3 ingredient Homemade Deodorant • Eve Out of the Garden

I’ve been making my deodorant for about a year now. I like it, and it works. I keep it in a jar and use it after I shower. (But not right after shaving!!) However, sometimes it feels a bit grainy with the baking soda, so I decided to alter my recipe and add a little beeswax to make it smoother. I think this is my new favorite.

This homemade deodorant recipe uses only three ingredients:

Coconut oil

Coconut oil is anti-inflammatory, antipyretic (anti-itch) and an analgesic (anti-pain(Reference here). Another benefit — coconut oil is anti-bacterial(Reference here). Since bacteria causes the problem that deodorant is trying to prevent, natural coconut oil is a good choice. I buy the coconut oil

that does not smell like coconut. But I have used both. Coconut oil melts at 76 degrees Fahrenheit.

Baking soda

Baking soda removes odors from your refrigerator, and musty smells from old books — so it seems like a good choice for a deodorant. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. It has a pH of 9 — slightly alkaline and neutralizes acids. The pH is a measure of acid — base (alkaline), and goes from 0 to 14. It is a measure of hydrogen ions and hydroxyl ions(explanation here). Pure water being a 7, is neutral, or balanced, because it has an equal number of these two ions. A higher pH number is more alkaline (more hydroxyl ions, and lower pH is more acidic (more hydrogen ions.)

Beeswax Beeswax is a natural product. Beeswax inhibits the growth of Staphylococcus aureus (bacteria) and Candida albicans (yeast fungus): (Al-Waili, N. S. (2005). “Mixture of Honey, Beeswax and Olive Oil Inhibits Growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans”. Archives of Medical Research 36 (1): 10–13.(Research here)

Three Ingredient Homemade Deodorant

1/2 cup baking soda

1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons melted coconut oil

4 grams beeswax

Mason jar

Measure the baking soda, coconut oil and beeswax (I use a digital kitchen scale for grams.) [4 grams of beeswax is about 1 Tablespoon.] I also melt the coconut oil first and measure it. Put all ingredients in the Mason jar, place it in a pan of water, heat until water boils, turn down the heat to low while all ingredients in the jar melt. Stir to mix. When all is melted, pour into the permanent container for your deodorant. You may use a small Mason jar for melting and then pour it into plastic container (SKS Bottles are my favorite). Refrigerate until firm. Remove from refrigerator and store in your bathroom. If you travel with this deodorant, put the jar in a zip lock plastic bag in case your lid is not tight — this stuff melts easily in warm temperatures — at 76 degrees F.)

Beeswax

Homemade deodorant: coconut oil, baking soda, and beeswax