Homemade Deodorant

Is conventional deodorant toxic? Does it promote breast cancer? Depends on which "expert" you ask. I'm guessing that the connection to breast cancer is a bit less clear-cut than people make it out to be, but I found gelatin listed as one of the ingredients in my latest conventional deodorant purchase. That simply goes against my values as a vegetarian. In addition, there are tons of ingredients on that label that I can't pronounce, and even more whose internal effects I'd rather not look up on the Environmental Working Group's cosmetics ingredients database. I tried Tom's of Maine deodorant once upon a time, but it seemed to make me sweat more, rather than less, and didn't do much to cover up the smell. So, I've decided to make my own.

Here's my adaptation to this recipe I found online:

Deodorant Paste (paraben-free, aluminum-free)

1/4 c cornstarch
1/4 c baking soda
3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
1 tsp olive oil (up to 1 tablespoon, depending on how pasty or smooth you want your final product to be)
Essential oils of your choice to scent it (I did 3 drops peppermint, 3 drops spearmint, and 3 drops rosemary)

Mix all ingredients together with a spoon, adding the essential oils after everything else is well incorporated. If necessary, mix together with your hands to get it as smooth as possible. Add more olive oil if it ends up too pasty for you. Remember, the olive oil will just help soothe and smooth your much neglected underarm skin!

Here are some photos of the finished product. I chose to store my in an 8-oz glass jar that used to hold Ginger People brand minced ginger (which I am addicted to, by the way...):

Now, the question is: does it work? So far, so good (I used it today). It's definitely not something I want to use when wearing a little black dress to a cocktail party, but it seems to keep me dry in a t-shirt during the day-to-day shuffle. And not covering my armpits with toxins every day? I think that's definitely worth a little white mark every now and then.