DIY Stick Deodorant

Hey all! I wanted to do this post sooner, but one of the points of making your own products is to save money, and I wasn't out of my old deodorant yet. I refuse to let it go to waste even if it is a chemical-filled science experiment. Now that the old store bought stuff is gone I can make my own stuff to combat stinky pits. And guess what? It's stupid easy!

Step 1.

Here's what you need.

This recipe calls for only a few ingredients: baking soda, cornstarch, and an essential oil of your choice. They recommended tea tree oil, but I prefer lavender over that, which was also suggested. Using those three ingredients you can make a loose powder version to apply with your fingers, but if that sounds too messy to you (it does to me), add in coconut oil to make a more solid product. That's what I've done. I took my old deodorant container and cleaned it out with some warm water and an old toothbrush to really get in there. You can buy new empty containers on Amazon, but since this is just for my own use, I decided to reuse. You'll also need a 1/4 measuring cup, a tablespoon, and a bowl.

Step 2.

Try not to make a mess.

Mix 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1/4 cup of cornstarch. Mix carefully - if you just dive in willy-nilly like I did all the powder will poof up and out and make a big mess! Next, add in your essential oil. I just winged it here, adding drops until the smell was to my preference.

Step 3.

Make it stick.

Yay! Coconut oil! I adore this stuff. Aside from baking soda, it's the most useful product I've come across. The recipe suggested starting with 2 TBSP and adding little by little until you get a consistency you like. I used about 3.5 TBSP until I got to where I thought it should be. It takes a bit more effort to blend this with the powders, but you can use your hands like I did. Just don't mush it with your fingers for too long or the coconut oil will melt and make things even more messy.

Step 4.

The Smush

I used a spoon. You can use your hands, someone else's hands, a robot hand - whatever you want. Just get it into the container and pack it in tight until it's completely full. I ended up having about a tablespoon leftover that wouldn't fit, but that's OK. You can store leftovers in a container and use it for your next batch. Or use an empty travel size deodorant container and keep it in your purse, car, or save for actual traveling.

Step 5.

Let it set.

The recipe says it takes a day or so for the deodorant to fully set. It also recommends using a much lighter application than regular deodorant. Apparently a little bit goes a long way! I'm excited to try this and will have to make an update in a week or so to let you all know how it's working.

Overall Impression:

Again, this was a stupid easy project. I love how simple it's been to create chemical-free products that cost way less than store-bought items. I can't wait to try this out and hopefully the lavender won't make me smell like an old lady or a hippie. I'll keep you posted!

Until next time!

XOXO,

N

Coconut Moisturizer Update

Hey all! Just wanted to give an update on my progress with the moisturizer I made in my first post, as promised. I've been using it on my face daily and I'm really enjoying it. In the morning after I wash my face I have to wait for it to absorb before I put my makeup on, so that's the only downside. With a little schedule adjustment it's not a big deal, especially since I'm a big fan of the results. But it does not leave my skin feeling oily. Once absorbed, my skin is super soft and supple. You know how sometimes you wake up with little whiteheads that seem to appear overnight? I've had less of those. Definitely not a bad thing. It's also been a huge help with the little dry patches I get in the winter. A mega plus is that I find I have to use very little. A a pea sized amount will cover my whole face and neck. A little bit goes a long way!

Will I keep using this?

Yes! A million times yes!

DIY Lip Balm

I love lip balm. I'll admit when it comes to the stuff I'm an addict. I've got a drawer full of them and if I leave the house without at least one in my purse or pocket I have a damn near panic attack. I can't go a full day without having something on my lips. It just feels wrong. But until now I had never tried to make my own. So, upon finding this recipe, I decided to give it a shot. Spoiler alert: It's awesome.

Step 1.

Gather!

You will need shea butter, beeswax pellets (pellets melt faster), an essential oil of your choice (I chose orange) and some sort of container. You will also need coconut oil. I used the same stuff I used for the moisturizer, which I found in my grocery store baking aisle. To melt the ingredients together you will need a pan and a glass jar of some sort. I used my handy dandy Pyrex measuring cup.

Step 2.

Everyone in the pool.

Yeah, that looks pretty gross. That mustard yellow stuff is the shea butter. There's just something about that color that makes me a bit queasy. Anyway...

The recipe I used calls for 1/4 cup of everything but the essential oil. Since I wanted to make a smaller batch, I halved that and used 1/8 cup of the beeswax, coconut oil and shea butter. Those all go into the glass, which then goes inside the pan filled halfway with water. Make sure you don't get any water in the mixture. Turn the burner on medium-low heat and let it work its magic. Stir once in a while to make sure the ingredients are blending together.

Step 3.

This.

If you're impatient like me and get bored while waiting for things to melt, just day drink! Don't judge me. I'm an adult and I'll do what I want. Besides, it was 3 PM so you can't say it's socially unacceptable. Moving on...

Step 4.

Add essential oil.

Eventually your mixture will start to look like this. The beeswax pellets take the longest to melt, but they will dissolve into the rest very nicely after a while. Once that is done it's time to add the orange oil. I used 11 drops - I was going for 10 but one more sneaky bastard got through. It's OK. As it turns out I probably should have used a bit more since the end result was very lightly scented and I was hoping for a more pungent smell.

Step 5.

Fill'er up.

Very, VERY carefully take your glass out of the pan. If what you are using does not have a handle, or if the handle has become hot, just use an oven mitt to grasp it. If your jar doesn't have a spout to pour from I recommend transferring it to something that does. My measuring cup has one so that made pouring the liquid into the tubes much easier. I set up the empty tubes on a paper plate in case of spillage. As you can see, I did spill a little bit but overall I'm fairly impressed with my lip balm tube filling skills. I only bought ten tubes because, honestly, I wasn't imagining things going as well as they did. I filled all of them to the very top and still had some liquid balm left over. With minimal spillage I think I easily could have filled another 2 or 3 of them.

Step 5.

Find a guinea pig.

These little guys cooled and set pretty quickly! Once that happened, Roommate Rachel tested one out. Being the braniac she is, she first tested the tubes' mechanism. "Well, it goes up and down." I guess that's a plus. I probably should have thought to make sure they worked before I filled them. Next time! That aside, the end product got the seal of approval from both Roommate Rachel and myself. Smells nice, feels even better and doesn't leave behind any color whatsoever. According to the recipe I used these have a shelf life of about a year. That shouldn't be a problem considering how much lip balm I go through.

Overall impression:

That was stupid easy to make. And I didn't burn myself or anything else in the process, so I'm pretty impressed with my mad scientist skills as well. I'm very happy with the end result and will be proudly passing these out to friends and family. These are also good for skin elsewhere, so if you're prone to dry spots on the face in cold weather like I am, this is fine to use and makes for easy application.

Until next time!

XOXO,

N