DIY Deodorant

While it's springtime in the rest of the country, it's 90+ degrees here every day in Los Angeles. We like to pretend like we're glamorous and on the cutting edge of the latest trends, and we might be, but we're also sweating buckets and only going from one air-conditioned setting to the next (home to car to office to car to home). So when I found this post by Greatist, I thought it was perfect timing. Since we're sweating and stinking it up over here, chances are, you will be soon too. Why not try to make your own deodorant with a few household items, ditch the chemicals, and smell good all at the same time?

You only need four ingredients:

1/2 cup of coconut oil
1/4 cup of cornstarch
1/4 cup of baking soda
1/8-1/4 teaspoon of essential oil (I chose lavender, since it's a calming smell, but any essential oil of your choice is fine)

If you live in California, chances are your coconut oil is already a liquid goo. If you don't and it's not, stick it in the microwave for 10-15 second intervals until it has completely melted, then pour it into a bowl.

Add your essential oil, cornstarch and baking soda. It'll go from a big lumpy, liquidy mess to...

A big bowl of odd-looking milk. I couldn't get all the clumps out but I did my best.

Next, pour it into a jar (if you want to apply the deodorant with your fingers) or pour into an empty deodorant container (I found it helped to pour the mixture into a measuring cup first). I used an old Dove bottle and still had 1/4 cup left over!

Stick the container in the fridge and let it harden. I gave mine an hour.

This is what turns me off - the second it touches your skin, it starts to melt so you have to act fast. If you don't, streaks of coconut oil will run down your arms. I let the deodorant harden in the fridge overnight, thinking it just needed more time, but it still melted quickly.

A couple pluses? It smells great (because of the essential oil) AND when something straight from the fridge touches your hot mess of a body, it feels amazing.

However, I sweat. I need an antiperspirant. This won't stop you from perspiring, it'll just stop you from smelling bad while you do it. Perhaps if I had sensitive skin or if I was afraid my deodorant was going to give me cancer, I'd be more inclined to use this but in this hot LA weather, this isn't going to cut it.


TOTAL COSTS: About $20
$5.99 for coconut oil from Whole Foods
$1.80 for cornstarch from Vons
$1.59 for baking soda from Vons
$10.99 for lavender essential oil from Whole Foods
Empty deodorant container already on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME:
5 minutes to make the mixture and pour into container
minutes to let it harden

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 1 out of 5
While it's incredibly easy to make, it's also incredibly messy.

DIY Toilet Tablets

I came across these DIY toilet tablets that I thought would come in handy - they're easy to make, they supposedly clean and remove odors in toilets, and no one will ever know you used one. This recipe comes courtesy of SavvySugar. The question is - do they work?

First you'll need:

*1 C of baking soda
*1/4 C of citric acid OR powdered preservative (which is what I used - it was easier to find)
*1/2 t of vinegar
*1 T of hydrogen peroxide
*Essential oil (to make it smell nice - I used peppermint)
*Parchment paper
*Cookie sheets or a hard surface out of the way
*Measuring spoons (yes, those are Mickey Mouse spoons, don't judge)
*Spray bottle (optional but recommended)

First, combine your baking soda and citric acid/powdered preservative in a bowl and mix them together with a fork, to remove any clumps.

Next, combine your vinegar and hydrogen peroxide in a glass and very VERY slowly add to the dry mixture. It doesn't have to be one drop at a time but constantly stir and slowly add the liquid until clumps start to form.

Then add your essential oils - I did about 15 drops and I think the peppermint permeated my nostrils because I can't stop smelling it!

Take your parchment paper and your cookie sheets (or hard surface) and place down enough parchment paper to hold all the tablets you'll be making. The original post says it makes 30 tablets but I made 112!

Finally, grab your 1/2 teaspoon, put some of the mixture in the spoon, and very gently tap it onto the parchment paper. You'll want to be very gentle so the mold holds and doesn't crack or crumble.

Spray equal parts vinegar and water onto the finished tablets (I used 1/3C of each and found it was way too much - had to toss most of it down the sink) and set them aside to dry.

The original post said to let them dry between 4 hours and overnight.

But since "patience" is not my middle name, I only waited 5 hours before giving them a try. They do fizz a little and they look a bit yellow in the water but they didn't smell up the toilet like I thought they would. When they're not in water, these smell freakin' amazing so keep them away from children, pets, and very hungry roommates! Please clearly label the jar you put them in and keep them out of harm's way. But in the toilet? You're definitely going to have to put in more than 1 to do any sort of damage.

TOTAL COSTS: About $15 to make at least 112
$2.99 for parchment paper from Target

$1.59 for baking soda

$1.99 for 32 fl. oz of hydrogen peroxide

$6.29 for Ball produce protector

$2.82 vinegar

Cookie sheets, measuring spoons/cups, and spray bottle on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 5 hours, 41 minutes
13 minutes to combine ingredients
28 minutes to make 112
5 hours to dry (though some were still crumbling so overnight might be your best bet)

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 2 out of 5
You might have difficulty making the tablets, as they can crumble if you hit them against the parchment paper too hard but other than that, they're very easy to make. Now whether they work? That's a different story...