to scoop out the soft solid with my finger and applying it that way.  I could remedy the situation by going to the dollar store, buying a cheap deodorant that was the correct type of dispenser, cleaning it, scooping out the oil/beeswax mixture, remelting it and then putting it in the new dispenser.

2.  But I'm probably not going to do that because after a few days of using it, I found that this deodorant does not work particularly well.  It's very easy to make, and smells good, but it does not help very long with body odor.  In fact, it does a poor job at this.  I felt stinky by evening even after applying it several times throughout the course of the day.  Maybe I'm a super stinky person, and different users may have different results.  But for me, it doesn't work.  Bummer.

3.  I did find it made my underarms very very soft.   If I applied it in conjunction with my no-smell Crystal deodorant, the two of them together worked well.  But if you are making your own deodorant so that you don't have to buy any, this probably isn't going to solve that.  I may buy a diffuser and use what I've got as air freshener.  Or use it in conjunction with my store bought deodorant to give me a little scent.

I would say overall that this experience was fun, the recipe was super easy and fast to make, and the concoction smelled divinely herby, but it failed to give me the results I was looking for in a deodorant.

I do have another DIY deodorant recipe emailed to me that I am going to try next, so stay tuned.

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In the Meantime

I'm still waiting for a few things like cocoa butter and tea tree oil to get here before I can start making my deodorant and such.

In the meantime, I've had a lot of fun poking around the interwebs where I stumbled upon this beauty.  If you are into storing your own foods, this blog has an extensive list of recipes and how-to's that make jarring food look fun and actually doable.  I added their link to Clean Food on the side.

Speaking of clean food and cooking, checkout this website recommended to me by several friends.  It's also listed under Clean Food on the side bar.  

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Back!

Ok, I'm back home after 9 days of lovely vacation, and I have a huge make-it list for this month.

Stay tuned for:
- baby wipes
- lip balm
- deodorant
- stain remover
- etc

...just to name a few.

Supplies should be delivered this week while I get myself organized.

I am going to try to take photos of the process and post each one as I make it.  I am in the market for a new camera after mine died on vacation at the beach.  I have a crappy old 2006 backup that I can use until I find a replacement.

I also will make a page of links to make-it posts, as well as links to the original inspirations where possible.

Stay tuned!  A lot is happening in the last half of this month!

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Another FYI - Asian Market Resources

This never occurred to me until this evening when Hubby called me from the shop, but one place I've previously overlooked for ingredients - both for cooking and for making toiletries, etc - is your local Asian market store.  There is one not too far from us and Hubby is there right now to pick up some stuff for his mom since we'll be seeing them for Easter.  Apparently he can get 5 lbs of rice flour (a staple in allergy free cooking) for something like $8.  Same for potato starch (different from potato flour) and tapioca starch (same as tapioca flour)!  Pretty amazing.  He's also picking up coconut oil (1.5 lbs) and looking for raw cocoa butter - both things I thought I would have to buy on Amazon through a Halal store and then pay through the nose in shipping fees.  So just remember to check there first if you're after cheap ingredients, and don't want to have to pay for shipping.

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The Wrong Impression?

I think in some of my conversations with you, my readers, I may have given you the wrong idea that I am somehow much more practiced at the art of living clean than I really am.  Honestly, we just embarked last week on living purposefully in this area.  It's all very new and I really feel like I don't know what I'm doing most of the time.  At times I am also very overwhelmed with where I want to be versus where I am in this process.  The only reason we may appear to be farther along than we really are is because I have massive food allergies (gluten, soy, dairy, etc) and we had to eliminate a lot to accommodate me.


Where I want to be:
- making my own lotions, lip balms, and deodorant
- soaking beans from bags
- cooking more
- have Z's snacks be all homemade (applesauce, crackers, cookies, etc)
- shop at farmers markets
- have my snacks be all homemade
- jar my own veggies and beans and spaghetti sauce and tomatoes and fruits
- grow a lot of my own veggies
- use non-toxic homemade cleaners


Where we actually are:
- buying lotions and deodorants (Clean of course)
- using canned beans and veggies & fruit
- I'm not cooking much, Hubby does a lot but he likes it
- Z eats store bought applesauce, crackers, and cookies
- shopping at the commissary and whole foods
- my snacks are often store bought
- I'm not jarring anything yet
- still using store bought cleaners (although what we're using is what we've had - not buying new)


See?  We have so much farther to go.  And this list is not by any means complete.  We still buy a ton of processed foods.  And while the goal isn't to get rid of all store bought processed foods, to me that is a big marker of success - when my pantry has more dry goods for baking and cooking from scratch and me-made jarred foods, etc.

Granted, the store bought processed food we buy tends to be organic and with ingredients I actually can pronounce and understand, so I know we're doing better than I feel we often are.

My goals for the rest of April after we get back from Easter Break with Hubby's family:
- Me-made yogurt
- Me-made deodorant
- Me-made lotion
- Me-made lip balm
- Eliminating canned beans
- Me-made applesauce for Z
- Switching to me-made home cleaners

Processed Foods we buy that I don't plan on changing:
- frozen peas and carrots and other veggies
- Pacific Natural Soups
- Lara Bars
- Terra Chips (occasionally)
- Annie's Organic snacks for Z (until I figure out g-free alternatives)
- canned tomatoes (until I figure out how to jar my own from fresh)

I'm sure there is more, but right now that's what I can think of.

Honestly, I cannot recommend the book Making It enough.  I cannot believe how simple it is to make my own stuff and how cheap it is overall, once the raw materials are purchased.  I priced everything on Amazon for lip balm, deodorant, and lotion ingredients and up front it will cost me about $80 with an additional $24 in shipping, but I'm buying stuff in 16 oz or 1lb quantities.  I'm guessing that I'll need to replenish my ingredient stock maybe every 6 months to a year.  Or maybe even less.  Much much cheaper than buying lotion or lip balm or deodorant at the store, especially clean varieties like Burt's Bees, etc.

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Product Reviews

Zuzu Luxe Liquid Eyeliner:
I thought I would have a really tough time with applying a liquid eyeliner, based on all my past epic fails with the product.  Zuzu's in Azure is different though, and much easier to use.  It's more mineral-y and thicker than drug store varieties, and it went on smoother and didn't bleed into my skin.  Score one for that.  The color, though, was not as intensely blue as I had hoped, or as it looked like it would be.

Black Pearl, on the other hand, is not as thick as Azure and I had some issues with bleeding.  Not as badly as drug store varieties, but it was still annoying.  I have to say though, that I really like the color as opposed to plain black.  It's a little more grey and softer.

I also didn't have a problem with either color drying out my eyes like the pencils I used by Rimmel or Revlon.  I couldn't feel it at all, actually.  Score another point for clean makeup.


I didn't wear the Azure color all day, as I only put makeup on in the evening before we went out to the arena football game.  It kind of faded in the outer corners of my eyes, but stayed put everywhere else on my upper and lower lids.  I probably will have to invest in doubles of each color so I can have a backup in my purse for when I'm out all day.  I would say it performed much much better than I expected but not as great as I hoped.

The Black Pearl stayed put all day except for the very outer bottom corner of my eyes.

Overall, high score for comfortableness, pretty easy application, and mostly staying put.


Crystal roll-on deodorant:
The jury is still out on this particular purchase.

I definitely don't seem to sweat as much with it as I thought I would, so that's definitely a plus.  So far no wet stains under my armpits on my clothes.

I'm not sure if I smell with it or not.  The deodorant itself is fragrance free, and when I stuck my nose in my pits, I thought I smelled some body order, but I just checked again and I seem to not smell any more.  Went for a walk outside in warm humid Florida and I didn't think I smelled afterwards.  Not sure what I was smelling when I applied it.  Maybe it's just that I'm so used to having fragrance??

You do have to wash before you apply it because I guess otherwise it doesn't really work.  It is not an antiperspirant per se, but it's supposed to neutralize the bacteria that create funky body odor.  I think it does this well, so far.  Hubby said he didn't smell any body odor until his nose was actually touching my underarm pit.  That's good, right?

After putting it on, my underarms felt pretty sticky for a while.  I ended up blotting some off, and then felt fine.

Overall, I would recommend Crystal over drug store choices like Secret or Dove because of all the crap in them.  It's hard, though, not to smell florally.  That's going to take some getting used to.

I would like to try my hand at making my own deodorant, and I'm looking for and at recipes.


Tom's of Maine Toothpaste:
Definitely different from the Crest Whitening I've been using for years.  Tom's is not sweet at all.  I never realized just how much sugar or sweetner was in regular toothpaste!  The lack of sweet is going to take some adjustment, but that's not a bad thing.

It also is very smooth with no grit.  Crest Whitening toothpaste has stuff in it that is abrasive.  I plan on getting around this by using some baking soda with my Tom's so that I'm getting the clean I feel I need.

The minty flavor of Tom's is much lighter than other brands, but it is still freshening.

I really do like my new toothpaste.  It's very different from what I'm used too, but in good ways.


Kiss My Face Olive Oil bar soap:
I cannot say enough about this product.  LOVE it, LOVE it, Love it!!!!

Worth every penny. And the bars are really very big.

It suds nicely when washing my hands, leaves my skin smooth and hydrated, but not greasy or filmy.

I can use it wash my face.  I have not been able to take a bar of soap, rub it on a washcloth, and then wash my face ever without a horrible reaction of burning or itching.  But Kiss My Face Olive Oil is heavenly!  It takes off my makeup without much scrubbing, and even if I get some in my eyes, it only feels uncomfortable for a second, even with contacts in.  None of that burning and burning and burning of eyes or skin.  And after washing my face, I don't have to apply anything.  Other cleansers or soaps made my skin feel really dry and like it was cracking when I uses my facial muscles, but not with Kiss My Face.  I don't have any clean lotion and didn't want to apply crap after washing crap off, so I tried not putting anything on and I've been fine all day.  My face looks and feels so much healthier.  My skin is rosy and loving the new soap.

Today, I washed my face, didn't put on any makeup or lotion, and went out to the park.

I am a happy, happy girl!

Essential Oils: Rose Absolute in Jojoba Oil
It smells pretty but disappears in minutes, no matter how much I apply.  I think my body eats the scent.

Essential Oils: Jasmine in Jojoba Oil
I like this one much better because its scent lasts much longer on me than the Rose Absolute.  Since I'm not using any product with scent except the very light scent in the Giovanni products, I need something with some pop to it.  Jasmine has that.

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