Homemade Deodorant, yes, I am that person

About a year ago I made my first batch of homemade deodorant from a recipe of Amy Karol's. In theory I liked the idea of natural deodorant (to avoid the aluminum that may, or may not, be linked to Alzheimer's because why tempt fate) but in practice, I never really used the stuff.

So, I gave it to my sister, who loved it and used it all up. It worked so well for her that she convinced me to make another double batch and to actually try it myself this time. So I made a second batch, using the same recipe as the first.



And I loved it too. It isn't antiperspirant, just deodorant, but it takes that job seriously. I've had zero stink. Yes, I still sweat, but I did that with regular deodorant/antiperspirant anyway. I actually have less issues with odor now than when I was using conventional deodorant.

I did have 2 problems with the original recipe, though.
1) It was really stiff. To use, I had to scrape up a little pea-sized ball with the back of my fingernail and rub it around until it melted.
2) Halfway through the batch, the texture became more and more gritty, which started to irritate my underarms. I think the baking soda settled to the bottom half of the container before the melted oils had a chance to cool and solidify.

So, I devised one solution to both problems... our Kitchen Aid



Ingredients
3 parts Shea Butter
1 to 2 parts Baking Soda
2 parts Cornstarch
Vitamin E Oil (use a couple of squeezed gel caps if your measured parts are Tablespoons, more if you're making it by the cup)
2 parts Cocoa Butter (melted and then cooled, but still mostly liquid)
Essential Oils (enough to make it smell good, but not overpowering- I used tea tree, lavender and wild chamomile- it's very nice. Make sure you've used these before directly on your skin to avoid any sensitivities.)

Instructions
-To the mixer bowl add the shea butter, baking soda, cornstarch and Vitamin E. Using paddle attachment mix at med/high until it is lighter in color (almost white) and somewhat fluffy.
-With mixer running, slowly drizzle in cocoa butter.
-Mix on med/high for a couple minutes until nice and fluffy.
-Place bowl in fridge for 5 minutes.
-Repeat those last two steps as necessary until the mixture has cooled to room temperature.
-Add essential oils and mix until blended thoroughly.
-Spoon into lidded container, making sure to clean the mixer bowl immediately because someone in your family is guaranteed to come along and sneak a taste without realizing that it's deodorant.
-Apply a generous amount to clean underarms, making sure to rub it in well.
-Do the happy dance because you at least your deodorant isn't going to poison you.

Important Note- Make sure to store this below the melting point of 75 degrees or so. Once it melts, the texture will be the same as the original recipe.