Dear Cyber-Friends,
Taking a quick break from DIY makeup, let’s turn now to something even more important: deodorant. We can all agree that looking awesome is fun, but if you’re smelly no one is going to care how great your makeup is, right?
There’s lots of ideas out there for healthy, easy, DIY deodorants. It was one of the very first projects I got into, actually. I require two things from my deodorants: neutralize body odor, and keep the sweating to levels that won’t stain clothes. A little bit of sweat is normal and healthy — not to mention, pretty expected when living in the tropics — but I hate getting sweat stains on nice clothes, and too much sweat (except when exercising, of course!) just feels icky.
Commercial deodorants are usually expensive, and full of nasty ingredients that can cause health issues in the future — not to mention it can be very difficult to find a scent you feel like smelling all the time. Health food stores and similar places usually have a selection of deodorants without the scary chemicals, but they also usually cost even more, and (for me, at least) aren’t as effective or long-lasting when it comes to the important things.
Obviously, this was problem for DIY experimentation to solve!
I tried a lot of different things, and I recommend (if you’re interested) that you do a little research and experimenting on your own to find just the right solution for yourself. In the meantime, to get you started, here’s what I have settled on:
(From Right to Left, Back to Front:)
- Baking Soda
- Arrowroot Powder
- Any type of facial clay (optional)
- Any essential oils, especially antiseptics like Rosemary or Tea Tree (optional).
Basically, you get 50-50 of arrowroot powder (look for it in the bulk, health food, or baking sections of your preferred store) and baking soda (make sure it’s aluminum-free), and blend them together. Put the resulting powder mix in a jar, get a large makeup brush for powder, and you’re all set!
The baking soda works to neutralize odor, and the arrowroot adds smoothness and absorption. One application after a shower, and it lasts me all day! I started using this a year ago, and I’ve had zero problems with it. I don’t even sweat as much!
I started adding clay and rosemary, just to try it out. I haven’t noticed a difference with the clay, which means I’ll probably keep adding it (a little less than the two main ingredients). In theory, it should help with absorption and perhaps even help draw out impurities. The rosemary (just a few drops, mixed in thoroughly) adds a very light, refreshing scent, and possibly a little of that bacteria-killing goodness.
I keep it in a cleaned-out glass spice jar, and use a cheap foundation brush to apply.
It’s easy to use: just tap the brush in the powder, tap off excess powder, and gently sweep it onto your underarms. It works with or without pit hair; either way, it does the job. Brush off any extra powder, and you’re good to go!
Make sure you aren’t wearing your top when you do this, though, or you WILL have Mysterious White Powder problems. If you’re going to have an under-layer that won’t be seen, such as a bra, a binder, or a tank top, then it can awesome to put it on BEFORE applying, and letting a little of the extra powder get brushed into the cloth — it’ll help keep your shirt smelling just as fresh as you, even if it gets sweaty!
I hope I’ve given you some ideas to try out yourself. Good personal hygiene is always worth having, especially when it can be so cheap, easy, healthy, and effective!
That’s it for today; remember to keep an eye out for my newest makeup look tomorrow…
Love,
GeGi.