Homemade Deodorant & No More Yellow Stains

I've been making and using my own homemade deodorant for about half a year now. I started last summer. If you think that sounds gross, I understand. I was really nervous at first to try it because I thought making my own deodorant would be difficult and I would smell bad. But you should read on because 1. it's easy to make your own deodorant, 2. it's cheap, and 3. it's much better for you than unnatural deodorants. OH YEAH and 4. it works!

I used to use Dove deodorant in an unscented formula. I think most scents are way too strong and really just...yucky. They can even give me a headache. Plus mainstream deodorants have really, really horrible ingredients. Ingredients that are known to have chemicals that can harm your body. Plus, to top it all off, your underarms area is very susceptible to absorption. So those ingredients go straight into you. So about a year and a half ago I began my search for a natural deodorant without harmful ingredients.

There are a lot of 'natural' deodorants on the market: JASON, Tom's of Maine, and Kiss My Face, just to name a few. These are the brands that you can find in health foods stores like Whole Foods. But I've also seen these brands in mainstream grocery stores like Publix. There are also plenty of designer deodorants that don't have nasty chemicals, an example of which is the variety by La Vanila that you can find at Sephora. A tiny bottle sells for $18. Ouch. The other brands are less expensive, but can cost you as much as $6. The problem is that THEY DON'T WORK! (At least not for me. And I have tried every single variety I can find.) 

So, after smelling pretty bad for a pretty long time, I decided to try to make my own. You can use my recipe (which is very informal) to make your own! I've found that it's easiest to apply using your fingers (oh come on, don't freak out, you'll get used to it) so you can put it in really any empty container. I use an old deodorant container because I had one on hand. Plus then I know exactly what it is and so does anyone else who happens upon it. But the upside is that you could actually eat this deodorant (yes, I tried some, it's OK if you think I'm insane or just disgusting) because it's made from ingredients that you might use in a batch of cookies anyway.

My deodorant is made from: coconut oil, baking soda, and cornstarch plus OPTIONAL oil essences. You could use vanilla or peppermint. I've tried both and they work fine.

My method for whipping this up is not very scientific. Don't let that drive you crazy. You just want to get it to a consistency that you can easily rub on your underarms to create a thin coating. Here are the steps:

1. Put a scoop of coconut oil in a small bowl.

2. Pour in a bit of baking soda (amounting to a little less than half of the coconut oil)

3. Add in a bit of cornstarch (less than the baking soda). 

The coconut oil is the main ingredient. The baking soda helps with odor, and the cornstarch helps absorb moisture. 

4. Mix it all together with a fork, or better yet your fingers if you are already feeling brave, and add whatever ingredients you need more of (more baking soda/cornstarch if it's too wet or goopy, more coconut oil if it's too dry or crumbly).

5. Squish it all into your container.

6. Use to your heart's content!

If you live in a really hot climate you may need to keep it in the fridge. But I live in the southern United States and I just keep it in my travel bag. No biggie if it gets a little melty. My underarms and I are now best friends forever so it's all good.

If you've read this far than you deserve to know a secret. This stuff is also the magic cure for yellow underarm stains and lingering odors on your lovely clothes. I haven't had either since I started using this stuff. I would recommend putting it on AFTER you put your clothes on though. Otherwise it can make a mess. 

Good luck and happy underarms!

Major Clutter Issues

Last week in a reading frenzy I devoured Karen Kingston's book, Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui. It was amazing and I couldn't stop reading. (Although to be fair it is not a tremendously long book.) I became interested in the book because I was feeling overwhelmed by the messy state of my condo. It's only 650 square feet after all (in case you forgot...), and that is not a lot of room for my stuff. I actually have a history of being a packrat, and I recover and relapse in phases.

Once I kept a goose egg (a real goose egg) from my grandparent's cabin in a tupperware container in my desk for probably close to a year. That is messed up. I'm not bad like that anymore, but I still have a lot of knickknacks (read: garbage) that I keep around along with receipts and other paper junk. Oh, and I have an obsession with keeping cardboard boxes and large envelopes. But that's only because I shipped ebay items for years and years and every ebayer knows the immense value of the perfectly shaped box to fit that strangely shaped Widgetmadiget.

Since I've read the book I filled my garbage container and my neighbor's as well. Don't worry, I hauled the neighbor's garbage can to the curb. But don't tell. I also have a huge stack of odd shaped boxes. I'm trying to de-clutter in phases, the first being getting everything I need to learn how to let go of in a pile. Specific piles, that is. There was a garbage pile (now living at the dump), a box pile (still sittin'), and a sell on ebay pile. For which I might need that box pile. Ugghh! I am drowning in my own bad habits, haha. As you can tell, it's still a work in progress for me.

I don't believe in magic. (Awww, cue the collective sadness.) But I do believe in coincidences. And Karen teaches you how to map your home into different zones that relate to different parts of your life. My worst (most cluttered) zones were my career and friends/support zones. My friend/support zone was my kitchen. That's where the junk drawer(s...) live. I cleaned them up and a few hours later my friend from school last semester texted me and told me she was going to be in my city and did I want to hang out? Very cool. But just a coincidence, I know! My closet just so happens to house my career zone. I've been working on it slowly. This week, three people on my team were promoted to new jobs. (That is VERY unusual.) I don't know what that means for MY career yet, if anything, but it is strange. Wait, does that mean my coworkers live in my closet?! Now I'm confused. I can't wait to see what happens ... COINCIDENTALLY ... when I finish cleaning my closet.

Anyway, reading the book was a lot of fun and very helpful for me in letting go of my bad clutter habits. It never hurts to be reminded that things aren't who you are. But, Karen also explains that things can represent you to others, so it helps to choose them wisely.

Over the next week I'm going to share a few things I learned from the book along with specific examples (and pictures) from the condo. They'll be under the tag Feng Shui!