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.