With more than 60 natural cleaning recipes for every room in your home, our Homemade Cleaners Book empowers you to make your own cleaners naturally. Save money and keep your family healthy & chemical-free.
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.
diyNatural reader Samantha said, “I was extremely, extremely skeptical. I think even a little part of me wanted to be able to come back and say – no it doesn’t work. But, it really did! Like others here, I already feel that I’m sweating less, but as much as I’m excited about not smelling anymore (who wouldn’t be), I’m more excited that I won’t be throwing away shirts that are ruined by deodorant stains. Forget what I save on the deodorant, I will save hundreds of dollars not replacing my clothing!”
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.
Get the book… help us change the world!
With the 60+ natural cleaning recipes in the book you will learn how to:
- clean and do laundry without harsh chemicals
- keep floors and other surfaces looking great
- deodorize and freshen the air with essential oils
- disinfect the kitchen and bathroom
- care for your wooden surfaces
- click here to learn more.
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Forgive me I was going to mention something about the deoderant thing. I read your suggestion regarding using antiperspirant and deodorant. I’m a very happy cancer survivor of 10 years now. I had my cancer treatments and surgeries in Houston at the best cancer center in the world in my opinion. I recall going to a seminar where someone presented an idea for us to ponder. Our bodies, head to toe have lymph nodes which are like little balls of tissue all throughout your body that filter lymph. Lymph consists of all the fluid that leaks out of your blood vessels plus all the white cells that were sent out fighting infecions and inflammation in your tissues. Basically, our lymph nodes work like a drainer in your sink. Our body perspires head to toe right? Now grab some antiperspirant/deoderant and wax up your pits for 40 -50 years or more. Oh.. so it’s sealed in huh? Guess what. We don’t wax our bodies so we won’t perspire. It just made sense watching the demonstration and I was floored. It took time but I did find a deoderant without antiperspirant but now I’m switching to the ideas presented here. You have an amazing site.
Yep, I’ve been antiperspirant free for years now and will never go back. Praise God for healing your cancer!
Another deodorant to try is what I have used for several years. Works fantastic and doesn’t stink or burn. 1 cup water, 1 tsp. baking soda, and if wanted, add a few drops essential oil for scent.
Thanks Carrie.
I am concerned with the harshness of alcohol. I used to use it on my fave as a cleanser but recently found witch hazel. Witch hazel is not as harsh and even helps prevent sweating, naturally. It is most commonly used as an antiseptic. I add essential oils for fragrance. I am going to try this as an underarm deodorant. Maybe it will be better than the alcohol. Any comments?
Hi Mandy, as soon as I read “I am concerned about the harshness of alcohol.” my first thoughts were – she can use witch hazel instead, so your answer is correct, nice work.
Thanks so much for creating a site where so many fantastic ideas can be shared. I made the hand santizer yesterday and today I read suggestions about using vodka for freshening clothes AND arm pits. I had some vanilla vodka in the freezer (from the old party days) and tried it on some musty smelling sweaters I just unpacked for winter and it leaves a nice light vanilla scent! I just tried it in my pits. I’m anxious to see how it works for me so I can dump the commercial deo!
Cool Donna, let us know how your pits turn out.
HOLD THE PHONE !
99% alcohol is the not the best dilution, as it is too strong and bacteria will form a protective shell and survives. Best is 70% ! Sometimes less is more. Also, know that alcohol will cross the skin blood barrier; you will get it in your blood. And, the liver will convert into toxic by-product. So… take is slow, don’t go crazy, keep it low, and be safe!
I’ve used alcohol wipes that you can get in individual packets for wiping you computer key board before I read this blog. It worked really well. I was carrying them around with me cause in FL it gets pretty hot and when I was heading to class, before our public massage clinic (I’m studying to be a massage therapist) I went to the restroom and used another wipe. It was great! Sweat itself doesn’t stink but if the bacteria on our skin starts to break down the sweat it causes an odor. The alcohol took care of that
Very good tip! Thanks for posting.
I have been doing this for a very long time! But I also don’t like the feeling of sweet so after the alcohol dries I apply a little powder just to absorb the sweat. I feel like this works pretty well, but I may have to try to make my own powder at home. Seems like it would be pretty simple.
Alcohol truely does work as a deoderant! I’ve been using alcohol as an alternative for 2 months now. Before using alcohol, my armpits would smell horrible even when using anti-perspirant/deoderant and showering twice daily and for whatever reason they seemed to sweat even more. I would be too embarassed to raise my hand near coworkers because it really smelt horrible! Now, I spray on alcohol in the am and during my lunch-break at work, I use rubbing alcohol pads to freshen up for the remaining of the day. I highly recommend this to everyone !!
It works!!! How amazing! I have added some rose scented essential oil to it. I love it. I will not buy deodorant from the pharmacy ever again! Thanks a million
You can also try the cornstarch, baking soda, and cocoanut oil recipe! Except, every time I use it they say you can put in into a old bottle, it always breaks mine… ha.
This works. Four four years I have been experiencing terrible itchy armpits. It was so itchy that I would go to the bathroom to scratch. It would wake me up it itch so much. And now that I’ve switched to this, the unbearable itching is gone. Thank God!!! and you are a Godsend. Thank you too.
You are so welcome Grace, we’re glad to help.
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I am allergic to all deodorants, so I am excited to try this! I don’t want to stink at the gym, but the hives from even “all-natural” deodorants really suck, thanks for the alternative!
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