I’m slowly trying to make some changes in the products we use around here. I can’t be super dramatic about it and pitch everything we own that isn’t 100% natural and replace it all.

But I am aware that there are potentially harmful chemicals in some of the products in my home that I could probably find better alternatives for.

Deodorant is one that I hear a lot of people talking about- I won’t go into all I’ve heard about what antiperspirant and deodorants can do to your body… of course it’s a lot of speculation and not all proven, but it’s still enough scary stuff to make me think twice about it. (Seriously- if you haven’t heard someone talk about why they’re switching to a Natural Deodorant, go Google it. I’m not a doctor, just a mom who doesn’t want to smell bad, but you’ll quickly see that there’s a lot out there about deodorant).

I have to admit that my main hesitation in trying a natural deodorant was wondering if they’d actually work. Because while I care about using a healthier alternative, I need something that will help with the sweat smell. I transported 5 boys home after their running practice the other day and that was enough stink to traumatize me for a while- I don’t need to add to it myself.

So, when one of my sweet sisters-in-law said that she was going to be making up another batch of her natural deodorant, I asked questions. Does it really work or are you just trying something to avoid unnecessary chemicals? Is it comfortable? Does it feel weird? Are you sure this works? She reassured me she’d been using it for a while and never had any complaints (she’s a hairdresser and you know if there’s anyone’s armpits you have up close and personal contact with, it’s your hairdresser).

I decided to go ahead and give it a shot, especially since I had all of the ingredients on hand (though I don’t always have coconut oil in my pantry, I happen to right now).

Let me give you the recipe and then I’ll tell you a few thoughts on it.

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon essential oil*
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1/4 cup cornstarch

1. Melt coconut oil in small pan over low heat.
2. Stir in essential oil. *
3. Add cornstarch and baking soda and stir until smooth.
4. Pour into a jar or cleaned out roll up deodorant container.
5. Put in fridge to harden.

*For the essential oil, my sil suggested the purification oil from Young Living, but I used lavender because that’s what I had on hand. If you’re interested in trying essential oils and don’t already have someone to buy from, just let me know and I’ll pass her info along to you. The 1/4 Teaspoon Essential Oil is approximately 20 drops, in case you were wondering about making a smaller batch. You could half or even quarter this to make more of a travel-sized natural deodorant to test it out if you’re a skeptic like me.

My sil warned me that this natural deodorant is a little moist and gave me the tip of putting it on right after you get out of the shower and giving it a little bit of time to dry before you start getting dressed.

I’ve been using this for about three weeks now and I have to say that I’m impressed. I was super skeptical about how well it would work… so skeptical that I probably looked really weird, trying to discreetly sniff my underarms to make sure I wasn’t stinking up the joint. But, I didn’t notice any bad odors (and yes, I would notice if there were- I’m not one of those girls who pretends she doesn’t sweat, not sure who even came up with that stupid notion). One thing to note is that it is a deodorant, not an antiperspirant, so it’s not going to stop you from sweating, just help with the sweat smell.

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