This is a follow up to my recent post: 6 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Xenoestrogen Exposure! In that post, I spoke at length about the negative impact that xenoestrogen exposure can have on your hormones. It can disrupt your menstrual cycle and in turn, have a negative impact on your fertility. We are constantly being bombarded by chemicals that have an estrogenic effect on our bodies, and the only way to reduce our exposure is to actually start somewhere! One easy way to start is to pick one household item or one beauty product and find a natural alternative. And that brings me to today’s post!
After discovering that most commercial deodorants on the market contain aluminum and a slew of chemicals including perfumes, parabens, and stabilizing agents that not only act as estrogen in our bodies but are potentially carcinogenic, I started searching for natural alternatives. The problem I found was that they didn’t actually work for me! Maybe I’m just a smelly girl, but I tried natural product after natural product only to have body odor partway through the day. I’m all for being natural, but I’m not willing to share my underarm sweat with the world.
Fortunately, I found an awesome solution. It’s so simple and effective that it seems kind of bizarre that it actually works. Both I and my husband have been using this and only this for YEARS now and it hasn’t failed us yet.
So here goes:
You will need 2 ingredients. And you don’t even have to mix them together before you use them!
- Coconut Oil
- Arm & Hammer baking soda
I am name dropping here because Arm & Hammer baking soda has a different texture that seems to be more gentle on my underarms than other generic brands. When I used generic baking soda I experienced a bit of arm pit irritation.
Step 1: Put 1/2 Tsp or so of coconut oil on the palm of your hand
Step 2: Add a pinch (1/8 tsp) or so of baking soda to the coconut oil
Step 3: Mix together baking soda and coconut oil with your fingers
Step 4: Rub mixture into your armpits
That’s it! I told you it was simple. Now you could go ahead and premix the coconut oil with the baking soda and add essential oils to make it fancy, but as a busy mom of 2. I am posting exactly what I do. I keep a small container of coconut oil on the bathroom counter and a small container of baking soda beside it. Each day I follow the steps that I outlined above and I have odor protection for the entire day. I often rub a bit of coconut oil under my arms before I apply the deodorant so that it’s a bit more moisturized/lubricated prior to the application.
I have found it to be one of the simplest ways to reduce my exposure to unnecessary estrogenic chemicals, and it works better than pretty much all of the deodorants that I have paid high prices for from the health food store! It also works better than the regular name brand deodorants that I have tried over the years (i.e. degree, secret, lady speed stick, dove, etc. etc. I feel like I’ve tried them all!!). One caveat I will add is that although this deodorant is very effective it does tend to wear off by the end of the day, so you may not get that 24-hour protection offered by some of the big mainstream deodorants!
So now I want to hear from you! Have you used a natural deodorant before? Have you ever made your own? If you end up trying this one let me know how it goes in the comments below!
How is it for perspiration??
It doesn’t prevent you from sweating, but definitely neutralizes any odor. I guess I’m used to not having something that prevents me from sweating since I’ve been using natural deodorants for so long!
I tried this today and am amazed by the result! It’s summer here in NZ and I didn’t get stinky at all! I’ve tried so many natural deodorants over the years but my armpits always smell like curry (?!) by the end of the day – today, no odour! Love that it’s nothing more than coco oil and baking soda, which are always in the pantry. Brilliant.
Awesome! So glad it worked for you!
Hey Lisa, have you tried Milk of Magnesium? I’ve been trying it, and it’s not working. So I’m wondering if the coconut oil and baking soda mixture will be more effective.
I’ve never tried that before! But if you end up trying the coconut oil and baking soda let me know if it works ?
I’ve been wanting to find a healthier alternative to deodorant, and I definitely start smelling when I don’t wear anything. I’m so excited to give this a try!
I’m excited to try this. Does it stain your clothes at all?
No, it doesn’t stain clothes. Just rub it in your armpits like you would lotion!
Just threw out yet another stick of natural deodorant yesterday that didn’t work for me… going to mix some of this up tonight and give it a shot!
Well, a week later, and I’m incredibly impressed. I mixed up small container of baking soda with organic virgin coconut oil, added a few drops of tea tree and eucalyptus essential oils, and have been using it every morning. It hasn’t let me down yet, and I don’t shower every day! Thank you, Lisa! I’m really excited to have finally found something that works! I think that it’s also benefiting my nails to have a daily dose of coconut oil! I’ve tried at least a dozen different store bought natural deodorants over the years.. it’s funny to think that the answer was laying in my pantry the whole time.
Thanks for sharing your experience after trying it! It’s crazy that something so simple can work so well! So glad it’s working for you ?
If I wanted to mix up a container of this, what would be the proportions?
You could do slightly less than 1:1 if you did a cup: 1 cup coconut oil and 3/4 cup baking soda.
That is cool! I have been using baking soda but only mixed with water. I will try this one mixed with coconut oil. Thanks for the tip!
Is there a coconut oil that works better than others? Which coconut oil should I use? Because there’s refined, unrefined, cold pressed, etc.