I've been making my own deodorant for a year and loving it. However, I use the powder mix above (without an essential oil) and coconut oil so it's the texture of a regular stick. I love it!!! It works wonderfully (even in Texas)!

Is there a way to make the solid without the coconut oil? I would like to try this but I find that scent to be nauseating.

@peacelover74 - what kind of container do you use to apply it as a stick? I don't care to use it as a powder, and would love to try it like you mention.

1/2 cup of baking soda would be too much for me, and cause horrendous rashes under arm, I usually make a stick form of this by melting 1/4 cup of shea butter and stirring in 1-2 tsp of baking soda, 1 Tbsp of arrowroot powder (same as starch) and a few drops of lavender essential oil. I then pour the mixture into a (cleaned) old stick deodorant container and it hardens as it cools to room temp. Coconut oil proved to be too oily and slippery for me, shea butter has the perfect matte/dry finish.

I have problems with scents so I can understand your dilemma, allisonn, but do you mean coconut oil is a problem or coconut scent? Coconut oil that is refined for cooking doesn't have much of a scent. If coconut oil is out, you might be able to make a similar solid with shea butter or cocoa butter (maybe with another oil so it's not so solid?). Not sure if the coconut oil is special in some way for this use or just a medium.

I use a lot of natural products, but never thought that deodorant would be one of them. I really felt the need for a strong anti-perspirant - and the natural deodorants that I purchased simply were not up to the job. A few months ago, I saw a recipe like this and the hubs and I have happily made the switch! The blend that I make contains baking soda, coconut oil and arrowroot powder, plus a few drops of tea tree oil and essential lavender oil. Coconut oil and lavender are both naturally anti-bacterial. Really works.

do any of these recipes deal with perspiration or just odor? i've been using a mineral salt crystal product for years and it works really well for odor but not perspiration.

taxidriver, this is only supposed to be a deodorant, but I swear it has an antiperspirant effect on me. It even works on my husband, which is saying something. ;-)

ps - the coconut oil does not make the deodorant feel greasy. No marks or grease stains on my clothes, either. And no heavy coconut smell with good quality extra virgin coconut oil.

How does this compare to the deodorant crystal ? How about to Toms of Maine deodorant? Thanks

Ive been using a variant of this recipe for almost two years. I will never go back to the old stuff. I use Baking Soda, Coconut Oil (mine is food grade and I never smell it), Cornstarch, Vitamin E and Tea Tree Oil. It has made the odor non existent and I definitely sweat a lot less. I can get by with applying once a day but of course I reapply if going out at night.

Great idea for deodorant!

@MICHELLEDEEPEE: can you share your measurements for your recipe???

Let me preface this and state I am no expert and this info is from 2 years of seeing the coconut oil recipe on the web, reading comments, researching the ingredients, and trying it myself. It is my understanding, to maximize the effectiveness, coconut oil should be unrefined for the anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial benefits (to what degree refining the oil changes these properties is not clear). The unrefined coconut I used was organic, extra virgin. It does have a subtle coconut scent and I've read varies from brand to brand. I purchased mine at a health food store. I've also read that cornstarch can contribute to yeast infections in the underarm and substituting arrowroot is an alternative (this is what I used). Baking soda also seems to be of debate as some recipes state to use aluminum free baking soda. I use the kind in the orange box (wink wink) as it says the only ingredient is sodium bicarbonate. I have seen the boxes that are marketed as aluminum free on the front; same ingredient listed on the side. So did it work? It worked OK, I used it for a year. I didn't like either of the applications from a reused stick deodorant container or rubbing it on from a container. The consistency changed depending on the weather from crumbly to too creamy. So what do I use now? I use Magnesium Hydroxide AKA Milk of Magnesia. I purchase a bottle of store brand (unflavored/original) and pour it into a small spray bottle. I love it!