Natural deodorant

Most people think that antiperspirants and natural deodorants are the same thing, but they aren't. Antiperspirants work by clogging, closing, or blocking the pores with powerful astringents such as aluminum salts so that they can’t release sweat. Deodorants work by neutralizing the smell of the sweat and by antiseptic action against bacteria. Natural deodorants are preferable because they don’t interfere with sweating, a natural cooling process.

Make a natural deodorant stick:

Melt 2 tablespoons beeswax with 2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil, stirring until well blended. Remove from heat and add 1 teaspoons each of natural thyme essential oil, lavender essential oil and rosemary essential oil. Pour into a suitable mould (an empty deodorant stick container is ideal) and leave until set.

Make a natural deodorant spray:

Use as many of the following as possible: witch hazel leaves, lavender flowers, sage leaves, thyme leaves, mint leaves, rosemary leaves, eau de cologne mint, yarrow flowers and leaves. Cover with cider vinegar, bring to the boil, cool, strain. Add same amount of water, rebottle. Dab this natural deodorant under the arms several times a day.

Make a natural deodorant cream:

1 tablespoon petroleum jelly; 1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda; 1 tablespoon talcum powder. Combine all ingredients in double boiler, stirring constantly until smooth. Let cool and put in nice jar with lid.

It is quite scary that most people dont seem to know this, but there are no natural antiperspirants, as perspiring is in its very essence, a natural process, and is an extremely important function, which aids in the elimination of toxins, free radicals and urea from the body... The key factors to remember are, only interrupt perspiration when you have to..i.e..a specila occasion etc.. there is no point applying a deodorant before you start the house work! One more myth to be exploded. Sweat does not smell. Indeed it is brimming with sweet smelling hormones. esp attractive to the opposite sex! Sweat will only smell disagreeable when allowed to build up, thus harbouring bacteria which frankly smells rancid and nasty, this process only takes a few minutes so its not because your dirty. It is just natural! the best way to stop this is by using cold water frequently through the day. A bath in fragrant water, perfumed with an antibacterial herb such as lavender will go a long way to eliminating the problem due to its dual action of perfuming and preventing bacteria. the best natural deodorant is one that is a combination of mild astringents(to control the pore size thus decreasing the production of perspiration) antibacterial properties and fragrance. You could make a liquid infusion to be dabbed on the offending area or you could make a lotion or cream to be massaged into the area i.e arm pitts etc. Here is a recipe for a fragrant antibacterial and astringent natural deodorant cream; You will need; 150g emulsifying ointment, 70ml of glycerine, 80ml of water and 30g of the dried herb or if using a combination of herbs 15g each of two or 10g each of three...also, a glass bowl, a saucepan, preferably glass, ceramic or enamell. a wooden spoon, a spatula, a muslin bag,and small airtight storage jars. To prolong the life of this cream you can add a few drops of benzoin tincture as a preservative.