A Houseful of Love

Giving up commercial antiperspirants was one of the hardest steps in my health journey. Don’t get me wrong, I knew they were full of toxins and it made me queasy just to think about putting aluminum on my skin, especially right next to my lymph nodes and breasts (while breastfeeding).

But after being left stinky and sweaty by so many expensive “clean” and “aluminum free” commercial options, I felt like there was no where to turn. I didn’t want to pay a fortune to feel gross, but I also didn’t like the toxins I was slathering onto my body daily.

Finally, I found a recipe for a homemade deodorant that used coconut oil, baking soda, and arrowroot powder (or cornstarch). While I still would sweat when I used it, it didn’t feel excessive and I didn’t stink. That was a huge improvement from anything I had bought and it cost a fraction of the price. My only issue was with the texture.

Coconut oil has a rather low melting point, at just 75-77 °F. That meant that if I took a long, hot shower, I would often step out to a rather soft deodorant that made a mess when I tried to apply it. It seems like a small complaint, but I really missed the reliably firm texture of commercial deodorants.

When I ran out of the coconut oil deodorant, I decided to swap the coconut oil for beef tallow. Tallow has a much higher melting point, at least 85°F, but often 95-110+°F, depending on the composition of the tallow. While tallow lacks the strong antimicrobial properties of coconut oil, I still found that the deodorant worked perfectly and that the texture was much improved.

Does homemade tallow deodorant smell beefy?

I don’t think it smells beefy at all (even while pregnant and highly sensitive to smells), but it may depend on the tallow you use. If your tallow smells beefy, then your deodorant might smell beefy. Refining it more might help to take away that smell – just melt it with salt and water, allow it to harden, then scrape the tallow off the water.

Can I add scent to homemade tallow deodorant?

If you want to add scent, try adding some essential oil. Just be sure to test a bit on your skin first to make sure that it doesn’t irritate you – some essential oils irritate skin more than others! I mix the essential oils in after the baking soda and arrowroot powder/cornstarch are fully incorporated, adding more drops until it reaches my desired scent.

In my most recent batch, since my husband and I both use deodorant from the same batch, I used just a bit of orange essential oils and we both agree that it smells great without being overpowering!

Will the baking soda irritate my skin? Are there any alternatives?

I’ve only ever made this with baking soda, but I am aware that it irritates some people’s skin, unfortunately. I’ve found that it can sometimes be more irritating if I apply it too soon after shaving, so you can try applying it at least an hour or two after shaving to see if that causes less irritation.

You can also try reducing the amount of baking soda and adding more arrowroot powder or cornstarch in its place. I wouldn’t remove it completely at first – perhaps just a tablespoon or so at a time to find the sweet spot.

How does this homemade tallow deodorant work?

Baking soda is a remarkably effective at absorbing odors, as you may know if you’ve ever used it to get rid of funky kitchen smells. It also may have antimicrobial properties, which means that it can help to kill underarm bacteria that produce foul smells.

Arrowroot powder and cornstarch both work to absorb sweat. While it doesn’t completely stop perspiration, it does prevent it from being excessive. You wouldn’t want that anyway! One of the main drawbacks of using an antiperspirant is that sweating is an important detoxification pathway. Sweat is good, but I think we all feel better when we’re not dripping.

Tallow is great for the skin. That’s because, unlike coconut oil, it has a very similar to the fatty acid profile to that of human skin. I wasn’t particularly sensitive to the baking soda with the coconut oil, but I occasionally would have some redness. With tallow, my skin seems much less irritated, even if I apply this deodorant shortly after shaving. Plus the tallow makes the texture of the deodorant absolutely perfect!

Now entering my second summer with this deodorant (and being pregnant and warm), I’m still very impressed by how well it keeps me dry and smelling fresh.

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp (85g) beef tallow, melted – coconut oil works too, but gets quite soft slightly above room temperature. Tallow can handle a bit more warmth before melting.
• 1/4 cup baking soda – if you notice that baking soda irritates your skin, try using just 3 tbsp baking soda (and adding an extra tbsp of arrowroot powder/cornstarch)
• 1/4 arrowroot powder or cornstarch – Arrowroot powder is a slightly cleaner, yet more expensive option than cornstarch. Both are effective though!
• Optional: Essential oils – for scent. Add however much you desire, but patch test to make sure your essential oil of choice does not irritate your skin.

Directions

Step 1: Add baking soda and arrowroot powder/cornstarch to melted tallow. Stir to combine and make sure that no lumps remain. If you want to add essential oils for scent, do so here.

Step 2: Pour into old (emptied, cleaned, & dried) deodorant container(s) and refrigerate until solid. If you have more than fits in your deodorant container, store it in a small container that can be reheated later for an easy refill.

Step 3: Store and use your homemade tallow deodorant just as you would any conventional deodorant!

---

Print