de-funk de pits

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Odor Neutralizing Deodorant Recipe
Author: Wholesale Supplies Plus
Friday, July 13, 2018

This baking soda-free deodorant contains magnesium stearate which is a naturally occurring fatty acid originating from stearic acid. It helps this deodorant glide easily onto underarms and leaves a non-greasy feel to the product. It is also great for helping absorb odor!

Wholesale Supplies Plus is not responsible for the products you create from our supplies.
You alone are responsible for product and recipe testing to ensure compatibility and safety.


Project Level: Easy
Estimated Time: 1/2 Hour
Yield: 4 Tubes

Ingredients

• 1.44 oz. Coconut Oil - 76º Melt
• 1.16 oz. Magnesium Stearate
• 0.60 oz. Arrowroot Powder
• 0.40 oz. Beeswax - Ultra Refined & Bleached
• 0.24 oz. Shea Butter - Ultra Refined
• 0.14 oz. Smooth & Creamy Lotion Bar Additive
• 0.02 oz. Agave Nectar Odor Neutralizing FO 426
• 4 Piece(s) 1 oz White Lotion Bar Tube & Top - Dial Up

Equipment

• Spatula
• Metal Melting Pot
• Wire Whisk
Scale - Digital Display (Professional)
• Hot Plate or Double Boiler

INCI Ingredient Label: Coconut Oil, Magnesium Stearate, Arrowroot Powder, Beeswax, Shea Butter, Polyglycerol-3 Beeswax, Fragrance.

Recipe Directions

NOTE: If you are making these products for sale, good manufacturing practices recommend you wear a hairnet, gloves and a mask. We also recommend a clean apron and workspace.
  1. To metal pan, add beeswax, lotion bar additive, shea butter and coconut oil.
  2. Place over desired heat source (hot plate or stove for double boiler) and heat on low until all ingredients have completely melted.
  3. Add magnesium stearate and arrowroot powder. Blend well with wire whisk.
  4. Add fragrance and blend in.
  5. Quickly pour mixture into lotion bar tubes. Product thickens quickly so you need to work fast. Let completely harden before adding tops.
  6. Label product accordingly.
To Use: Apply to underarms daily.
 
...
Author: Wholesale Supplies Plus
Friday, July 13, 2018

... magnesium stearate which is a naturally occurring fatty acid originating from stearic acid. ...

This information is not correct (see the last line below for the correct text).

Magnesium stearate is not a fatty acid, it is the the salt of a metal and a fatty acid.
The metallic salt of a fatty acid is otherwise known as a soap.
While Stearic acid occurs naturally in various animal and vegetable fats, Magnesium stearate is a type of manufactured soap.

The description looks like it could be an erroneously modified version of the text found on EWG's cosmetic database:
https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/703708/MAGNESIUM_STEARATE/
About MAGNESIUM STEARATE: Magnesium stearate is a magnesium salt of stearic acid, a naturally occurring fatty acid
 
Magnesium stearate is an insoluble, non-lathering, non-cleaning soap. Insoluble soaps like mag stearate, lithium stearate, etc. are often used for thickeners and/or lubricants.

If a soap recipe has a fatty acid profile that contains stearic acid, then some of the soap scum that forms when you use this soap in hard water will be magnesium stearate.

A supplier's website should never be relied on as a source of technical information unless the info can be corroborated by other reputable sources.
 
When reading pharmaceutical technical papers (Magnesium stearate is used in pills), the acidic naming form to describe the structure. I suspect this comes from Magnesium Stearate being a mixture, rather than a pure product, as defined by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standards:
"A compound of magnesium with a mixture of solid organic acids, and consists chiefly of variable proportions of magnesium stearate and magnesium palminate. The fatty acids are derived from edible sources."

The industrial process for the manufacture of Mangesium stearate is different again, and the papers reflect this.

My favourite use for it is in candy coatings (it helps the super sticky hot sugar lollies not stick to the metal plates).

Food grade Magnesium stearate + SoaperForLife's linked recipe = "Skin Candy Deo" :)
 
In my effort to fine-tune my personal use babassu-MgOH deodorant recipe (thank you, TheresaT!), I have found one that works great and does not melt in the highest heat my car has achieved. Now it is time to make more deodorant, as I am extremely close the very last of it.

My first successful recipe for no-melting-in-the-car was a bit too draggy with 9% beeswax (Aug. 5, 2017), so I came up with the following as an accidental mix (bad Murphy's law day). It withstood the highest heat my car has ever reached and sustained for extended periods* (recorded temps referenced below), so that part is fabulous. There was no draggy-ness on my skin with the two waxes. Even though my plan was to use only one of them and test out the other on a separate occasion, I accidentally grabbed the wrong bag, then when I caught myself (in the midst of pouring), I grabbed the right one and added it to make up the difference in goal weight. Hence the combo of both waxes. The efficacy of the deodorant is very good as well, so I am considering simply repeating the exact same formula again.

July 10/2018:
49% babassu oil
42% MgOH
5% Rice Bran Wax
3% Cera Bellina Wax
1% FO


Maybe I will still do some experimentation with only Cera Bellina, and tweak percentages as well, but since I will be traveling in the summer heat by car soon and then going to Hawaii as well, I think I'll stick with the above formula this summer as well.

My plan is to create a new batch this week-end. Dragon's Blood will be my FO unless I decide to go Hawaiian exotic with another fragrance.


* notation about the high temps at which this formula remained solid inside my car for 48+ hours in summer of 2018:

Inside cabin temperatures in my car were recorded at 120°F & above for several days while driving across country from California to Wyoming (where I finally found someone able to fix my car at last!) While stopped and car left locked (at rest areas, restaurants, etc), the car reached much higher temps, but I did not record those because it was too hot to be inside the car to read the thermometer (left by an auto repair fella in California who unsuccessfully tryied to figure out how to fix my AC - it was not at all a Freon issue - totally unrelated). During a 48+hour period, my roll-up deodorant tube sat forgotten inside a bag on the front passenger side floor-board. I had thought I had left it behind at a hotel or something, and couldn't find it for 2 days. Normally I had been putting it into my cooler to prevent melting, but lo and behold when I did find it, I realized I no longer have to attempt to refrigerate this deo while on roadtrips anymore! A valuable discovery, indeed!


EDIT: correction to formula (trascription error on my part when I was using the calculator to figure out the actual percentages used)
 
Last edited:
In my effort to fine-tune my personal use babassu-MgOH deodorant recipe (thank you, TheresaT!), I have found one that works great and does not melt in the highest heat my car has achieved. Now it is time to make more deodorant, as I am extremely close the very last of it.

My first successful recipe for no-melting-in-the-car was a bit too draggy with 9% beeswax (Aug. 5, 2017), so I came up with the following as an accidental mix (bad Murphy's law day). It withstood the highest heat my car has ever reached and sustained for extended periods* (recorded temps referenced below), so that part is fabulous. There was no draggy-ness on my skin with the two waxes. Even though my plan was to use only one of them and test out the other on a separate occasion, I accidentally grabbed the wrong bag, then when I caught myself (in the midst of pouring), I grabbed the right one and added it to make up the difference in goal weight. Hence the combo of both waxes. The efficacy of the deodorant is very good as well, so I am considering simply repeating the exact same formula again.

July 10/2018:
49% babassu oil
42% MgOH
0.63% Rice Bran Wax
0.34% Cera Bellina Wax
1% FO


Maybe I will still do some experimentation with only Cera Bellina, and tweak percentages as well, but since I will be traveling in the summer heat by car soon and then going to Hawaii as well, I think I'll stick with the above formula this summer as well.

My plan is to create a new batch this week-end. Dragon's Blood will be my FO unless I decide to go Hawaiian exotic with another fragrance.


* notation about the high temps at which this formula remained solid inside my car for 48+ hours in summer of 2018:

Inside cabin temperatures in my car were recorded at 120°F & above for several days while driving across country from California to Wyoming (where I finally found someone able to fix my car at last!) While stopped and car left locked (at rest areas, restaurants, etc), the car reached much higher temps, but I did not record those because it was too hot to be inside the car to read the thermometer (left by an auto repair fella in California who unsuccessfully tryied to figure out how to fix my AC - it was not at all a Freon issue - totally unrelated). During a 48+hour period, my roll-up deodorant tube sat forgotten inside a bag on the front passenger side floor-board. I had thought I had left it behind at a hotel or something, and couldn't find it for 2 days. Normally I had been putting it into my cooler to prevent melting, but lo and behold when I did find it, I realized I no longer have to attempt to refrigerate this deo while on roadtrips anymore! A valuable discovery, indeed!
Thankyou Earlene, I have been working to tweak mine for summer and since I have some Cera Bellina wax I will give this a try. Your Mag/bab are about the same percentage as my formula.
 
Did you use something else in your recipe, @earlene? Your percentages don't add up to 100% which is why I'm wondering.

"...
49% babassu oil
42% MgOH
0.63% Rice Bran Wax
0.34% Cera Bellina Wax
1% FO
..."
 
Did you use something else in your recipe, @earlene? Your percentages don't add up to 100% which is why I'm wondering.

"...
49% babassu oil
42% MgOH
0.63% Rice Bran Wax
0.34% Cera Bellina Wax
1% FO
..."


No, I guess I just transcribed my numbers wrong when I was using my calculator! THANK YOU for catching that!
I went back to my original notes and did the math again. I must have hit a wrong button or two when doing the Rice Bran Wax calculation as well.

Here is the correct formula:

49% babassu oil
42% MgOH
5% Rice Bran Wax
3% Cera Bellina Wax
1% FO
 
I made a variant on a pre-fab deo recipe today to try out - no babassu (that's on its way) but it has arrowroot starch, zinc ricinoleate, Mg(OH)2, and emulsifying wax along with some other oils. I smeared a little of the drippings on my pit to test for dryness (a huge problem with storebought "natural" deos - looking at you Tom's of Maine) and irritation and so far it's a win! We'll see once the tubes harden up. I'm cautiously optimistic!

ETA: When my babassu gets here I'm definitely trying out the mag/bab recipe to compare.
 
I made a variant on a pre-fab deo recipe today to try out - no babassu (that's on its way) but it has arrowroot starch, zinc ricinoleate, Mg(OH)2, and emulsifying wax along with some other oils. I smeared a little of the drippings on my pit to test for dryness (a huge problem with storebought "natural" deos - looking at you Tom's of Maine) and irritation and so far it's a win! We'll see once the tubes harden up. I'm cautiously optimistic!

ETA: When my babassu gets here I'm definitely trying out the mag/bab recipe to compare.

I wondering about clothing stains steffamarie
 
No, I guess I just transcribed my numbers wrong when I was using my calculator! THANK YOU for catching that!
I went back to my original notes and did the math again. I must have hit a wrong button or two when doing the Rice Bran Wax calculation as well.

Here is the correct formula:

49% babassu oil
42% MgOH
5% Rice Bran Wax
3% Cera Bellina Wax
1% FO
Thank you earlene for sharing!
Is it ok to go over 30% MgOH? mine is 30% only but I like to try stronger %, my skin is sensitive though.
 
I made a variant on a pre-fab deo recipe today to try out - no babassu (that's on its way) but it has arrowroot starch,zinc ricinoleate, Mg(OH)2, and emulsifying wax along with some other oils. I smeared a little of the drippings on my pit to test for dryness (a huge problem with storebought "natural" deos - looking at you Tom's of Maine) and irritation and so far it's a win! We'll see once the tubes harden up. I'm cautiously optimistic!

ETA: When my babassu gets here I'm definitely trying out the mag/bab recipe to compare.

I wonder what are the other oils. Last winter, I bought a handmade deodorant from a farmers market when I was out of town, it had so many oils with a lot of starch, and so many EO. I used it for sometime then stopped, I couldn't take it any more, maybe my skin is just too sensitive to so much starches, especially the choice of oils in it were all greasy. It didn't leave any stain but didn't feel good to me. Later on when the weather got hot I gave it another shot, it didn't remove the smell. I know you are talking about zinc ricinoleate and Mg(OH)2, both are known to use in deodorants.
 
I'm still on the hunt for babassu butter. I've found 3 that say butter but aren't as the melting point is similar to CO. I'm so frustrated! I tried adding 1% candelilla wax and I ended up with a rash so scrapped that batch.

So until I can actually find butter, I'm going to give DeeAnna's recipe a shot by adding BTMS or E wax NF and cetyl alcohol. I love, love, love the babassu and mag hydroxide combo but have to get the melt point up a bit, especially in summer.
 
Last night I made more babassu-MgOH deodorant using cera bellina wax and rice bran wax as previously mentioned.

Although I had wanted to do a fairly large batch this time, I didn't think I would have enough of all the ingredients, so I only did 4 roll-up containers. For the first time, I gave one to my husband (today was his birthday).

It occurred to me that he might have gone to work and said something like, 'my wife gave me deodorant for my birthday' although I did not ask if he said anything like that. It just struck me as a funny thought.

So I need to order more MgOH, more rice bran wax and more cera bellina wax. My orders for August are really adding up!

In future I may try something with BTMS-50 instead of the rice bran wax and cera bellina wax, but since that combination has given me such perfect results for my situation (lots of time in a hot car), and it's summer again, I chose to stick with the formula that works best.

Because Dragon's Blood is my favorite of scents lately, I made 3 containers with DB (1 for my husband), but also made one with White Jasmine FO, because I really like it, too.

Formula I am using:

49% babassu oil
42% MgOH
5% Rice Bran Wax
3% Cera Bellina Wax
1% FO
 
I don't have any rice bran wax, which other wax would you suggest as a substitute? Or could you use 8% cera bellina wax instead?
 
Back
Top