Apr 2, 2018 | Create, Lifestyle, Sustainable Living
My mom always told me, simplicity is beauty. And after all these years, I’m applying that nugget of wisdom to my armpits… you heard right!
Did I ever tell you that I went a whole month *without* deodorant?
Yeah, probably not what my mom meant.
The story goes, that back in December 2017 I ran out of Old Spice Wolfthorn deodorant (which I am unashamed to say I used and shared with my boyfriend lol). And I already had planned that when it ran out, I would switch to a natural product.
At this point I was already taking baby steps to a more sustainable lifestyle, so in the process, I did a full on natural detox.
No deodorant for a month.
I was constantly nervous about my B.O. and the stress sweat struggle is real you guys. I started using lime slices to deodorize naturally (this works wonders!). So if you ever decide to switch to a natural deodorant, the first step is to expel all those harmful chemicals you’ve been soaking in through your pits for a month.
During my detox, I tried looking for natural deodorants to purchase and got a couple of recommendations from friends on different brands to try. But after reading some reviews about baking soda rashes and a double take on the price range of organic options, I turned to a more DIY approach.
DIY Natural Organic Deodorant
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
– Natural Shea Butter
– Organic Cold Pressed Coconut Oil
– Bees Wax Pellets
– Essential Oils (for fragrance)
– Arrowroot Powder
– Baking Soda
– Glass OR ceramic mixing bowls (or Double Broiler)
– Measuring cups
– Clean old deodorant container
TO MAKE:
Fill 1 bowl with boiled water and place another bowl on top, to use as a double broiler (If you have a double broiler, you can just use that! Or you can use a glass or ceramic bowl that fits over a small pot. This was my makeshift double broiler).
Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and 2 tablespoons of shea butter – stir and melt.
Add 4 tablespoons of beeswax – stir and melt. I live in a warm tropical climate so if you live in a cooler climate, you can use less beeswax.
Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda – stir and melt. Baking soda may be an irritant to some people so if you have sensitive skin like I do, only use a teaspoon or less. I would have left it out altogether but baking soda helps act as the deodorizing agent.
Add 2 tablespoons of arrowroot powder. This creates a more solid consistency.
Add 10-15 drops of your preferred essential oils for fragrance. I used tea tree oil and lavender oil.
Stir it all up until it’s completely smooth, and you’re almost there! Remove from your double broiler set up and pour into an old deodorant container while still hot. I cleaned out and emptied my Old Spice container to reuse.
And that’s it! Set your brand new natural organic deodorant to cool at room temperature. You can also put it in the freezer for a couple of minutes to speed up the process. You’ll know it’s done when it’s firm.
To customize, try different essential oils to change up the fragrance, and add your own label to make it look legit. I added a sticker from an old surf movie we had laying around.
My own personal and biased review? I love it!
My boyfriend also loves it ~ yes, we still share deodorant lol.
But really though, it works great!
The Pros: it’s made with completely natural organic products. It smells amazing. It doesn’t stain clothes, and it keeps me smelling fresh for the day.
The Cons: the consistency is a little stickier than I had hoped, but a simple solution is to just dab it on and rub it in. A little goes a long way.
An Alternative: I actually really liked using lemon slices on my armpits. I still use it every other day when we have lemons or limes.
The key takeaway here is that switching to a natural deodorant is a brilliant idea and it’s super simple to do yourself and it’s great for your health and the environment!
Thanks for reading!
Mar 11, 2018 | Lifestyle, Moments
It has been a busy past few weeks! Between my growing hectic work life and social events having to say say goodbye to island friends, I haven’t had a lot of time to do much else. I’ve been blogging more but there have still been several developments worth mentioning:
I’m officially booked for travel in May! I’ll be going to a few different places; some of which I’ve never been to! I’ll first be going to Samoa for a friend’s wedding, then stopping over in Arizona to visit my sister’s family for some much needed quality time with my nephew and niece, and then… I’m off to Dominican Republic for another friend’s wedding! Love is in the air, and I’m so excited for the good times to be had! I might also be swinging through Puerto Rico to meet up with some friends there, so fingers crossed things all work out!
Another new development: Matcha green tea. I know there was a craze about it in the mainland, and I’ve never really been one for trendy fads, but I just happened to see a box of Matcha green tea at my local grocer and picked it up for $12 (because it’s normally ~$30 on Amazon for this particular tea). I had no idea what it was or how to even prepare it, but I tried it late one evening and was so caffeined out I stayed up until 5am. And I didn’t mind. I was so productive that night and even though I slept late, I had a good sleep. So now I have a nice hot cuppa matcha almost every day hahaha. I’m a convert! It’s purported to be good for you as it’s 10x higher in antioxidants than regular green tea, but who knows, maybe the buzz will wear off.
And speaking of matcha and health goodness, I’ve started experimenting with a new health supplement – marine collagen. My inner asian girl has come out looking for more ways to keep my skin and bones young and healthy. I had been curious about collagen effects and found marine collagen peptides at my local drug store, so decided to give it a go. We’ll see how well it works in like 25 years haha. Hoping it works well with my asian genes.
Other inner discoveries – I’m fine tuning my inner hippie. You may have seen my zero waste kit for beginners (if you haven’t, please check it out!), and this isn’t all that new. I’ve been using a zero waste kit since November 2017, and I’ve been avoiding plastic and styrofoam more actively since last January. It was one of my resolutions last year. So in line with more sustainable living, I cut out deodorant 4 months ago and detoxed all the harmful chemicals for a month. Did you know that most deodorants contain cancer causing chemicals? Look at this insane list of toxic ingredients in an average deodorant, or pick up your own deodorant and have a quick read through its ingredients. We apply this on our bodies daily, so it’s important to know what you’re messing with. All that being said, I made my own natural organic deodorant and I use it most days, but I also love using lemons/limes. It actually works. I’ll be expanding more how I made it in another post.
What have you been up to lately?
If you’re a hippie, I’d love to hear some pointers on more sustainable living! lol thanks
