Making Deodorant

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Gaisy59 said:
Earlene it seems you still get a little bit of reaction even with the little bit of FO that you use.

It seems that all deos make my pits burn a little even babassu/mag but no way can i go without deo! :eek:
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I don't get any negative reactions any more, since I became extremely cautious not to use more than 1% of FO . I am sure some folks do because of fragrance sensitivities, but when I stick with the 1% upper limit, I do not. I have used 3 or 4 different FO's in different batches and the only reaction I have is "mm-mm! I really love that my pits smell like ___ (fill in the blank)" So far Dragon's Blood is my favorite scent for my pits. LOL

Of course I always check safe usage rates for category 2 (reference link) before even using 1% in case it is lower for a particular fragrance.


Gaisy59, do you have any negative reaction when you use unfragranced Mg-Babassu deodorant? The first time I made it, I did not use fragrance because my goal was to test it for efficacy (to prevent smelly armpit odors). It works just as well without any added fragrance.
 
earlene said:
Gaisy59, do you have any negative reaction when you use unfragranced Mg-Babassu deodorant? The first time I made it, I did not use fragrance because my goal was to test it for efficacy (to prevent smelly armpit odors). It works just as well without any added fragrance.
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Hi Earlene ya i only use unscented on my pits, and i always seem to have this very little (very little) burning sensation. Its almost like when i started with a baking soda deo but definitely not as bad. I have just been using Toms of Maine as i was away and ran out of bab/mag and it has a little burn too. It all started with the baking soda deo. I hope it didnt mess up my pits.
 
That sounds horribly uncomfortable, Gaisy. I know the time I had the excess spilled rose FO in my deo, the discomfort was just about unbearable for days/weeks after I stopped using it. I would hate to have that continue like that.

Have you tried to isolate which ingredient is causing this burning sensation? If you are only using the two base ingredients, perhaps you can just apply babassu oil and leave your pits alone for a day and see what it feels like. Or the MgOH only for a day and see how it feels. You may be sensitive to one specific ingredient.

Also do you apply after shaving your underarms or not? My underarms used to be quite sensitive right after shaving because of minor cuts, but this is no longer an issue since I changed to the shaving soap with lanolin.
 
earlene said:
That sounds horribly uncomfortable, Gaisy. I know the time I had the excess spilled rose FO in my deo, the discomfort was just about unbearable for days/weeks after I stopped using it. I would hate to have that continue like that.

Have you tried to isolate which ingredient is causing this burning sensation? If you are only using the two base ingredients, perhaps you can just apply babassu oil and leave your pits alone for a day and see what it feels like. Or the MgOH only for a day and see how it feels. You may be sensitive to one specific ingredient.

Also do you apply after shaving your underarms or not? My underarms used to be quite sensitive right after shaving because of minor cuts, but this is no longer an issue since I changed to the shaving soap with lanolin.
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Its not that bad actually. For the most part i forget about it, but every now and then i feel it. I will try your suggestion and start by using just babassu then the mag. As for shaving da pits i dont often have to do that anymore. Age does have some benefits lol
 
I only use essential oil blends to scent my bars and they are very light. Some how the thought of using something artificial like an FO with a product that is supposed to be better than the commercial stuff turns me off, but that's just me... sweat has a salty sort of smell and you will still get that when you sweat enough ... but I've noticed that when your sweat dries, the salty aroma goes away. I also don't use babassu in my recipe so if you want to finagle with it you can sub something else.
 
SoaperForLife said:
I only use essential oil blends to scent my bars and they are very light. Some how the thought of using something artificial like an FO with a product that is supposed to be better than the commercial stuff turns me off, but that's just me... sweat has a salty sort of smell and you will still get that when you sweat enough ... but I've noticed that when your sweat dries, the salty aroma goes away. I also don't use babassu in my recipe so if you want to finagle with it you can sub something else.
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I agree but it was my daughter who uses the scent and i use unscented. However, babassu is the oil that doesnt stain my clothes as was the discussion in the “defunk de pits” thread. I would like to stick with it and hopefully it will not be the ingredient that is irritating.
 
:thumbs: It just may not work for him. What percentage of Mag/babassu do you use?

@SoapForLife, Not everyone can use Essential oils. For me I am much better off using synthetic. Anyone with allergies to plants can have problems with Essential Oils. There just is no one answer for everyone
 
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Gaisy59 said:
I have been making the babassu/mag deo since the thread started and i made some for my son. Unfortunately he said it did not work for him and it irritated his underarms big time. Any thoughts on why this happened to him?
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Did you happen to use baking soda in your recipe? I find that was very irritating. I had to use zinc oxide to clear up the mess I made of myself from the baking soda. Just a thought. :)
 
Mushroom Hunter said:
Did you happen to use baking soda in your recipe? I find that was very irritating. I had to use zinc oxide to clear up the mess I made of myself from the baking soda. Just a thought. :)
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Nope just those two ingredients. My first try at DIY deo had coconut oil, half a tsp b. soda, and arrowroot powder. That little bit of b. soda burned and thats when i found the defunk da pits thread.
 
I prefer a spray on deodorant. I use magnesium chloride flakes dissolved in witch hazel, and a bit (just a bit) of alcohol, and essential oil. Works WONDERFULLY! No odor for 24 hours (at least), slight sting after shaving - no rashes, I sleep better too. I know it helps sleep because when I make solid deodorants upon request, I always test before giving them to the person who asked for it, and trust me, it makes a difference. Not to mention it's easier to make and virtually no mess to clean up after making it.
 
freesia792 said:
I prefer a spray on deodorant. I use magnesium chloride flakes dissolved in witch hazel, and a bit (just a bit) of alcohol, and essential oil. Works WONDERFULLY! No odor for 24 hours (at least), slight sting after shaving - no rashes, I sleep better too. I know it helps sleep because when I make solid deodorants upon request, I always test before giving them to the person who asked for it, and trust me, it makes a difference. Not to mention it's easier to make and virtually no mess to clean up after making it.
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Gmorning Freesia this sounds intriguing. So other than a sting after shaving this does not irritate at all? Have you tried it on someone like my son (the electrician) who does physical labor all day? He says the babassu/mag did not work for him and it really irritated his pits.
 
Gaisy59 said:
Gmorning Freesia this sounds intriguing. So other than a sting after shaving this does not irritate at all? Have you tried it on someone like my son (the electrician) who does physical labor all day? He says the babassu/mag did not work for him and it really irritated his pits.
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I haven't tried it on a construction worker ( I had one but we're divorced for many years :) ) My brother tried it though. He's an office person, but does do small construction projects around the house on weekends and of course the usual yard work. He just calls and says "I'm out. Can I come this weekend to pick up more?" He's never said it doesn't work when he does physical work. What I do know is homemade deodorant is said not to work so well for wetness, but this DOES work to a large degree for wetness for me. Children are grown now so I'm not as physical working as I used to be. Bro never said either way. I took that to mean it worked for him too - to some degree. It's just a battle to get some people to give up dangerous chemicals in their daily products so I consider him a "WIN". Since the discovery that aluminum is linked to Alzheimer's disease, the deodorant was an easy sell. If you decide to have your son try it and he's sensitive to some things...make him a small batch that isn't really super strong with magnesium chloride to start. If it works for him, gradually increase the magnesium level??? Just a suggestion.
 
freesia792 said:
I haven't tried it on a construction worker ( I had one but we're divorced for many years :) ) My brother tried it though. He's an office person, but does do small construction projects around the house on weekends and of course the usual yard work. He just calls and says "I'm out. Can I come this weekend to pick up more?" He's never said it doesn't work when he does physical work. What I do know is homemade deodorant is said not to work so well for wetness, but this DOES work to a large degree for wetness for me. Children are grown now so I'm not as physical working as I used to be. Bro never said either way. I took that to mean it worked for him too - to some degree. It's just a battle to get some people to give up dangerous chemicals in their daily products so I consider him a "WIN". Since the discovery that aluminum is linked to Alzheimer's disease, the deodorant was an easy sell. If you decide to have your son try it and he's sensitive to some things...make him a small batch that isn't really super strong with magnesium chloride to start. If it works for him, gradually increase the magnesium level??? Just a suggestion.
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I think i would like to try it as well first. Any chance you would like to share your recipe? Im not concerned about wetness im more concerned about odor. Since turning 60 my hormones must have changed again and whooo boy my pits can smell. My 50:50 babassu/magnesium controls my odor bu not my sons, and as stated it still has a little burn.
 
Consuela said:
Totally, that's my thinking about it too... However.... the average person doesn't want to DIY, they want it already done for them. They don't have time, they're not crafty, they'd rather drink wine.... lol.
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I make my own homemade wine...as well as canning jams/jellies, soups. At Christmastime, my siblings and grown nieces, nephews and friends all get a care package consisting of wine, soap and food from Auntie Pat. It's so much fun....especially taste testing the wine.
 
Gaisy59 said:
I think i would like to try it as well first. Any chance you would like to share your recipe? Im not concerned about wetness im more concerned about odor. Since turning 60 my hormones must have changed again and whooo boy my pits can smell. My 50:50 babassu/magnesium controls my odor bu not my sons, and as stated it still has a little burn.
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I am happy to share my method, but I don't really have a "recipe". I simply dissolve the magnesium chloride flakes in witch hazel. I add enough magnesium chloride to the point it simply can't dissolve anymore of the flakes. The amounts are equal to 3/4 of the spray bottle I put it in. I fill up the bottle nearly to the top with standard rubbing alcohol and add a few drops of essential oil (tea tree oil is useful for this application). If you decide to give this a try, I'd LOVE to know what you think of it as in does it work as well for you as it does me, and if you notice any wetness control at all? With just the two of us using this, I'd like more input how it works for others. Thanks!
 
freesia792 said:
I am happy to share my method, but I don't really have a "recipe". I simply dissolve the magnesium chloride flakes in witch hazel. I add enough magnesium chloride to the point it simply can't dissolve anymore of the flakes. The amounts are equal to 3/4 of the spray bottle I put it in. I fill up the bottle nearly to the top with standard rubbing alcohol and add a few drops of essential oil (tea tree oil is useful for this application). If you decide to give this a try, I'd LOVE to know what you think of it as in does it work as well for you as it does me, and if you notice any wetness control at all? With just the two of us using this, I'd like more input how it works for others. Thanks!
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I will definitely give it a try and forward my thoughts. Will have to order magnesium flakes tho.
 
Gaisy59 said:
I will definitely give it a try and forward my thoughts. Will have to order magnesium flakes tho.
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I NEED to amend my instructions to say that the particular method I gave is for VERY STRONG deodorant. I graduated to this strength. I'm SO sorry for not saying that in the first place. I was just thinking to write down how I make it. I didn't start out with that strength. It's something you'll need to play with to figure out what is the correct strength for you. You're son's needed strength may be different than yours. Now, I just keep adding the magnesium chloride until it begins to show signs of taking a longer time to dissolve. When I first made this (best I can remember - I've been using this for years) I added about 1/4 of the container with the flakes, added the witch hazel, let it sit for a while, then shook it to see it was totally dissolved. If it doesn't totally dissolve, just strain it, though I've never had to do this. BUT, if you have to strain it, you've got some pretty powerful product.
 
freesia792 said:
I NEED to amend my instructions to say that the particular method I gave is for VERY STRONG deodorant. I graduated to this strength. I'm SO sorry for not saying that in the first place. I was just thinking to write down how I make it. I didn't start out with that strength. It's something you'll need to play with to figure out what is the correct strength for you. You're son's needed strength may be different than yours. Now, I just keep adding the magnesium chloride until it begins to show signs of taking a longer time to dissolve. When I first made this (best I can remember - I've been using this for years) I added about 1/4 of the container with the flakes, added the witch hazel, let it sit for a while, then shook it to see it was totally dissolved. If it doesn't totally dissolve, just strain it, though I've never had to do this. BUT, if you have to strain it, you've got some pretty powerful product.
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Any idea if I can use magnesium hydroxide instead of magnesium chloride? The hydroxide is what I have been using in my solid deo and I have a supply of hydroxide. Also, what do you think the witch-hazel adds to the recipe?
 

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