Deodorant

Remember how I said I love making things myself instead of buying them? Well, I really mean it. I love being all "Damn the Man!" in absolutely as many things as possible.

I've been making my own deodorant for about 9 months now. I love knowing exactly what is in it, it's super cheap, and there's no wasteful packaging. Plus it works better than anything else I've ever used.

Just mix together:

1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup corn starch
4 Tablespoons coconut oil
a few drops of essential oil of your choice (optional)

You may need to soften the coconut oil a bit to be able to stir it up, but the melting point is only 76 degrees so it doesn't take much.

I store mine in a wee little 1/2 pint (I think that's the size?) canning jar and it works great. I've heard of people just reusing an old roll-up deodorant container, but my house is often too hot (over that 76 degree melting point) and it turns to liquid. So this screw cap jar works just perfectly no matter what the temperature. To apply, just rub your fingers in it a little and massage in.

The coconut oil smells deliciously coconut-y so no other scent is really needed but I've added orange and tea tree oil in separate batches just for fun. This is my third batch in 9 months, so it definitely lasts awhile. I should do the math and figure out how much a batch costs to compare to store-bought deodorant. But that would involve actually doing math. All I know is that it's CHEAP and you're using stuff you already have. Which is just awesome to me.

There are a lot of other recipes out there that include shea butter and other cool ingredients, but this is the one I tried since I didn't have to buy anything. And it worked, so I'm sticking with it.

Coming soon, some more cheap and natural hygiene products!