Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Are you looking for a fail-safe deodorant that will cost you peanuts and keep you dry and perfumed without any chemicals? Look no more! (do I need to move to marketing?)

This is a super-easy recipe that will give you enough deo to last more than a year, so if the initial cost for the ingredients is high, think that it costs less than a cent every day.

Ingredients:
Shea butter (here called karite' butter)
Almond oil
Cornstarch
Baking soda
essential oil of your choice

Material needed:
A small pot and a smaller pot that fits inside the first one
The back of a spoon or any other thing you want to use for mixing (no wooden spoon, use metal)
A clean container (can be an old jam jar) where you want to have your finished deo. Make sure it can contain the same amount that you're preparing

I usually make 75 grams shea butter (that's how my packages come in) with 50 milliliters almond oil (that's 1/4 cup minus 2 teaspoons), 3 tablespoons cornstarch and 3 tablespoons baking soda, and 15-20 drops o.e. You can use the amounts you want as long as the ratio is 1.5 to 1 for shea butter and almond oil, and use equal amounts of baking soda and cornstarch. I like to use rosemary or thyme o.e., but any will be good. You won't smell it too much once it's on.

Here the spread:

IMGP4532 by Anek_80, on Flickr


Now, melt the shea butter with the almond oil in a pot inside a pot with water (bain-marie? I don't know what you call this method in English, but it's the method used to melt chocolate, if it helps):

IMGP4531 by Anek_80, on Flickr

Remove from the heat, and add the cornstarch, baking soda and o.e., and mix until well amalgamated:

IMGP4533 by Anek_80, on Flickr

Take your clean jar(s) (I'm using two old lotion jars, as it's a Christmas present)

IMGP4534 by Anek_80, on Flickr

And fill it (them) with the mixture, constantly mixing it so that you keep the powders well amalgamated.
Now, the cornstarch and baking soda tend to sink, so you have to mix very often. Place the jars in the fridge and mix every three-five minutes until it solidifies, about 20 minutes.
It will look like this

IMGP4535 by Anek_80, on Flickr

Now with the back of your spoon beat the deo until it becomes creamy

IMGP4536 by Anek_80, on Flickr

And then beat the jar on the counter until the deo settles and it looks smooth again. Place in the fridge to re-solidify, and you're done!

IMGP4537 by Anek_80, on Flickr

Add an etiquette to indicate what's inside, a little bow, and you present to yourself is ready for use.

IMGP4538 by Anek_80, on Flickr

You can store it in the bathroom at room temperature. This amount usually lasts me about one year. You need just a smudge per armpit, say the size of half a fingernail.

Have fun!

Awesome! Thanks for posting this.

Excellent tutorial! Thanks! The photos really help!

I'm going to do this!

This is great, thanks!

I always wanted to try this. I have everything at home but the shea butter, and I hope I can get some.
Thanks for sharing - and yes, thyme is a great scent (although my ex used to say it makes me smell like potato casserole - but is that necessarily a bad thing?).

Thanks for posting this. I've always wanted to try making my own and my tube is almost empty anyways.

Thanks for posting this! I think I'll try some next week and maybe make a DIY toiletry set for a friend of mine.

Would this work for someone, who, say, sweats A LOT?

Yay, thanks! I've been looking for recipe for this, and wasn't sure if I should trust the ones I found. But you're totally trustworthy. :)

P.S. I've heard the term bain-marie before but wasn't quite sure what it was, but some English speakers must use it if I've heard it before! In this part of the English-speaking world, the pot-within-the-pot method is called a "double boiler".

I'd love to try something like this. Alas, my pits would look like a homeless guy fell asleep in a plate of meringue.

Re: the lots of sweating: the principle of this deo is that the baking soda absorbs odours (that's why you place a bown in your fridge to keep the smell out), while the cornstarch absorbs the sweat. The shea butter makes it solid and keeps the skin smooth, as does the almond oil.
I don't sweat huge amounts, but I have found it to be perfectly suited for summer while working on a construction site in 30° Celsius.
It doesn't stain black clothes too much (just be careful not to smear it directly).

Thanks evolvedtriangle for the term! Now that you mention it, I remember I knew it. It was sunday-brain :-)

I just made it! And I didn't even make a huge mess. I managed to spill a few drops of the oil and shea butter mixture, but I scooped them up from the kitchen counter and used them on my hands, hehe. My chosen scent is a mix of lavender & lemon balm (quite easy on the lavender), since it smells nice and is supposed to alleviate stress. I'll report back!

I'm a genius. I put the deodorant in the fridge overnight to re-solidify. Ummm... solidify is the right word. It has sealed the container shut. I've put it in the bathroom - maybe when it gets a little warmer I'll be able to open the lid.

Glad you tried, Phoenix! You probably just need to keep the container in your hands for a few minutes, it will melt the butter that's sealing it.

Interesting. Do the oils make it feel sticky at all? I tried Tom's of Maine and it was so sticky that it felt worse than being sweaty. I generally just go without deodorant in the winter, but want something for once it gets warm again.

This sounds great, thanks for the detailed instructions and photos! I'll give it a try when I run out.

It's totally not sticky. Shea butter is absorbed into the skin very quickly, so it doesn't leave any oily residue, and it's super good for the skin too.

Thanks Anek, I can open it now! Just freshly out of the fridge it wouldn't budge.

great! homemade deodorant and homemade toothpaste. My hippiness just greatly increased. If I make my own shampoo too do I need to move to a commune?

EVERYTHING PATCHOULI.
Also, ppk village!

I'd love to try this but when I tried using baking soda as a deodorant 4ish years ago my armpits went brown, dry and peely.

it's called no 'poo. (and the thread on that was on the old boards, so i can't link you to it.)
essentially you wash your hair with a very dilute baking soda mixture and the conditioner is a diluted apple cider vinegar.
http://no-poo.livejournal.com/

My deodorant works quite well - after 10-15 minutes you don't smell the essential oil(s) much, but it continues to work (unless you're actually soaked with sweat, like after a workout).
And I've never had anything as soft and skin-repairing as shea butter. Will use up the leftovers in a simple hand cream recipe.

Yesterday afternoon I made some more deodorant with/for a friend. She said it was great fun (and used some rather wintery apple-and-spice fragrance oil for hers).

Spread the butter!!!

I'm making this now! I'm in the stir every 3-5 minutes stage. I used tea tree oil. I have a strong BO so I hope this works out! Two questions:

I bought almond oil for this, but wondering if another oil like olive or sesame would work. What are the properties that makes almond a good choice? What else do folks use almond oil for, other than massage oil?

Ok, I guess this is three questions. Anek, I'd like to share your recipe/process on my food co-op blog. We sell shea butter in bulk and I never thought to buy it until I saw your post. I can credit you in some way?