Simple Coconut Oil Deodorant

I have come across, a few times now, the idea of making deodorant from only a few ingredients that you might already have around the home. It was emphasised that these recipes were for deodorants, which aim to stop the smell, as opposed to antiperspirants, which aim to stop the sweating (which, in turn, stops the smell).

Aluminium in antiperspirants

Aluminium salts are probably the most talked about ingredients in antiperspirants. Aluminium is the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust and it is hard to avoid exposure to it.^1,2 Because it has a strong chemical affinity for oxygen, it is mostly found as a salt, rather than in its pure elemental state.

Aluminium chlorohydrate is the salt that appears in the antiperspirant I last used. It’s role is to stop the sweat from being excreted and it does this by being converted into insoluble aluminium hydroxide which plugs the sweat gland. It also has a low pH and antimicrobial properties.¹⁴ There is no known physiological role for aluminium in the human body and could cause adverse effects. At high doses, aluminium is known to be toxic.^2,3,4,5 As well as inhilation, ingestion and injection, absorption through the skin is a method through which the body intakes both medicines and toxins, including aluminium.

So how much aluminum does the skin absorb through antiperspirants? Compared to regions like the scalp, back, abdomen and the palms of hands and feet, the armpits allow for a greater rate of penetration of toxins (rates also differ between animals).⁶ Of the layers of skin, the outermost layer or the epidermis, is the rate-limiting layer and determines how easily the toxin is absorbed.⁶ According to a preliminary experiment,⁷ aluminium did indeed enter the blood stream after a one-time antiperspirant application under the arms and elimination in the urine continued for at least 44 days. They concluded that after applying 13mg of aluminium in the form of aluminium chlorohydrate under the arms, 4ug of aluminium was absorbed through the skin. However, it seems we also can’t avoid consuming small amounts of aluminium in the food we eat⁸ and the study suggested that the amount consumed in food is greater than the amount we absorb through using antiperspirants. The researchers did suggest that a similar study should be conducted to determine the effects of daily application of aluminium. Similar findings were found another study.⁹

Food constitutes the largest source of aluminium exposure¹⁰ and the largest of that, in the diets of Americans, is food additives (aside from medicines).^8,11 So, perhaps by consuming fresh, wholefoods one can lower aluminium intake. The recommended exposure to aluminium according to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is 1 mg/kg/week.¹⁰

According to a review done in 2014¹² and a safety evaluation of dietary aluminium,¹³ aluminium absorption through antiperspirants does not pose a threat to health. While it says nothing about the validity of the science, it is worth noting that they both have some conflicts of interest including partial funding of the review by the International Aluminium Institute and the Aluminium Reach Consortium, and writers of the safety evaluation being employed by consumer goods corporations and regulators.

Whether or not aluminium exposure through antiperspirants poses a health issue, making ones own deodorant out of simple ingredients can be extremely satisfying. Note that if you suffer from hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating this recipe might not be a suitable option.

The ingredients I used:

• 1/5 cup of arrowroot flour
• 4 teaspoons of sodium bicarbonate
• 1/5 cup of coconut oil
• 2 drops of essential oil

Cornflour is an optional substitute for the arrowroot flour. I made three different batches of this deodorant, one using rose oil, one using lavender oil and one using lime oil. They all smelt delicious, but the lime complemented the coconut smell particularly well.

Method

I first combined the flour and the sodium bicaronate together in a bowl.

Once the first two ingredients were mixed together, I poured in the coconut oil, followed by the essential oil, stirring it through with a wooden spoon.

I was able to pour it all into a small amber jar, as the climate is too hot for the coconut oil to harden. If you are in a colder climate, this mixture will be stiffer and you should be able to scoop it into the jar.

With the aim of making it a harder, balm-like consistency I put it in the fridge, but that made it a bit too hard. My solution was to just leave it out of the fridge and use it in its more creamy form. I have discovered that an airconditioned room will actually return it to the perfect consistency, so I can scoop a little bit on the finger, rub it in and it works great. In the future I could change the recipe so that it stays firmer for the tropical summer climate.

References