The journey to living a “crunchy” lifestyle was, and continues to be, a gradual process. Three years ago we started by using cloth diapers to help cut back on waste, and to save some money. Once we calculated how much money we were actually spending each month on disposables, we knew we had to do something to cut our costs, especially as our family grew. Fast forward another year, when I was first introduced to essential oils. Learning to use them was a process (and getting my husband to stop calling them snake oils), but we are now at a point where my kids, and my Mountain Man are turning to the oils for support for their bodies first…and that’s huge!
Then another year after using the oils, we decided our diets needed an overhaul in a major way. So we began eliminating processed and refined foods from our diets. I’m telling you guys…it’s a snowball effect. Once you start, it just gains momentum, and you start looking into other areas of your life where you can eliminate toxins. Household cleaning products (that will be in a separate post), bath and body products, and personal hygiene products. It’s just a natural progression. At least it’s been that way for us (I’m not going to pretend like I know everyone’s personal health journey).
So with that natural progression, I decided to rid myself of the toxic ingredients found in the majority of store bought deodorants: Parabens, Aluminum, Phthalates, formaldehyde, Triclosan, to name a few. Here’s a great (short) article on why these are so bad for us.
I’m just going to forewarn you that if you’ve never used a natural / homemade deodorant, you will want to give your armpits some time to detox all the chemicals out, from the previous deodorants you’ve used. I’ve spoken with several people who didn’t do this before jumping into using a natural option, and they complained that they smelled so awful, that they couldn’t stand it.
The thing I love most about this deodorant recipe, is how versatile (and easy) it is! You can choose any of your favorite essential oils to use, based on scent / properties, to make the perfect deodorant for you! For mine, I went with Lemongrass (for it’s purifying properties, and refreshing scent…bonus: it’s also a natural bug repellent), Melaleuca (for it’s cleansing and rejuvenating effects on the skin, and it’s purifying properties), and Bergamot (for it’s uplifting aroma, and purifying skin benefits). So, lots of purifying going on, haha.
This recipe makes enough to fill 2 full sized empty deodorant containers (or several mini deodorant containers as shown in the image).
