Making our own homemade products is a blast! Today I will share yet another way we are cutting the Walmart cord and choosing a different, better, more prudent way of life.
Why Homemade?
I like to address this up front to displace the common assumption that homemade products are made simply for the savings… savings is just one handsome fruitage.
In reality, the homemade modus operandi goes far beyond saving a few bucks. More accurately, it seeks to tap into the oft ignored foundations of family togetherness, self reliance, creative exploration, and exercised independence.
It Has To Be Sustainable
If you are a frequent follower of our homemade endeavors you should know that I require homemade products to be easy to make.
For us, difficult recipes requiring a lot of uncommon ingredients is simply not sustainable! So we seek to always adopt solutions that are easy to make and contain common ingredients (whenever possible), yet work extremely well. Today’s recipe will embody that product philosophy more so than any other!
Natural Homemade Deodorant Recipe
To make your own natural homemade deodorant, follow these simple steps:
- Purchase a bottle of 99% Isopropyl rubbing alcohol – approximately $1.00/pint
- Purchase a small refillable spray bottle (we use the 3oz variety commonly found in the personal product travel section) – approximately $1.00/bottle
- Pour the alcohol into the spray bottle
- Spray under your arms for protection against body odor caused by bacteria
Before you ask…
Does it work? Yes – it works. Yes – it’s that simple. Yes – it’s that inexpensive. Believe it… I have been doing exactly this for about 3 months now and will never go back to expensive, chemical laden, store bought deodorants.
Does it sting/hurt? It depends. It never stings for me because I do not shave my pits. My wife said that using the spray immediately after shaving does sting, but will only last for a second or two and is definitely doable.
Does it smell? It smells like alcohol, but can be supplemented with a few drops of your favorite essential oil. In our experience the scent of the oil will not last and is primarily beneficial to mask the alcohol smell during application.
Will I stink? No… remember question number 1 – it works. The alcohol kills the bacteria that cause the odor.
Will I still sweat? Yes, and you should. Sweating is good for you; it is your body’s way of releasing toxins. If you blocking your sweat pores by using antiperspirant you impede your body’s ability to naturally release those toxins. Impeding this process can also effect the pH balance in your body leaving your body more prone to infection by harmful viruses and bacteria. Using the alcohol allows your body to release the toxins unimpeded, yet still eliminates odors by killing the bacteria outside the body.
How long does it last? Depending on how much you exert yourself, it may last all day, or you may need to reapply. In my experience I have NEVER had to apply it more than twice in one day – once in the morning… and once in the evening.
Will it stain or bleach my clothes? No, not in our experience. I would say as long as you are not dumping copious amounts of alcohol all over your clothing you should be fine.
Is it safe? Using alcohol as deodorant is just as safe as use as an antiseptic on cuts and scrapes. Unless someone has an allergy to alcohol, using it as a deodorant is safe for adults and young adults alike.
Why haven’t I heard of this before? Because companies cannot make money by marketing it.
Are there other uses of alcohol? Sure… be creative. I always encourage people to decrease their dependence on consumer products, and increase their own ability to “think and live outside the box!”
Did I mention that this will save you money?
C’mon… don’t be afraid – GO TRY IT!
What do you have to lose? Better yet… what do you stand to gain?
DFA is passionately dedicated to helping people break the bondage of debt and work toward financial freedom using biblical principles.
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I actually chuckled when I read the recipe. Admittedly, I’m a tad bit afraid of the sweaty pits but you are absolutely correct in that our bodies need to sweat. Maybe trying this now in the winter months will be good time for me. Even if I go half the year, it’s still an improvement, right?
.-= Lydia aka Ms. MoneyChat´s last blog ..5 Benefits of the Great Exodus =-.
I may give that a shot tonight. I just don’t wear deodorant after my shower (at night) so I’ve got at least half a day w/o it. But I don’t like the idea of clogging up pores every day if I don’t have to.
.-= Mrs. Micah´s last blog ..4 Lessons From My First Job – Guest Post =-.
You will have to exercise caution, as with any other personal care product. Still, I think it’s great to deodorize without blocking sweat pores.
And the best thing? No more deodorant stains on tshirts!
.-= Arthi´s last blog ..Tips for a great home. =-.
I’ll have to try this one. As a mom of teen girls I’ve been extremely careful when it comes to having them introduce chemically laden products to their bodies. We only use natural ingredient deodorants and no anti-perspirants. Women who do use anti-perspirants should read about the possible links between anti-perspirants, shaving of the arm pit and breast cancer. The hard part is finding products that actually work well enough. Although we have found a few most of them don’t. I’ll look forward to seeing how this one works
.-= Carmen´s last blog ..Be a SMART ASS and Design Your Best Life! =-.
This is awesome! I use what basically amounts to a salt block. I bought it for 1.50, and it says it can last up to a year with daily use. I’m at six months and haven’t even used a tenth of it.
It’s amazing what you can do (and how much money you can save) when you walk away from all of the chemical stuff and still be just as clean. Baking soda and vinegar are pretty much all we use to clean–it’s cheap and won’t pollute the environment.
love these recipes and tips–keep them coming!
I think I am going to have to try this! I love natural things and of course saving money. Thanks for the post.
.-= Michelle Traudt´s last blog ..Checking Off To-Do’s =-.
Another use for rubbing alcohol (and you may already do this, since you use a lot of the same homemade products as I do), is window cleaner. Put 1 cup of alcohol, 1 cup of water (straight from the tap), and 1 Tbsp ammonia in a spray bottle and voila! Window Cleaner!
Thanks for your great posts. It is so nice to know that others out there are breaking free from all the commercialism that has been pounded into our culture.
Thanks Kate. I was just thinking about an alternative window cleaning solution aside from vinegar and water.
.-= Money Funk´s last blog ..20 Ways to Cut Expenses =-.
Also newspaper works so much better than paper towels. Your windows will look so clear, and you wont have the fibers that come off the paper towels left behind.
Using rubbing alcohol used to be used frequently for ridding of fevers. But there has been much to say against that use.
I have to say that I am wary of using it for an underarm deodorant.
Now cost wise…I think it’s awesome.
I don’t mean to say negative against it, but working in the science/medical field has me analyzing any alternative uses.
.-= Money Funk´s last blog ..20 Ways to Cut Expenses =-.
I tried this over the weekend to see if it would work and it did. I, like, Carmen also have a teen and tween and I’m careful about them and their personal hygene. They currently use Mitchum. I also have used Chorophyll as an internal deoderant in the past and have not had to use an external. Saving money AND the environment? This is FUN!
.-= Tina Fortune´s last blog ..I No Longer Like to Let Others Spend My Money =-.
We stopped using antiperspirant 2 years ago and started using plain baking soda. It costs .50 cents and we use an old makeup powder puff to dust it under the arms. We’re still using the same container of baking soda from 2 years ago! We also noticed that after stopping the use of antiperspirant we stopped sweating as much. I truly think your body sweats more to try and eject that poison from your pores. I hardly ever sweat now. Come to think of it, we use baking soda for alot of things in our house. tub and tile cleaners, toothpaste, shampoo, ant repellant, removing garlic odor from my hands etc..
Awesome advice Heather… baking soda truly is a wonder agent! Interesting concept you raise concerning less sweat… I suppose it is possible. All I know is that both baking soda and alcohol are FAR better options than chemical laden deodorant sticks! Cheers.
Another benefit to letting yourself sweat is that you’ll feel noticeably less hot in summer. We perspire more then for a reason.
Matt,
I love your website! I am crazy into saving money and even crazier about saving the environment. Even though it can appear that they do not go hand in hand your website proves otherwise! I had a baby in the last year and I would sweat all of the time so I need pretty intense deoderant. This works! I put it on in the morning and at night and it’s easy. Keep these tips coming!
Alexandra
I’ll probably be giving this a try. Within the last six years my skin has become so sensitive that there’s only one brand of deodorant that I don’t react to–and I only know of one store that sells it and for some reason they only sell it in the travel size. Like Heather H., I hardly ever sweat, either. However, it’s been so long since I’ve used antiperspirant (20 years) that I don’t know if I’m sweating less now than I did when I used it. If this doesn’t work for me, then I’ll probably try Heather’s baking soda idea. (BTW, the best results I’ve ever gotten washing my hair was using baking soda diluted in water.)
Another alternative to deodorant is a fresh lemon, although it costs quite a bit more than alcohol. You simply take a slice of the lemon & rub it on your underarms. You get a light citrus scent, and it does the same thing by killing bacteria.
i wonder if a lemon juice spray would work? maybe a little easier than cutting a lemon every morning =)
So I stumbled on your website yesterday and I used this today and let me preface that I was a clinical deodorant gal before this, but I’ve had it on all day and no smells! I havn’t tried it in a gym setting or on a hot day but so far this works! I didn’t have 99% I only had 70% but it seems to work! My DH was a little skeptical but I think he’ll be a convert and we can save and be green and at the same time! Thanks and keep em coming!
A homemade vodka spray scented with natural essential oils works well too. I’ve used this and Lafe’s brand liquid crystal spray. Both are good, but in the summer I have to reapply it during the day. It took a while for my body to adjust, but I think i actually sweat less now that I’m off the antiperspirant.
I second the vodka recommendation. I have not tried it (I use storebought natural deodorant but am thinking of switching to homemade), but a friend of mine does, and it works for her. Isopropyl alcohol does absorb into the bloodstream through the skin and is, I believe, more dangerous than ingestible types of alcohol. Wish I had some good references for you on this; maybe someone else does.
I “third” the vodka idea, but we use the iso- alcohol, too, since it takes a lot to do harm, as in the factory-workplace exposure. A bit off-topic: our biggest use for isopropyl 50% is to spray-bottle it onto our laminate flooring as the best,safest cleaner. We use microfiber cloths& dish-gloves;MSDS shows that it takes a lot of contact/breathing in to harm you, but it is not smart to expose skin and tissues if you can so easily avoid it (it’s all cumulative thru our lives, right?).The flooring advice found at a large installer’s online site (link? no! sorry: never thought I’d post on this subject!) explained that the pH of most cleaners damages laminate (it’s a plastic-y surface) flooring. We have it in kitchen and whole downstairs.
Isopropyl at 50% or 90% can be used straight; it’s VERY inexpensive. If your floor is large or you can’t get down on the floor to clean quickly without breathing it (we’re old, but limber and strong!), we also rubber-band the cloth onto a swiffer-style mop. Once a month all-over & spot-cleaning. Do not use even “green” cleaners for this chore if the pH is not 7.0 — you could get a test-strip with a wide range of pH values (pond or aquarium store), or realize that all cleaners have a high (most detergents=basic), sometimes even low(acidic) pH.
AND theatre costume pro’s use slightly water-diluted cheap VODKA to spray clothing to seriously freshen-out body odors and it is kind to most fabrics; also I used it neutralize that weird sweet-ish smell from thrift shops without leaving an odor. AND I am about to try this to neutralize toxic moth-ball (Naphthalene) stink…wish me luck.
Refrigerated very-cheap vodka is perfect for tender & flaky pie crust (America’s Test Kitchen’s Jack Bishop)…look here (since Test Kitchen is a subscriber site) http://www.examiner.com/x-4612-Midland-Food-Examiner~y2009m7d7-Flaky-vodka-pie-crust-recipe-for-sweet-or-savory-pies
Thank you so much for the dishwasher detergent recipe…it’s why I came here. I bookmarked your well-designed,well-written site. Thank you again!
I have to say that I love your website, but I went to Wikipedia to read up on Isoprophy alcohol because I had read some comments on other websites about the ingredient. Here is what I found…Like many organic solvents, long term application to the skin can cause defatting. So can I use this spray on my but? haha. I also read that poisoning can occur from ingestion, inhalation, or absorption. I’m sure that it would take a lot, but I’m not sure that I want to use this s a long term solution. I have heard that some essential oils work well, but I’m not sure of the recipe.
¿Its safe to use the isopropyl alcohol directly over the body?
¿Isn’t better dilluted with some water?
I have also used an all-natural salt block deodorant for more than 2 years on the same one. If it ever runs out, I’ll give the alcohol idea a try.
I also LOVE making homemade laundry detergent and fabric softener.
I live in Southern Mississippi and I used this recipe skeptically. I was happily surprised that it worked. I had been using all natural store bought deoderant. This works better. It is less sticky under your arms and also I found that although it doesn’t keep you from sweating, you stay drier because of the alcohol high-evaporation properties. Most importantly, I don’t stink and it’s summer here in Southern Mississippi.
For those worried about the alcohol absorption, I have started using coconut oil and it works really well and it is healthy for you. You can even mix it with baking soda and cornstarch…here is a link to that recipe…
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2010/02/homemade-all-natural-deodorant.html
But I have just been using the coconut oil alone, sometimes I will apply a baking soda/cornstarch mixture separately with an old make-up brush.
I have found that coconut oil is even used for cooking…so no harm from absorption…
How long does it last? Depending on how much you exert yourself, it may last all day, or you may need to reapply. vize işlemleriIn my experience I have NEVER had to apply it more than twice in one day – once in the morning… and once in the evening.
can u explane details for this post.. thanks