Minimal Eff DIY Deodorant That ACTUALLY WORKS! #lowwaste #diy #somethingclean

What the Eff is it?

Overshare - I can be pretty stinky... I try to keep pretty active which means that I can work up a decent sweat. For years I thought the only solution was highly perfumed, aluminum based anti-perspirants that would work for a month or so before they would lose their destinking prowess and I would need to switch to a different brand and begin the cycle all over again. And truth be told, despite being 'anti-perspirants' I would still find myself getting quite 'sweaty betty' by the end of the day. Even worse, my clothes would develop a gross layer of built-up gunk that would turn a funny colour and would not come out with even the most atomic of stain busters.

But then, a few years ago I came across an amazing, natural deodorant that ACTUALLY WORKED! The range of Miessence deodorants had some magical powers that managed to make my stinky pits disappear and kept the moisture level on par with all of the anti-perspirants that I had spent years cycling through!

Even better? The Tahitian Breeze fragrance was a little ray of dreamy sunshine, even on the dreariest of days!

BUT

The magic came at a cost. Whilst not out of the realm in terms of expense, all of the dollars spent on those amazing little bottles of magic started to add up. The lowest price I could find online was $10.55AUD and my local health store carried it for $10.95AUD.

As I embarked on my low-waste journey I started thinking more about my precious little (plastic) bottles of anti-stink goo and wondered if there was a better way? I checked out the ingredients list, which was gloriously non-scary and fairly short, and decided it was time to give it a go.

After collecting the necessary ingredients I headed online to try to find some guidance on ratios etc. I gave up pretty quickly and decided to wing it, give it a trial and then amend as needed. During my online searching I had learnt one thing - too much bicarb and it was a recipe for irritated skin, too little and the stink would creep through. So bear that as warning - if you normally react to bicarb, this might not be the recipe for you but The Rogue Ginger has an option that may work for you.

I am happy to report that my first attempt seemed to hit the magical nail on the head and it is the recipe I present you below. My trial phase involved using myself as a guinea pig first. My inital trial was on armpits in desperate need of a shave (ie. hairy pits!). I had no irritation and the gel battled through the hairies and settled in quite nicely with no white bicarb ring or stink. I then shaved my arm pits and trialled the deodorant again. It didn't irritate my skin, even right after shaving, and still left me stink free! It's important to point out the difference between store-bought anti-perspirants and deodorant here. Anti-perspirants use metal compounds to block the pores, thereby stopping sweat from escaping. I have written more about the rumored problems with this below and also point out that, for me, anti-persiprants had limited effectiveness in stopping sweating and plenty of others seem to report the same issue. Deodorants on the other hand, work to prevent stinkiness but not perspiration. This was very apparent during my next trial which was seeing if my DIY mixture stood up to the activity test. After wearing the deodorant for a full day on freshly shaved pits, I went to bed without a shower, woke up, applied another layer of the mixture and headed out on a hour long run. The result? After two application of the mixture, 24 hours apart, no showering or bathing and a fairly long run I was STILL stink-free.

By this point I was patting myself on the back pretty hard. But I had one obstacle left to tackle - Hubby's stinky, hairy man pits!

I finally managed to catch him one morning after a shower and managed to convince him to use my funny tan coloured concoction instead of his usual anti-perspirant. This was a tough ask given that he had a day in the office ahead of him and stinky pits could leave him in a fairly embarrassing position. Even so, he agreed and the patiently put up with my repeated calls and texts enquiring as to the state of his arm pit odour. His eyes did roll ever so slightly when he got home and I pounced on him eager to smell his underarms! But I was rewarded with a completely odour free pit (thank goodness!) and he didn't report any irritation or discomfort other than my prying questions.

Why should I give an Eff?

WASTE

Obviously, the more new bottles and cans of deodorant and anti-perspirant we all purchase, the more waste we create. Often times these products can only be down-cycled or end up in peoples regular garbage and never make it past landfill.

I wish I could say that this solution is zero-waste but I have been unable to find aloe vera juice at my bulk store and the essential oils I purchased all had their own packaging. I am hoping to source an aloe vera plant very soon to use for this, and many other DIY recipes, which will avoid the packaging for this in the future and the little essential oil bottles will last a good while and can be re-used for various purposes when empty. I bought xanthan gum in a plastic package from my supermarket but then found it at my bulk store without packaging.

COST

I did the math on the cost of ingredients for this recipe and, even after calculating the cost of buying five new bottles of essential oil (notoriously 'exy), this mixture worked out at around $5 for one batch which filled around four to five bottles... You do that math! No, I'll do it for you! THAT'S $1-$1.50 A BOTTLE instead of $10.55!!!

HEALTH

A few years ago there started to be mutterings about possible links between the aluminium compounds in anti-perspirants and breast cancer. Then came the same stories about the same risk but for Alzheimer's disease. These reports have now largely been de-bunked but there is no doubt that anti-persprants generally carry a fairly hectic ingredients list. It's laregly personal preference when it comes to the argument for this deodorant based on health reasons, but I certainly lean heavily toward feeling more comfortable with an ingredients list that doesn't take a PHD in science to de-code.

But will I need to give many Effs?

This amazing deodorant recipe gets a 'one lazy sloth' rating, meaning that it's the easiest of easy DIY, low-waste, planet friendly ideas!

It's even easier if you have a blender or some kind of electric mixing implement!

What the Eff will I need?

To make a 250ml batch of deodorant, enough to fill around 4-5 small deodorant bottles.

250ml aloe vera juice (not gel!)

3tsp bicarb soda

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

Essential oils of your choosing if you would like scented. (I used lime, ylang ylang, patchouli, rose-geranium and bergamot to mimic the Miessence Tahitian Breeze scent)

An empty deodorant/anti-perspirant roller bottle, cleaned out thoroughly (optional, can use a regular container too)

How the Eff do I do it?

Combine all ingredients in a jug that is large enough to stir/blend without the contents escaping over the side. Blend or stir VERY well if not using an electric blender/mixer as the xanthan gum will want to clump.

Funnel or pour into your empty, clean roller bottle or place into a container and spread onto armpits as needed. Enjoy your stink-free, chemical-free armpits!!

Note: The mixture will go from clear to an opaque tan colour over a few days - this is normal and doesn't impact efficacy. I keep surplus mixture in the fridge.