I had a co-worker in Korea named Haley during my first year here, and she was very much into homemade products and remedies which actually inspired me to look into some of the ideas out there. So, if you are reading this blog post Haley this one is for you.
Now, since I live in Korea I find it difficult to always acquire the ingredients that I need since I know little to no Korean. That being said, I discovered Gmarket and was able to purchase whatever I could not find at stores from there.
My first attempt at making this homemade deodorant did not work out. I used arrowroot powder which turned the deodorant a brown color. My husband gave it a try, put on a white t-shirt, and went for a run. He came back with a stained t-shirt. In addition, I was not very careful at measuring everything properly, so the stick was very soft and way too much of the deodorant would smear onto my skin. I decided to switch to baby powder since it is a form of cornstarch and a good thickener. Plus…it is white.
Well, you learn from your mistakes. The following is my second and successful attempt at making deodorant with baby powder instead of arrowroot powder.
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 tbsp. shea butter
- 1.5 tbsp. beeswax pellets
- 6 drops each of peppermint essential oil and a ‘Mental Focus’ blended essential oil which including lemon, peppermint, wintergreen, basil, rosemary, and grapefruit oil
- 1 tbsp. baking soda
- 3 tbsp. baby powder or arrowroot powder
The first thing that I did was gather all of my ingredients so that they were ready to go. Next, I measured and put the coconut oil, shea butter, and beeswax pellets together into a mason jar.
Then, I placed the jar in a hot pan filled up with 2 finger widths of water. I let the oil, butter, and pellets melt into a liquid, then turned off the heat and removed the jar from the pan. Then, I added the essential oils. I would have loved to have something with cinnamon or vanilla, but unfortunately I just used what we had in the house.
I added the baking soda and baby powder then gave everything a really good mix making sure there were no lumps. The mixture should be runny enough to pour, almost like a cake batter. Finally, I poured the contents into an old glue stick slowly so that it would settle and to prevent any air bubbles. I was able to fill up two regular sized glue sticks with a small amount left over.
I put the two sticks in the fridge for about an hour so that they would harden and the liquid would not move around. Then, I took them out and let them sit over night. The following day I gave them a test, and I am happy to say that the deodorant glides on smoothly and blends it very nicely. I wish i had added more of the essential oils because the smell isn’t very fragrant and I can almost pick up the baby powder smell over the oils. I don’t mind the smell, but some people would rather not have that smell on their bodies. Needless to say, I am happy with the combination of peppermint and my ‘mental focus’ essential oil mixed together. It smells minty and has hints of citrus which lasted until the end of the day from a single application.
Below is the YouTube video that I found this recipe from.
I hope you found this blog post helpful, and that the recipe works for you. Let me know what your experience has been like making homemade deodorant or other products and if you have any suggestions!
