Rose Brown–she of Zero Garbage–explains how to get by without buying deodorant (and no, the answer isn’t just to be stinky).
Last night, after dinner, I made a three-month supply of deodorant with three ingredients, in about three minutes. I am always in a great mood when I’m standing in my kitchen making my own toiletries. I feel so empowered. I am using ingredients that I can pronounce and I know where they all came from. No amount of marketing is required to convince me that this concoction is good for my skin because these ingredients are edible.
When I decided to begin the zero garbage challenge, I walked through my house to collect all of my disposable products. I hosted a big party and gave my friends many of my belongings, like my vacuum cleaner (it might break), my sponges (plastic and non-recyclable or compostable), and most of my toiletries, which are usually packaged in a pump, a squeeze tube, or some other disposable shell.
Deodorant is the perfect example. Some deodorant dispensers are recyclable, but not always. I wanted to find an alternative that didn’t involve any packaging. Eventually, after much experimentation, I found this great recipe for making my own deodorant. It’s easy, cheap, natural, and it works great.
If you want to make your own deodorant, melt 3 tablespoons of coconut oil in a pan. In a bowl, mix together 1/8 cup of baking soda and 1/8 cup of cornstarch. Stir in the coconut oil. The mixture should be a thin paste. At this point, you can add essential oils to make it smell good. I use about 7 drops of an essential oil blend. Some essential oils like lavender and tea tree oil have antibacterial properties, so they enhance the deodorizing effect.
Then pour the mixture into a small container and let it cool. When it cools to room temperature, it becomes thicker. If you keep it at room temperature, you can dip your fingers into the container and spread it on the skin like thick lotion or cream. Or you could put it in the fridge to harden, and the consistency is similar to store-bought deodorant.
For more information about zero garbage alternatives, click here.