DIY Deodorant

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp Bentonite Clay
5 tbsp Arrowroot Poweder
1-1/2 tsp grated beeswax or beeswax beads
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp shea butter
8-10 drops essential oil (tea tree, rosemary, lavender, lemon, bergamot, or a mixture of any listed).  I used 7 drops of rosemary essential oil and 7 drops of tea tree essential oil)
Empty, clean, sterilized deodorant container

Coconut Oil: Softens, but especially adds extra antibacterial protection. Bacteria is what leads to odour. 

Shea Butter: Softens (a lot). It will also most likely help with the little bumps you get from shaving.

Bentonite Clay: Adds extra dryness protection. It will help at whisking away sweat and drying it up before it reaches your clothes. However, don’t expect it to work quite as well as antiperspirant (which contains the aluminum you REALLY want to avoid). They work in two very different ways.

Beeswax: This may help, a little, with the perspiration problem, but the main point of this ingredient is to give the deodorant a more solid feel, so it’ll stay in your container the way you want it to.

Tea Tree and/or Rosemary Essential Oil: These two oils are exceptionally antibacterial and antifungal, so they’ll work really hard at keeping any odour from happening. Again, you can use any essential oil you’d like for scent (lavender, bergamot and lemon essential oils would be great as a substitution for tea tree and rosemary in terms of odour-stopping).


DIRECTIONS:

1. Melt the beeswax and coconut oil on very low heat, whisking often. 
2. Once melted, add in the shea butter and whisk a few times.
3.  Remove from heat and continue melting. 
4. Combine arrowroot powder and bentonite clay in a separate bowl.
4. Pour oil mixture into powdered mixture and stir until there are no lumps. 
5. Drop in the essential oil and stir. 
6. Pour mixture into an empty deodorant container and place it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes (or until completely hard). If, for some reason, it starts to get too soft on a hot day, just put it back in the freezer for a while.

Note:  If you’re using an old deodorant container, make sure it’s completely washed out (maybe boil it for good measure) and that it’s rolled down all the way.

The beeswax keeps the other ingredients a bit more solid, so it shouldn’t soften much until it’s heated by your skin while you’re putting it on.