Sunday, March 29, 2015

Well Ain't This Sweet?


I used this recipe, which is well-promoted. I made half the recipe and I still could have assembled another of the large deodorant sticks given the amount I threw away.

I don't know if this is going to work, but I will say that the clean up is nasty. If I do this again, I'm buying a throw-away pot (that I can clean in a half-assed way and use only for deodorant-making).

The finished product is very firm, just like the store bought stuff, given that I used 2 oz of beeswax. I mean, this shit is basically a candle. I'm not going to lie - I'm skeptical about how it's going to wear because it has half a cup of oil in it! Furthermore, I realized after making the batch, that I used cornstarch in place of arrowroot. I don't own any arrowroot after having lived through a sink-clogging incident of massive proportions many years ago. For some reason, I blame this on the substance rather than the actual cause (that would be me, putting arrowroot down the drain). Note: I sense that this won't be an issue. In cooking, arrowroot and cornstarch are often used interchangeably.

At any rate, if it does work, this is yet another product I will NEVER buy in the store again. I currently use an all-natural spray that costs 10 bucks every 3 weeks (the way my kid douses herself in it). BTW, I don't feel it works well enough to warrant that price but I don't want to use drug-store stuff, given the evil shit it's made with. This handmade version costs 2 bucks and takes 15 minutes.

I urge everyone to consider making skin and body care - at least to give it a try. We spend an absolute fortune on this stuff - well, I do - especially for quality product. And, seriously peeps, you can make pretty well everything in your kitchen for a fraction of the cost. And it looks just as good. Actually, it can look better if you put some effort in. Not to mention that it isn't carcinogenic. I realize that we all have busy lives and we don't have time to pee, much less make artisanal body oil, but if you find this sort of thing enjoyable (and I really do!), then it's a perfect melding of need and output.

At this point, I've bought a bunch of silicones to reproduce my hair product (Moroccan Oil) and, once I figure that one out, I'm going to be saving ALL the bucks. Ahem, spending them on new bras.

Update: So, this morning I realized why the deodorant was impossible to clean up - and why it's rather challenging to apply: I halved everything in the recipe EXCEPT for the beeswax. So yeah, effectively this deodorant is a candle. Oh well, rookies be makin' rookie mistakes. Happily I was able to salvage the containers (pretty easy to pop candles out of plastic pieces) and I'll give it another go.

Other Update: So I put some of this on this morning (before removing it from the containers) as did my husband and we are shocked by how awesomely it works. Seriously shocked. He's actually going to keep the now stick-free deodorant in ziploc bag because he likes it so much. So natural for the win, I guess. 

13 comments:

  1. This is so interesting. What is the active ingredient in the deodorant? The best hair product I've found is this orange liquid stuff by Kerastase. Very expensive. I'll have to look into that.

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    1. Cornstarch and baking soda are the active ingredients - but the essential oils also play a role (depending on whether you use them cosmetically or in accordance with their holistic benefits). You can also add a probiotic into the mix. BTW, unless you can find a recipe for the Kerastase, I'd start with simpler projects. It's easier to make things from recipes when you're starting out. Otherwise, you're just reading an ingredient list (with little knowledge of the properties of those ingredients) and taking a stab in the dark. For example, I think your face serum would be an easier hack than your average hair product.

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    2. I wasn't thinking of doing anything but following a recipe! I know that there are a lot of them online. The face serum would be the first thing I'd make, and I've seen quite a few recipes for that.

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  2. Will you start selling your potions? Or give workshops on how to make them? I'm intrigued...

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    1. I'll start selling them if people ask me to! I don't think workshops are in the cards in the near future. My life is flat out right now. But if you're in town and we decide to make a few things, we could call it a workshop.

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  3. I've been using 1 part corn starch, 1 part baking soda, and 1 part coconut oil for my homemade deodorant. It's a bit too soft (don't use beeswax) so I keep it in the fridge. I haven't smelled AT ALL, not ever, not once, and I hardly perspire, since I began using it almost 2 years ago. Definitely a winner!

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    1. If you also used 1 part beeswax, it would set and you could put it in a deodorant tube. And I'm using my (imperfect) product today. I'm shocked by how well it works. Hmmm - guess I have a new product in my handmade arsenal.

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  4. Hi K,
    I read your blog every couple of days... really like it. We started knitting around the same time. I haven't taken it to the level you have though..
    One thing I wanted to ask relevant to today's post... have you tried any moisturizers or anti-aging serums? I've seen the lip balm, etc. I would like to switch out all my stuff as well and wondering if you'd made replacements for your 'aging' stuff... vitamin C serum?
    I don't know if you know of this site essentialdayspa dot com . If you go into their Forum, and then their DIY they have a bunch of people there that make all their own beauty stuff and trade recipes etc. Just thought you might be interested.
    Louise

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    1. Hi Louise: Thanks for reading! I make my own serum (I call it Serum A) and it's made of products known to benefit maturing skin. I haven't used neutroceuticals yet (though I've bought a few) because I want to know how to proportion them in my mixes. If you use inappropriate amounts, you can actually do harm (and risk sun sensitivity, which I already have by genetics). But I'm down with the idea! Thanks for that link, btw. Off to check it out. FYI, my serum is really excellent (I borrowed heavily from a natural spa product I've bought in the past). It contains rosehip seed oil, jojoba oil, vit e oil, and a variety of skin-improving essential oils.

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  5. Take it from me, anything you make with beeswax should be done in its own container or something disposable...I am still trying to get it off some of my tools and canning jars after doing candles. I have had success at making beeswax, honey and oatmeal soap. It only has a very small amount of beeswax in the recipe, so it wasn't too hard of a cleanup. I will have to try the deodorant...Thanks for the tips.
    Barb

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    1. I usually use mason jars, but the amount of ingredients required for this surpasses the volume that my mason jars can hold. I need to get a couple of larger sized ones or simply a cheap pot (but not aluminum). Cuz that beeswax is a BITCH to clean up after.

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  6. What recipe did you use for your deodorant?

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    1. Linked to it in the first sentence - it's Wellness Mama's deodorant bar.

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