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Soothing, yet effective, this natural homemade deodorant stick works without baking soda nor coconut oil and uses zinc to help combat odors for those with sensitive skin.
I’m so excited to finally be able to share with you a natural, homemade deodorant for sensitive skin that actually works!
(Before I tell you about my homemade solid deodorant, I wanted to let you know that I now have a roll on deodorant recipe too!)
Over the years, I’ve tried so many different natural homemade deodorant recipes, but all of them were either ineffective, irritating to my skin, or just plain too messy to use daily for the rest of my life.
Can you relate?
Let me start off by telling you…
Natural homemade deodorants that don’t work (for me)
I’ve been on the search for a decent natural homemade deodorant for years now. Long, long ago, even before I started trying to live a more natural lifestyle, I even had issues with a lot of “normal” deodorants not working for me.
I tried everything from detoxing and eating mostly fruits and veggies for awhile after hearing that often body odor is diet related. I tried supplementation, but that didn’t seem to help me much either.
For awhile, I was even buying some strange sort of special 2-3 day deodorant that I found here in Spain. It was a conventional deodorant, made to last for several days without needing to reapply, but I was using it daily. That, of course, concerned me a bit.
Crystal deodorants
I wanted something more natural, so I turned to those weird crystal deodorants that you have to get wet with water and then apply under your arms. Unfortunately, not only did I find them messy, and not 100% effective, but I ditched the idea when I learned that the active ingredient was an aluminum salt. I mean the whole reason I was ditching the conventional deodorants was to try to avoid as many toxins like aluminum as possible, right?
Many will call me irrational and argue that they are perfectly safe, but why take the risk, especially when I have cancer and Alzheimer’s running in my family?
Coconut oil + baking soda
I wanted something that was aluminum free, so I turned to the internet and began using a mixture of mostly coconut oil and baking soda. At first it seemed to be working out well for me, but when I started to try to exercise while wearing it, or even just at certain times of my cycle, the baking soda would become way too irritating for me and I’d end up with very red and sore, chaffed armpits. If I ditched the baking soda and just used coconut oil, whose antibacterial properties are supposed to work as a deodorant alone, it was if I hadn’t applied anything at all. Coconut oil did absolutely nothing for me, and only left me feeling a bit messy.
Baking soda free deodorants
Because the baking soda irritated my skin, I began to try out numerous baking soda free deodorant recipes that I found on the internet. Most of these recipes again used coconut oil, but either replaced the baking soda with clays (like bentonite clay), essential oil mixtures, or both. I guess the clays are supposed to help absorb the moisture, something that I wasn’t as worried about, and the antibacterial qualities of the essential oils are supposed to help combat body odor. While they did help somewhat, they definitely weren’t enough to keep me smelling fresh, and my husband was only all too willing to tell me how ineffective they really were!
At one point, I even spent a small fortune buying the ingredients to try out a natural homemade deodorant recipe that used neem oil, and it smelled so bad that just by wearing it I smelled worse than the body odor that I was trying to avoid! Plus, it didn’t work, and the mixture of neem oil and body odor was nauseating enough that I couldn’t sleep well the first night I applied it. My husband was, once again, happy to make sure I knew. Sigh.
Back to the drawing board…
Baking soda + water
Baking soda was irritating to my skin, but it did work for me, so I decided to try again. I figured that it was probably the abrasive nature of the powdered form that was causing me problems. For several months, I filled a rollerball deodorant container with baking soda dissolved in water. I sometimes added a few drops of an essential oil like tea tree oil to help with its antibacterial qualities.
Baking soda and water actually worked pretty well, and most of the time wasn’t even irritating to my skin! I did have an occasional flare up, but usually months would pass between them.
The real problem, though, was that it was very messy to apply. The baking soda solution was completely liquid, so it usually ended up all over the place, leaving a white powdered mess behind once it dried. I got sick of always having to clean up afterward, and my husband started to complain about the white stains everywhere when I unwittingly left a few drops behind. It also left white marks on my clothes like spilled toothpaste. They were easy enough to clean, but I got sick of the white spots showing up on my clothes all of the time.
Why does baking soda work as a natural homemade deodorant?
Baking soda is an effective deodorant because it alters the pH under your arms, making it a hostile environment for bacteria to form. In the case of baking soda, a base, the pH is raised enough to help combat body odor.
Do acids like Vinegar, lemon juice, and citric acid work as natural deodorants?
Lowering the pH is another great way to prevent body odor. That’s why vinegar is another natural deodorant that is used by many, and I was effectively using it myself for months at a time.
There were several problems with using vinegar as a deodorant, though. I had to apply it when my husband wasn’t around because he can’t stand the smell of it. Fortunately, the scent of vinegar goes away when it dries, so it can be an effective deodorant that doesn’t smell bad.
Unfortunately, although it worked, for the most part, there were days that midway through the day I could tell that it was no longer working. I reapplied, when I was able, but when I started applying too often, I ended up with red, sore armpits again.
I tried using lemons, but didn’t like “wasting them” as a deodorant, plus I had similar issues with lemons as I did with vinegar.
For awhile, citric acid dissolved in water was my go to natural deodorant recipe of choice, but, again, it was hard to find a concentration that would be effective without irritating my skin. Still, it was what I was using up until recently, when I made a discovery by accident!
I told you I tried a lot of different natural homemade deodorants!
Watch me make my natural homemade deodorant for sensitive skin
Zinc as a natural deodorant
Unlike aluminum, zinc is an essential trace element that your body needs to maintain health. Instead of irritating the skin, it can actually help with wound healing. Zinc in topical formulas is also thought to help with acne, eczema and psoriasis. (Just think of the zinc oxide in many diaper creams.)
How does zinc oxide work as a deodorant?
Zinc oxide has antibacterial qualities. In fact it works against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. If you have no idea what that means, don’t worry. It just means that it’s effective over a wide spectrum of bacteria, so no matter what bacteria is causing your odor issues, you should be covered.
As I mentioned before, body odor comes from perspiration combining with the bacteria on your skin, so if you can create a hostile environment for the bacteria by either altering the pH (baking soda, vinegar), or by using something with antibacterial properties (essential oils, zinc oxide), you can prevent body odor from developing.
Zinc oxide alone in a deodorant works fairly well which I found out by accident one day when I applied a homemade sunscreen (post idea?) to my red, irritated armpits when I had no other creams or lotions on hand. Not only did it help calm my irritated skin, but I was surprised to find that I had no unpleasant body odor, despite not wearing any deodorant of any type.
Zinc Ricinoleate as a deodorant
I really started to look into zinc for deodorants, though, when I noticed that zinc ricinoleate, a zinc salt that I had bought to prevent acne in a homemade facial cream, was also sold as a deodorant additive. Zinc ricinoleate comes from ricinoleic acid, a fatty acid found in castor seed oil.
If you saw “ricin” in the name and were concerned about it, you’ll be happy to know that although they come from the same place, castor oil and ricin don’t mix. Ricin is water soluble, so it doesn’t get mixed into the castor oil. Any leftover ricin that may enter the castor oil when it is extracted will no longer be an issue because the proteins in ricin are deactivated by the heat used in the process of castor oil extraction.
The mechanism for zinc ricinoleate working as a deodorant isn’t exactly known, but it is thought to absorb the odors somehow without inhibiting natural perspiration.
When I received my package of zinc ricinoleate, it stated on the package that zinc ricinoleate “covers (I’m translating from Spanish, here, so I’m not sure I’m using the perfect translation, but…) the bad odors that are caused by the bacterial decomposition of sweat so that they aren’t perceived as unpleasant.” I’ve tried to research the exact mechanism of “covering” the odor, but it seems like it isn’t well understood. Most places that talk about it just say that it has a way of absorbing the bad odors.
If you don’t have zinc ricinoleate, you can most definitely try to make the recipe without it. As I stated earlier, my homemade zinc oxide sunscreen was enough to combat body odors without any. Because I had it on hand, and it is an ingredient specifically purposed to deodorize, I figured I may as well add it to my recipe to give it a little extra strength, especially now in the summer when I’m sweating a lot more. Zinc ricinoleate, though, is a very inexpensive ingredient, and it shouldn’t be that difficult to find if you intend on making deodorant in the future. It comes as a sort of waxy bead that you melt along with the beeswax into the other oils. If you omit it, there is a chance that your deodorant stick will be a little less solid, but you can avoid that problem by adding in an extra gram or two of beeswax.
How well does this homemade natural deodorant with zinc oxide work?
I’ve been using this homemade deodorant ever since I got home from the US last month. It’s been hard for me to keep it off the blog because I’ve been so excited about how well it’s working for me, but I wanted to make sure that I gave it a good try for long enough before sharing it with all of you.
Not only has it worked through many-a-workout and walking outside on hot summer days, but it hasn’t caused any irritation at all. In fact, I think it has helped sooth my armpits and has kept me from getting chaffing when I walk or run without any sleeves. In the past, despite the heat, I’d have to wear short sleeves when walking or running to avoid friction rashes, but I’ve been able to workout in tank tops and sports bras lately! You can’t even begin to know how happy I am about that!
So, are you excited to begin?
Let’s make some deodorant!
Natural Homemade Deodorant for Sensitive Skin
Natural Homemade Deodorant for Sensitive Skin
Makes around 75 ml (5 small 15ml tubes, or one larger 75ml tube)
Materials
- 25 g shea butter
- 40 g sweet almond oil
- 15 g beeswax pellets
- 20 g zinc oxide
- 2 g zinc ricinoleate
- 1/2 tsp. matcha
- .5 g vitamin E
- .5 g tea tree essential oil
- .5 g lavender essential oil
Instructions
- Melt together the shea butter, almond oil, beeswax, and zinc ricinoleate in a double boiler until the wax and zinc ricinoleate melt. Remove from the heat.
- Add in the zinc oxide, matcha powder, vitamin E drops, and essential oils, and whisk together well until the zinc oxide is well incorporated into the oils and wax.
- While still warm, pour the mixture into deodorant containers. You can also pour it into tins, or pour any excess into storage containers, for applying the deodorant by hand.
- Allow the mixture to cool off and set without disturbing it. Once it has set, you can use it immediately!
Notes
- Matcha is optional for antioxidant/anti-inflammatory properties and a bit of color.
- Use the essential oils of your choice for scent. (Or leave them out completely for unscented.)
- If you prefer a roll on deodorant, I have a new recipe for a natural roll on deodorant that also uses zinc.
Substitutions
I’m allergic to beeswax or I am vegan and don’t want to use it. What can I use instead?
I haven’t tried it yet, but am in the process of ordering some candelilla wax to try it out. It’s a vegetable wax that is supposed to make a great substitute for beeswax in natural recipes. I’m going to try using it in some of my future homemade makeup recipes too.
I don’t have zinc ricinoleate. What can I use instead?
I’d suggest adding it to help with the deodorizing abilities of this homemade deodorant, but if you are in a pinch and want to give it a try without it, you can leave it out. Because it is a waxy ingredient, you should replace it with an extra gram or two of beeswax to help keep the deodorant solid. If you just leave it out, you’ll end up with more of a cream than a solid deodorant.
I personally always use the zinc ricinoleate because I need the extra odor fighting. I’ve heard from several people who have made the deodorant without it. It has been effective for some, and not so much for others. Using them together, though, I have yet to hear from someone who says it doesn’t work for them. So, if you can find it, add it!
I don’t have almond oil, but do have coconut oil. Can I use that instead?
Yes, you can use coconut oil or another carrier oil instead. As much as I love coconut oil, I like to try to leave it out of my homemade beauty products because it solidifies at around 76ºF. The problem is that the consistency of the products can greatly change depending on the temperature outside. This recipe works best with a liquid oil, so coconut oil will work great in the summer, but I’m not sure how solid the deodorant will feel in winter.
To avoid having that issue, you can either use a fraccionated coconut oil, which doesn’t solidify, or use a little less beeswax when you make your winter batches with “regular” coconut oil.
Why the matcha? Can I leave it out?
I’m so glad you asked. If you don’t have any matcha, you can most certainly make this deodorant without it, but I think it’s a great addition to this homemade deodorant.
I started using matcha in my first homemade deodorant, a recipe that I almost posted on this blog last year. I had determined that dissolving the baking soda helped me to avoid the sensitivity issues with baking soda deodorants, but I hated applying a liquid solution of baking soda, so I made a deodorant stick recipe using a combination of baking soda and water combined with oils.
Lotions and creams are made by emulsifying together a water solution and an oil solution, using a wax or other emulsifier to help keep them together. Adding water and other liquids to your lotions and creams makes them lighter and hydrating, but it has the disadvantage of being a breeding ground for bacteria. (Just think how quickly a fresh fruit or vegetable goes bad in comparison with a dried one whose moisture has been removed.)
I was mainly relying on the high pH from the baking soda to help make my homemade deodorant last longer without needing to add preservatives. To prolong the shelf life further, though, I added vitamin E to the oily part, and I added matcha powder to the liquid part. Honestly, that isn’t necessarily a great idea because it isn’t a preservative, but I figured anything that would make the deodorant more inhospitable to microbes would be welcome.
Green tea, in the form of matcha powder, has lots of antioxidants, it’s anti-inflamatory, and it makes the deodorant a beautiful shade of green! I loved it so much in my old recipe that I had to use it again here. Powders in anhydrous products like this one (something that only uses oils and waxes, and no water) also seem to help with the glide factor. All of that said, you most certainly can leave it out of the recipe!
As for the old recipe with baking soda that I wanted to share with you once upon a time…
It worked marvelously for months, but I occasionally got irritation, something I didn’t want if I were to share this as a recipe for sensitive skin!
For those of you that prefer a deodorant with baking soda, though, I’ll share my old recipe with you here.
You’ll notice several things that make this recipe not so ideal. First of all, there are oils and water without any emulsifiers or preservatives. I surprisingly never found any separation when using the mix. Perhaps because the water lever was so low? Beeswax isn’t really an emulsifier, but perhaps it was enough to incorporate the small amount of water in this recipe.
This is a small batch, and it’s probably a good idea to keep it that way because it incorporates water without any real preservatives. (Baking soda will raise the pH which does serve to inhibit microbes from forming. The essential oils, matcha, and vitamin E don’t really preserve at all, but may help it last a bit longer. I can’t be sure that the pH is high enough to prevent bacterial contamination here because I’ve never tested it.) I had mine last a couple of months without any issues, but if you decide to try this recipe, and it starts smelling funky, don’t risk it and throw it out!
This was the homemade baking soda deodorant that served me well for quite some time. It’s smoother than the average baking soda deodorant but grainier and not as smooth and creamy as my zinc oxide deodorant.
Baking Soda Deodorant for slightly sensitive skin
4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. matcha
2 tsp. water
2 Tbsp. shea butter
1 Tbsp. almond oil
1.5 Tbsp. Beeswax
10 drops vitamin E
10 drops tea tree essential oil
15 drops lavender essential oil
- Dissolve the baking soda in water over a double boiler.
- Add in the shea butter, almond oil, and beeswax and whisk over the double boiler until the wax and shea butter have melted, and all of the ingredients are well combined.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the matcha, vitamin E and essential oils.
- Pour into deodorant containers and allow to set.
This deodorant worked well for me for quite some time, so it may be worthwhile to those who are sensitive to zinc oxide, but that can handle baking soda when it isn’t so abrasive. That said, I now much prefer the zinc oxide based deodorant and no longer use this recipe!
How to Make Boba, aka. Tapioca Pearls, From Scratch
Thank you Tracey!
I’ve been using this recipe for around 3 weeks now and NO SMELL Yay!
Even last week i was working hard unloading a container of stock and still good at the end of it.
I made 3 little tubes of this and took one to work in case of needing to reapply and I have not had to yet.
I know it’s not an antiperspirant, but I find it is doing something that results in less sweat, vs if I use nothing, so that’s nice.
I have found it creamy/sticky. No so much that it’s bothering my clothes, and it seems to absorb into my skin after a while so there’s no visible sign of it at the end of the day (I can’t say I go and check the mirror throughout the day lol maybe I should to know for sure), but enough to be slightly inconvenient as I think I’m using more than I need.
I wondered if I got something wrong when scaling the recipe down, or the oil I substitued (I used jojoba), or if it was just the zinc oxide. It did remind me a bit of baby bum cream! I will try your suggestion of melting down my unused tube with some more wax
Hi Sarah,
I’ve been meaning to update this recipe by lowering the amount of liquid oil, and raising the amount of wax in the recipe to make it slightly more solid. It seems that, depending on the different zinc ricinoleate used (and other ingredients?), it turns out creamier and less solid for some people. Mine is quite solid, so I really only apply a very thin layer.
That said, even with my zinc r, the last time I made it, I made it with that adjustment and really liked the resulting texture. The problem is I wrote down what I used and lost the paper. So, I meant to try one more batch before modifying the recipe.
It’s fine to play with the recipe in that way, though, to make it more solid. It definitely goes on better and feels less sticky if you can make it more solid by reducing the liquid oil and increasing the wax!
I hope that helps.
I made this the other day with a few amendments and it is working great!! I wanted to mention the additions I made in case they help anyone. Firstly I subbed out half the zinc oxide for a mix of French green clay and tapioca flour. Next I used oil in which I had infused usnea (a kind of lichen that grows abundantly on our property and is supposed to have anti-microbial properties). This may not work for everyone as I’m not sure how available it is generally, but it probably isn’t vital. I don’t have the zinc ricinoleate yet so I added more beeswax instead. I have been very happy with the result! Better than the bicarb one I used to make, which also caused a horrible rash.
I really didn’t expect this to work so well on the first go. I even went for a 1-hour bike ride today and no smell at all!
Hi Deborah,
I love your version too!
Yes some people find that the zinc oxide is enough for them. Others (like me) need an extra bit of help from the ZR. I’ve even had people tell me that they have only used ZR and not ZO, and that has worked too!
I guess it depends on what works for you and what you can find locally. 🙂
i want to know how long does the deodorant last on the shelf ?
Hi Anthony,
This doesn’t have any water-based ingredients, so it really keeps as long as the individual ingredients would. What I mean by that, is that if you are using oils with an expiration date in a few months, go by those dates as a guideline.
To extend the shelf life, don’t get it wet. Try to apply to clean, dry armpits so as not to “contaminate” the product.
Hi Tracy!
Your site is just amazing!! I really enjoyed reading all the good info =) thank you for sharing your knowledge!! I am having a really really difficult time finding a natural deodorant that works for me, just as you did =(. I have used a lot of different things with no success. I used a powder with baking soda, arrowroot powder and lavender oil and It worked so amazing for me!! Until it started burning my underarms horribly, I had very dark underarms for a while after that. So I had to stop using it. I used lemon juice too! It worked good bc I had no bad odor while using it, the bad part was that I did sweat (there was still no odor while sweating) so It was very uncomfortable to be sweaty. The lime was also very annoying to apply since I would have to use a hair dryer (on cold setting) to dry my underarms, this took too much time and it sometimes left a sticky feeling.
I want to ask you some questions in hopes of finding the ideal Natural deoderant, if I ever do find it I will be extremely happy =)
I had read about Zinc so I recently bought Non-nano uncoated oxide powder the bag says its “therapeutic grade” I am not sure if this would make a difference or not. As soon as I received the zinc powder I started using it straight with nothing else, I would simply grab some and rub it directly on my underarms. I am so so sad that this did not work for me! Even though It did stop my sweating, the bad odor was still there very strong =(. I was planning on making a deoderant stick with the zinc and some other ingredients but since the Zinc on its own did not work for me I highly doubt that adding more things would be effective for me. I read on your website about the Zinc Ricinoleate, I would like to try that out but it is pretty pricey =( I was hoping to find something more affordable. What do you recommend for me to do? Do you think the zinc with magnesium chloride (oil) works? I read in your comments someone mentioning that. I was also hoping to get a recommendation for a scale, I would like to buy one that is good quality since I do like to make my own natural cosmetics at home but there are just so many out there. Thank you in advance =)
Hi Bria,
Thank you so much!
Well, for me, the zinc ricinoleate is what works best.
When used in combination with the zinc oxide, I think the deodorant has worked for pretty much everybody. I can’t remember anybody telling me it didn’t work for them when using both together.
Those that have only used zinc oxide- some find that it is enough and it works for them, but others find that it isn’t enough for them. I’m one of the latter. I need the extra help from the ZR. I even had a couple write me to tell me that they don’t react well to zinc oxide, so they made my deodorant with only the zinc ricinoleate and loved it.
I’m not sure about the magnesium chloride. I’ve heard of people saying it works for them, but I find that it irritates my skin and isn’t effective as a deodorant for me.
My husband uses my other recipe- the roll-on deodorant, but this one works better for me.
As for scales…
The main scale I use was just a normal kitchen scale that I bought at a local supermarket here in Spain.
There are some very accurate scales, but they are very expensive. So, this is what I do…
I have one normal kitchen scale that measures to one decimal place for grams and can weigh up to 2kg. Then, for smaller measurements, I have a jeweler’s scale. It measures small amounts more accurately because it measures several decimal places, but overall, you can only weigh up to about 500g.
I use the kitchen scale for soap recipes and larger batches. The jeweler’s scale is perfect for small batches and recipes like this one.
It’s probably impossible for you to find the very same scales I bought because I bought them locally here in Spain, but I can share some links to similar type products if you like.
This is an example of a kitchen scale like mine.
[eafl id="19290" name="kitchen scale" text="kitchen scale like mine"]. This is an example of a jeweler’s scale like mine. [eafl id="19291" name="jeweler's scale" text="jeweler's scale like mine"].
I hope that helps!
I have found that three parts white vinegar to one part distilled water with quite a few drops of lavender essential oil in a mist bottle works for me. I tried a few combinations with magnesium chloride (magnesium oil) all led to irritation. I found that vinegar and water alone wasn’t enough, it must be the antimicrobial properties in the lavender. I will continue experimenting with this formula as the base.
Hi Ryan,
I hope you find something that works well for you!
I couldn’t use magnesium either. I found it irritating too.
Thank you so much for replying =)
I just saw your response. The scale idea sounds great! I will buy both scales.
I will also buy the zinc ricinoleate to give it a try, I hope this works =)
what function does the zinc oxide have? does it help with the sweating?
I forgot to tell you that I was worried about the expiration date on the zinc because where I purchased it from (online amazon) it doesn’t provide me with the date of expiration and I thought maybe its simply old zinc and so it’s not effective as a deodorant for that reason. Do you know if expired old zinc would lose its potency?
I am going to make your deodorant recipe for my dad and me so I cant wait to find out the results!! does the roll-on deodorant recipe work better on men?
the last question, if I wanted to omit the matcha, almond oil and shea butter would this recipe work out? the reason I ask is because, I find deodorant recipe’s to be more effective the fewer ingredients I add.
Hi Bria,
I added the zinc oxide for yet another type of zinc to make a more effective deodorizer. I have heard from a couple who successfully made this without zinc oxide, though, (one was sensitive to it) and they said it worked really well for both of them. The combination of the two seems to be very effective for pretty much everybody. Using only one seems to work for some people and not for others. (Normally people try leaving out the zinc ricinoleate, though, because it’s harder to find.)
I would try using the zinc anyway. I think it’s pretty stable, and don’t think you’d have any safety issues, so it’s worth a try. I have admittedly been using an older zinc oxide for several years now too. The only issue I’ve seen is that it has clumped up and is a bit harder to use. If you blend it well, though, you should be fine.
I think this recipe is more effective than the roll on. My husband prefers the way the roll-on glides on. That’s why I make that one for him. He doesn’t need something as strong as I do for some reason. I don’t think it’s necessarily a man vs. woman issue- it’s more about preference and each person’s chemistry, I guess. 😉
You can omit the matcha. I add it to make the deodorant a darker color because the zinc oxide is very white. Plus, it’s anti-inflammatory, so it may help calm the skin.
As for leaving out the almond oil and shea butter, they, along with the wax, are making up the bulk of the recipe. It’s what makes the consistency you need to apply the deodorant. You can adjust the levels to get a good consistency for you, and could maybe leave out one of the two, but you’d have to play with the amounts of the other ingredients to get a workable consistency. (More wax hardens, more liquid oil softens. The shea is somewhat in the middle.) You could maybe leave out the shea butter, for example, but the consistency may not be as creamy, and you may need to add more wax to help harden the deodorant slightly.
Do you have the recipe for the sensitive skin deodorant using tablespoons, teaspoons, cups, etc. I do not have a scale and not really wanting to purchase one for this one recipe. Thanks.
Hi Lesley,
I’m sorry. I don’t have the recipe calculated in volume measurements. It’s too difficult to get the right consistency that way as different shapes of wax (beads vs. other forms or different sized beads) would give completely different results in the final recipe.
Even with the recipe as written, I’ve found that the zinc ricinoleate can vary in hardness and that means that some people end up with a creamier deo vs. a solid one.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge Tracy! It was your tip on using zinc oxide that prompted me to start experimenting with it and now I have a baking soda free deodorant I’m finally happy with and that I successfully sell on etsy. I haven’t yet experimented with zinc ricinoleate but I’ve found that the zinc oxide combined with magnesium chloride is pretty effective. I’ve tried other things like diatomaceous earth and magnesium chloride on its own and wasn’t too impressed. I’m wondering if you’ve ever thought about using a natural preservative like aspen bark extract as a deodorizer. I’ve been considering it as a possible additive because I’d like to one day sell an effective deodorant that goes on clear (also because both the magnesium and zinc are a pain to work with). Would be interested to know your thoughts on it.
Hi Elise,
Thank you for your comment. I’m so happy to have helped!
No, I hadn’t considered aspen bark extract as a deodorant. I actually have some at home, but haven’t tried it yet. I meant to use it for facial creams.
Because I haven’t used it yet, I don’t really know how well it works (for anything) or how much irritation it might cause. It is an interesting idea, though.
Zinc ricinoleate would help in your quest to make a clear deodorant, though. It’s nothing like zinc oxide and is much less messy to work with. Perhaps adding that to your other ingredients would help you reduce or get rid of the ZO. (I did have one couple tell me they made my deo without the ZO and it worked well for them.)
I’ve considered trying to make a gel deodorant with clear products too, but now I can’t remember exactly what I wanted to use. (I set aside the project because I couldn’t find dispensers here.)
Wow, Tracy i learned a ton here. i’m experimenting w/deodorants also, so far i’ve had 3 epic fails, the first was diatomaceous earth that stained severely, the second was baking soda that broke my Husband out, the most recent and third, has zinc oxide and was a cruel stainer =( What i’m looking to do is something like Tom’s, water based, solid translucent that doesn’t stain…so my research continues…
Hello,
I’ve found that with zinc oxide, the key is to make the deodorant as solid as possible. That way, you only spread on the thinnest film of the deodorant and it doesn’t stain. If you use it as a paste, it will be sticky and go on in a thick layer which will stain.
I love this deodorant (even without the ricinoleate) and it has been pretty good so far but I’m wondering if there are any ways to make it appear less white on the arms? I find I get white residue on my clothes a lot and it often makes my armpits look white and lint sticks to it like crazy. Has anyone had this problem or has any ideas for a fix?
Hi Morgan,
You want to get the deodorant to be in as solid of consistency as you can so that only a small amount comes off on your skin.
If you’ve made it without the zinc ricinoleate, you probably end up with a very sticky cream that is difficult to apply. When trying to apply something with a creamy texture, you’ll end up apply more than what is really needed, and that will lead to it looking white and even staining clothes.
The zinc ricinoleate is harder than beeswax so it really helps solidify the deo. Some people are finding that even with a different ZR, that it isn’t solidifying enough to glide on easily. I want to update the recipe soon- to lower the amount of liquid oil and/or increase the wax amounts. (That can be either beeswax, ZR, or incorporating some other wax.) That will help solidify things more for everybody.
It may be a bit of trial and error for each person to find what consistency works best for them.
Ok thanks so much! Maybe I will just try adding more beeswax since I can’t find any ZR (and maybe is hit and miss even if I found it if I can’t get the right one). Thanks for your reply!
I have been using your recipe for almost two months now and I have to say IT IS AMAZING!!
I make almost everything these days, you name it, I’ve made it so I know a thing or two about DIY. I spend hours researching recipes & ingredients and tbh this is the first review I have ever left. I came back to pick up the recipe again and upon seeing the review left on 23 July 2019 I just had to leave this review. You are right, everyone reacts differently and nothing will ever work for everyone but that is not your fault and seeing as you set out to do a good thing, people should acknowledge that i.e. there is no need to refer to it as ‘awful”, that is just disappointing! Nonetheless, I do hope Margaret finds something that better caters to her needs.
Now, my experience.. Day 1 -I’m not going to lie.. I stank!! However, I had not used any matcha (ran out) and I think my body just needed time to adjust (it didn’t help that I went straight in with a dynamic 90-minute yoga session, I pitied those around me 🙁 .Move forward to Day 2 onwards, it has been AMAZING (having added matcha on day two), my underarms feel soft, the hair seems to grow less (might be wishful thinking on that one!), I do not stink at all, not even at night or the next morning, I sweat a little less and I never re-apply. I’ve even taken this on holiday where temperatures were 35 degrees + and it worked a treat.
The best bit.. I’ve converted my partner and my sister who both sweat buckets (to put things into context, my partner has been using a deodorant prescribed by the doctor as the standard off-the-shelf deodorants just don’t quite cut it), are both naturally very sceptical about my natural care regimes and are both clean freaks! Now if that doesn’t define how great this deodorant is I don’t know what will!
Hence why I’m back here trying to make more!
I use zinc oxide as it’s proven rather difficult obtaining zinc ricinoleate in the UK, even on Amazon!! Anyhow, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.. I’ll keep on with the zinc oxide until ricinoleate becomes more readily accessible.
Thanks for a beautiful product! I hope you share more 🙂 God bless you! Xx
Thank you so much, Ebony, for your review and feedback! I love hearing how it’s working well for almost everybody!
I’ve heard mixed reviews from people using only one of the zincs, but still can’t recall hearing from anybody who has used both saying that it didn’t work for them.
I’m glad that just using the ZO works well for you.
I buy ZR here in Europe from a place called cremascaseras.es. If you ever decide you want to try it with that, you could perhaps find it there. That said, like you said, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” 😉