Smelling Like a Rose...Or Whatever

I’ve literally had these photos sitting in a folder on my desktop for almost two years now. Yeesh. Another case of “better late than never,” right?

But today’s the day. That’s right - at long last, I’m sharing my recipe for homemade deodorant.

I made my first batch of this deodorant cream right after I graduated from art school. Eric had already moved out to California but I stayed behind for the summer to get my equine massage certification. Spending all day thinking about maintaining the physical well-being of horses started me down the path of thinking about taking care of and understanding my own body.

And the first thing that had to go were all the chemicals. The chemicals in the cleaners I used around the house, the soaps in my bathroom, in makeups, in lotions. I threw pretty much everything in the trash and went on the hunt for gentler alternatives.

Which, as a creative person, meant that I was set on figuring out how to replace all of those products with homemade versions, whipped up in my own kitchen. I haven’t looked back since.

Now before I jump into this recipe, let me just say that this cream isn’t an antiperspirant. Which is to say, you will still sweat as nature intended. BUT it will hopefully keep you smelling like a rose - or whatever else your nose desires! Also, I really hate it when bloggers mix photos and words when sharing a recipe…so I’ll be sharing my simple process with written instructions first and then following up with all the pictures. Just follow along however feels best!

SO - here we go!

1) You’ll want to start by getting yourself a kitchen scale and a double boiler OR a heat-safe bowl that you can set above a pot of boiling water. I use the bowl method (because we already have way more kitchen gadgets than we need). Put a small amount of water in your pot and put it on the stove to boil. While you wait, use your scale to measure the following ingredients into your bowl :

1.7 oz shea butter
1 oz coconut oil
.3 oz of beeswax

When the water boils, set the bowl on top of the pot and wait for everything to melt together, stirring occasionally with a fork. When there are no solids left, remove the bowl from heat and set aside.

2) In a separate bowl, weigh out the following ingredients :

.5 oz arrowroot powder
1 oz baking soda

3) When the shea/coconut/beeswax mixture turns opaque, mix in the dry ingredients and 8-10 drops of essential oil using a fork. My favorite scent combo is a 50/50 split between rosemary and peppermint - but anything that makes you happy will do. Continue mixing until the cream begins to thicken and there are no more lumps.

4) The last step is simply to pour the cream into a resealable jar! We like these because they’re cute, but any wide-mouthed container will work fine. Let it cool completely and you’re ready to go - a pea sized amount for each pit always works fine for me and I find that a jar typically lasts four or five months.