Lavender coconut oil deodorant DIY

Discovering this DIY lavender coconut oil deodorant was truly life-changing for me. I had been on the quest for a deodorant that lasts longand doesn’t contain any of the harmful chemicals added to most store bought deodorants such as parabens, aluminium and silica.

Even back in the days when I used regular deodorants that promised 12 or even 24 hours of fresh armpits, I found that none of them really did the trick for me.

I tried a crystal rock deodorant but it didn’t work so well for me. While you don’t smell of sweat for a few hours, it doesn’t make you smell fresh either.
Especially when doing physical activities such as Tae Kwon Do, inline skating and yoga -which all make you sweat a lot- I like to feel fresh.

When my boyfriend introduced me to his DIY lavender coconut oil deodorant (yes all the credits go to him for this one!) I was a bit sceptical at first.
I honestly didn’t think it would be strong enough to last for more than an hour.
To my surprise it did and much longer than that.
I was really impressed to see how well this coconut oil deodorant works and that it lasts for hours.

The ultimate trial was a full day inline skating workshop I did in the Middle East.
It was a very hot and active day, training mostly outside. This baby totally passed the test!
The lavender smell had mostly worn off by the end of the day, but I wasn’t smelling of sweat, while my skating friends had to reapply deodorant several times.

The only downside that I can think of with this deodorant is that it sometimes leaves white stains, but they come out easily in the laundry.

Instructions:

Ingredients:

5 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp baking soda
4 tbsp cornflour / cornstarch
20 drops of lavender oil
3 drops of tea tree oil
10 drops of lemon oil

Method:

This DIY lavender coconut oil deodorant is very easy to make and keeps for a long time.

Use coconut oil in a soft consistency, that is – not solid and not liquid, somewhere in between is the easiest to work with.

For this deodorant I use an organic virgin coconut oil.
Mix the coconut oil with the baking soda and cornflour / cornstarch until reaching an equally mixed consistency.
Then add the essential oils and mix well.

Keep in mind that the consistency of coconut oil varies largely according to external temperatures.
If the deodorant turns out too liquid, just add more cornflour. Don’t use more baking soda, as too much might irritate your skin. If the deodorant is too solid for easy application, just add more coconut oil to it.

I find that this DIY lavender coconut oil deodorant works best in a warm climate. When the weather is too cold, the deodorant gets very solid and sort of breaks into small pieces, which makes it really hard to apply.

Luckily I am not that often in real cold climates, but I’d like to work on some cold-proof formula for all you girls and boys that do live in colder climates.
I’ll keep you posted!

You can use any type of essential oils you like, so feel free to experiment.

Note: some natural ingredients such as coconut oil melt at higher temperatures. 
Their properties stay the same and you can put your DIY product in the fridge for an hour to solidify again.
Just make sure to use a container that protects the content from leaking, especially if you’re carrying it with you in your bag etc.

Read more about my toxin-free journey and the products I replace with coconut oil.

For everything coconut, plant-based recipes and DIY beauty go to www.thisiscoco.com