I have for years been looking for the perfect home-made deodorant spray recipe. Home-made deodorants are really popular nowadays. Now I will introduce to you my favourite deodorant and an effective variant of it. A deodorant preventing sweating contains usually aluminium. It is very difficult to make a natural deodorant that prevents sweating. Here is one for you to try out.
Baking soda is not suitable for long-term use
Many recipes contain baking soda. Baking soda is suitable for everyone at first. It effectively neutralizes the smell of sweat and also soothes sweating a bit. However, almost everyone will face problems within few weeks. Regular use of baking soda is not good for the skin.
Baking soda combined with sweat turns into a very alkaline solution on the skin. The skin is easily irritated by constant alkalinity.
Baking soda neutralizes the smell of sweat. The phenomenon is based on the alkalinity of baking soda. The pH of the skin becomes alkaline. Bacteria living in an acidic environment do not thrive on alkaline skin. The problem is that both good and harmful bacteria are disappearing from the skin at the same time. The skin needs bacteria to thrive. Without a protective bacterial layer, the skin becomes inflamed and ill. Deodorants containing baking soda should therefore be washed particularly carefully off the skin.
Baking soda combined with coconut oil is especially difficult to cleanse from the skin
Coconut oil-based deodorant recipes are also popular. Coconut oil works well as a deodorant as such as it eliminates bacterial growth on the skin. Often, baking soda is also combined with coconut oil. The baking soda-coconut oil mixture is especially difficult to remove from the skin. Therefore, such a deodorant irritates the skin very easily. Baking soda-coconut oil deodorants are indeed effective. they prevent both the smell of sweat and also some sweating. However, special attention must be paid to the cleaning of the skin after use.
Coconut oil is effective as a deodorant as such
I’ve tested the coconut oil as a deodorant in the heat of the tropics. There it seems to work particularly well. Coconut is a cooling oil and is effective in curbing excessive bacterial growth. However, the disadvantage of coconut oil is its greasy content. I don’t like greasy deodorants because they are easily absorbed into the fibres of the clothes. It is quite impossible to get the grease cleaned away from the armpits of the blouse when it has been thoroughly absorbed. I had to throw away a few good blouses because of this very reason.
Coconut-free, soda-free homemade deodorant
I have used a homemade deodorant that does not contain any soda and oils for a long time now. This deodorant is made from only two ingredients.
- 20 ml of clear vodka
- 80 ml of white vinegar
The ingredients are mixed in a spray bottle and used as a deodorant.
This is the easiest deodorant to make and very effective. Even distilled vinegar acts as a deodorant but no-one wants to smell like vinegar. Even essential oils do not hide the smell of vinegar.
Even less anyone wants to smell like vodka. Vodka alone effectively destroys all harmful bacteria. It also does not irritate the skin unless sprayed on an area of skin exposed to the sun. However, the vodka smells nasty.
The wonderful thing about this deodorant is that vodka combined with vinegar does not smell at all. Definitely worth testing.
The odourless distilled vinegar-vodka deodorant has been my favourite so far. Next, I will tell you about the new version of my deodorant. It also curbs sweating.
Meadowsweet deodorant contains salicylates
Vinegar-vodka deodorant kills the odour effectively but does not prevent sweating. That’s why I got excited to test the new version of the product.
Salicylates and sweating
It all started a couple of months ago when I got, as a gift, the Housekeepers Manual. It is a 4-edition series of books, printed in 1936. These books contain quite a lot of information about everything possible. I was surprised when I took a look of the beauty section. There were a few how-to make deodorant instructions. In them, the ingredients were pretty wild like ammonia. However, one recipe says that salicylates control sweating if used externally. I wanted to try to see if the claim is true.
Meadowsweet contain salicylates
To get natural salicylates, I extracted meadowsweet buds in 40% alcohol for 2 weeks. Such an extract is already quite strong and comparable to regular aspirin.
I prepared the deodorant from the extract according to the instructions above. I replaced the vodka with meadowsweet extract.
- 20 ml of meadowsweet extract
- 80 ml of white vinegar
Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle and use as a deodorant.
An effective Meadowsweet deodorant spray also curbs sweating
Meadowsweet deodorant effectively curbs odour. The mild, herbal scent of Meadowsweet is absolutely wonderful in a deodorant. It’s not too strong and distracting at all. The fragrance is also particularly suitable for more masculine taste. After all, meadowsweet is not really a floral scent, even though it is a flower.
I got a test-user for this antiperspirant deodorant. According to his view, the deodorant curbed sweating, at least some of it. However, it is difficult to prove this without accurate scientific evidence. This is a thing a diy-cosmetics maker cannot ever get. However, I definitely recommend trying this deodorant as one option.
Meadowsweet is not for everyone
Meadowsweet deodorant is really simple to prepare. It effectively prevents sweat odour and to some extent also sweating. As a disadvantage of the Meadowsweet deodorant, it contains salicylate. Salicylate sensitivity is a fairly common ailment. Then it is not advisable to use Meadowsweet or willow in cosmetics or anywhere. They are particularly rich in natural salicylates, which can cause sensitization.
Read also:
Powder Cosmetics and Powder Deodorant
Have you made deodorants yourself? Tell us about your experiences!
Mesiangervodeodorantti on äärettömän yksinkertainen valmistaa. Se estää tehokkaasti hienhajua ja jonkin verran myös hikoilua. Mesiangervodeodorantin miinuksena voin mainita sen sisältämän salisylaatin. salisylaattiherkkyys on melko yleinen vaiva. Silloin ei kannata käyttää mesiangervoa eikä pajua kosmetiikassa eikä muutenkaan. Ne sisältävät erityisen paljon luonnon salisylaatteja, jotka voivat aiheuttaa herkistymistä.
Lue myös
Oletko valmistanut itse deodorantteja? Kerro kokemuksistai!
We do walk a lot during our everyday life, also during holidays. In warm temperatures, our feet sweat and make our shoes damp. It is easy to make a foot deodorant using safe ingredients by ourselves.
Deodorant for the feet does require quite different features than those used for the armpits.
The foot deodorant is fat free
You should not grease your feet if you are about to walk long distances on a hot day. Fat in combination with sweat can cause additional abrasions. Therefore, the foot deodorant must be completely fat-free.
Good quality foot deodorant absorbs moisture
Our feet can sweat a lot. You will notice it in your shoes. After a long walk, your shoes are damp. They must be thoroughly dried before next walk. Moisture in shoes and footwear often causes abrasions. Therefore, the foot deodorant should absorb moisture from the feet.
The foot deodorant is antibacterial
Moist and tired feet are easily hit by a fungal infection. Also, the toenails can become inflamed and irritated due to excessive sweating and strain. It is therefore worth adding some antibacterial ingredients to the foot deodorant. They significantly reduce the risk of fungal- and other infections.
Foot deodorant is refreshing and cool
I guess you would like to feel your feet wonderfully fresh and cool. Cooling ingredients create a feeling of coolness and in addition they suppress swelling of the feet. At the same time, the surface temperature of the feet decreases significantly.
Foot deodorant removes the nasty smell from both feet and footwear
This is perhaps the most important point in foot deodorant. A nasty smell is a big problem for many. Even if you can wash your feet occasionally, the smell stays in your shoes. You can add odour-neutralizing ingredients to your foot deodorant. By doing this, you can enjoy your fresh feet all day long.
What are the Ingredients for a Foot Deodorant?
You only need four different ingredients for a foot deodorant
The kaolin clay
Kaolin clay is a mild clay that effectively absorbs moisture. As an alkaline powder it also works very well as an odour eater. Kaolin is a very mild, white and very fine powder. It acts as a talc in foot deodorant. Kaolin is an antimicrobial. It is free from common yeasts or bacteria. That’s why kaolin is one of the most important ingredients in foot deodorants.
Arrowroot powder
Arrowroot powder is highly effective in absorbing moisture. It works best when you combine it with kaolin. Arrow root powder suits well for people with sensitive skin. You can use some other starch, if you like, but I think arrowroot is the best for this recipe.
Aromatic essential oils
I have always been very careful with essential oils. They are very allergenic and used far too much nowadays. Essential oils are able to penetrate through the skin into the human body. The thinner the skin, the more easily the essential oils penetrate the body. The feet and especially the soles of the feet have very thick skin. Therefore, the use of essential oils here is possible.
My favourites for foot treatment are the following oils
- Lavender oil; soothes and cools hot feet. Lavender is the best herb for foot care
- Peppermint oil; refreshing and cool skin oil, antibacterial
- Tea tree oil; can fight many bacteria and fungi, bringing a fresh scent to your feet
- Geranium oil; especially good for killing infections from the skin
- Sandalwood Oil; soothes the skin, cools, disinfects, brings a wonderful scent
How do you make a functional foot deodorant?
For foot deodorant, you need following:
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
- 2 tablespoons kaolin clay
- 20 drops of essential oils; If you want to prevent infections you can use more tea tree oil. Otherwise you can use 4 drops of each oil. If you do not have all these oils, you may well be able to increase the amount of other oils accordingly.
Do like this:
- Mix the powders in a bowl very carefully
- Drip the essential oils and mix thoroughly again
Pack the foot deodorant in a plastic bottle where you can conveniently sprinkle it on your feet. If you do not have a scattering bottle, pack the powder in an aluminium can or glass jar and apply it with a powder puff or with a cotton pad.
The product will last for a very long time as long as you remember to hold the cap on so that the essential oils do not evaporate.
How to use the foot deodorant?
Apply foot deodorant to clean, dry feet. Be sure to apply foot deodorant to the toes as well. You can use this deodorant with or without a sock. You can also use this deodorant to disinfect leather shoes.
However, I do not recommend powdered deodorants for sneakers or other shoes with textile linings. Lining will absorb the deodorant and it would be hard to keep your shoes clean.
The best freshener for shoes is baking soda. You can let it stay in shoes overnight and vacuum it in next morning.
Spraying with vinegar is also great way to refresh shoes. Vinegar also evaporates from shoes and does not spoil them.
Happy Holidays take care of feet and shoes!
Give a try to this foot deodorant and tell me how it worked for you!
You have certainly used vinegar as such for many purposes, but have you ever prepared cosmetics from vinegar.
Vinegar is used to be seen as a very strong raw material for cosmetic products. This is largely due to the smell of vinegar. Certainly, for example, lemon juice is just as strong but its aroma is very pleasant. The smell of vinegar is also the main reason why it has not been developed cosmetic products so often.
Herbal extract from vinegar
The most convenient way to combine the good characteristic of a vinegar is to prepare herbal vinegar extract. Good herbs for extracts are aromatic herbs like thyme and rosemary. You can combine different plants and prepare your own extract, for example, from dried summer herbs. Calendula and chamomile are also good for extracable herbs. You can use the for extraction either white wine vinegar or distilled vinegar. Expensive unfiltered apple cider vinegar I would not waste for this purpose. You can use it as it is.
Herbs Suitable for vinegar extraction
You can use all kind of herbs in herbal vinegar extract either fresh or dried
- Citrus peels (organic quality)
- Aromatic culinary herbs such as rosemary, thyme, sage
- Leaves of blueberry, leaves of cowberry; this way you can get arbutin into a cosmetic product
- Fresh ginger; relieves pains, good for foot baths
- All mints are also good for foot baths and deodorants
- Nettle
Prepare the herb extract as follows
- Clean the herbs if they are fresh
- Shred herbs into smaller pieces and put to glass jar with a lid. The glass jar should be so small that you can get it completely full of herbs. I myself have used baby food jars.
- Pour the spirits vinegar or white wine vinegar so that the herbs are covered.
- Close the jar and place it in a light-protected place for two, maximum four weeks.
- You can also talk to a jar ?
- After four weeks filter the vinegar and move it to a clean glass jar with a lid.
- You can use this way with extracted vinegar for about half a year. Then it’s time to make a new.
Where you can use the herbal vinegar extract
- You can prepare the facial toner from herbal vinegar
- You can make deodorants from herbal vinegars
- You can use it in foot baths
At the same time, prepare many different herbal vinegar extracts for different purposes. This way you will always have in your closet semi-finished products to produce cosmetics. In the summer, it is worth of picking up natural herbs and store some that are suitable for your skin for the winter. Herbs can also be frozen and you can made vinegar extracts of frozen herbs.
Deodorant made of herbal vinegar
Vinegar is an antibacterial. It is a very common preservative. So, we can prepare a deodorant that reduces the growth of bacteria. Body odor and perspiration suppressing herbs are, for example, stinging nettle and sage. Please note that stinging nettle may easily dye white clothes if used too much.
Vinegar is suitable for deodorant very well as it keeps bacteria and fungi at bay. After all, vinegar is precisely a preservative. You can also use apple cider vinegar without herbs for this recipe. However, if you want to try the herbs effect you can prepare herbal vinegar for deodorants.
The gentle herbal vinegar arises from the chamomile. Chamomile also does not stain clothes as well as stinging nettle.
There are plenty of silica in the nettle. The silica effectively eliminates sweat from the skin and takes care of the skin.
Sage prevent sweating. It can also be used internally, for example such as a tea.
Witch Hazel Water is a heavily astringent ingredient. It reduces perspiration and is therefore useful in deodorants.
Here is a separate post about Aloe Vera. It is a skin care and soothing ingredient. Aloe Vera is anti-microbial and also helps in the prevention of sweat odor.
For a spray-on deodorant, you need
- Spray bottle, made of glass
- 50 ml of herbal vinegar extract from e.g. chamomile, nettle or sage; These herbs help to prevent perspiration and sweat odor formation
- 1tbsp aloe Vera Juice
- 1tbsp Witch Hazel Extract
- 1tbsp boiled water
- 5 drops of essential oil; For example, Cedar or Tea tree
- 5 drops essential oil of lemon or lime
Do this
- Measure all ingredients in a spray bottle
- Close the cap and shake vigorously
- Use small amounts in clean armpits.
- Let the deodorant dry for a short while before dressing up.
Facial toner for acne
The vinegar is suitable for all skin types as a facial water, if one can accept it’s odor. Vinegar is an acidic substance and therefore a very suitable facial ingredient. It balances the pH-level effectively.
If you want, you can always choose an unfiltered apple cider vinegar for facial toner. It can be slightly diluted with water before putting in a spray bottle. Such a product is the simplest. Vinegar is an effective conditioner for acne-prone skin. It does not dry out the skin but keeps it moist.