I’ve always had some issues with regular deodorant. When I was a teenager, my dad, a biologist, would tell me that antiperspirant wasn’t good for your body because it inhibits the body’s natural sweating ability. While men can easily find deodorant that isn’t antiperspirant, there aren’t any such options in the women’s deodorant section.
In recent years, I’ve been suspicious of the aluminum and parabens in deodorant and antiperspirant being associated with breast cancer. Of course the research is still inconclusive, but after having a friend, a young, healthy mom my same age, recently die of breast cancer I am feeling less invincible than usual.
I have experimented with several natural, paraben-free deodorants and haven’t loved them for one reason or another. I finally found Primal Pit Paste
The only downside of Primal Pit Paste is the price tag. A 2 oz container costs around $11 on Amazon. Of course a container that size will last for months, but after a look at the simple ingredients, I was pretty sure I could make my own for cheaper. Just like my laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent, I set out to make my deodorant from scratch.
I ordered my ingredients on Amazon, which I’m pretty certain was cheaper than running around to local health stores (local means an hour away when you live in the boonies). Even though the amounts you’ll need are very small, I usually look for a price break by buying in bulk. That way I can have the ingredients on hand for future batches (for myself or for gifts) and for future DIY body products like lip balm and lotion.
You will need:
Shea Butter— 3 Tablespoons — I use raw, unrefined shea butter. It definitely gets cheaper when you buy more of it. I bought 32 oz for a good price on Amazon, which is way more than you need for this project, but it’s used in lots of other personal care products too. You can buy it in smaller quantities for just a little more per ounce (like here).
Coconut oil— 2 Tablespoons — I have used several brands of coconut oil. One of the best prices on Amazon is currently this one. You can also find it at your grocery store.
Arrowroot Powder— 3 Tablespoons — I got mine at Whole Foods, but you might be able to find it at a larger grocery store. It will be near the alternative flours in the baking aisle. The price on Amazon is comparable to what I paid at Whole Foods.
Baking Soda— 2 Tablespoons — Just regular baking soda from your pantry.
Essential Oils– I don’t have any affiliation with any particular oil brand. I used this lavender for my deodorant. I actually bought this set of six on Amazon a while back. One of my favorite combos is thyme and lemongrass (that’s the kind of Primal Pit Paste that I used).
Glass Jar– This recipe makes enough to fill a 4 oz canning jar. I just grabbed a jam jar from my canning supplies. You could also use a baby food jar or other glass container.
Instructions
Put 3 Tablespoons of Shea Butter and 2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil in a glass jar (I used a pint-size jar). Set jar in a pan of lightly boiling water until they both liquefy. Stir.
Mix in 3 Tablespoons of Arrowroot Powder and 2 Tablespoons of Baking Soda. Add in essential oils of your choice. Amount will depend on the strength of the oil and your personal preference.
Pour into your small glass container(s). Allow to cool and solidify. You can put it in the fridge to speed the process.
Directions for Use
Apply a pea-sized amount under each arm. Warmth of body will make it spread easily. I have not had any trouble with it leaving oil marks on clothing, but just to be safe, let your deodorant soak in and dry before dressing.
Some people experience a “detox” period when they start using natural deodorant. It’s actually a good thing! Your body is getting rid of the chemicals and toxins that have built up for years. Your pores are unclogging. You sweat glands that were blocked by antiperspirants are now free to get out all the junk. This might make you stinkier, sweatier, and more tender at first. Primal Pit Paste has some details on how to know if you’re experiencing pit detox and what to do about it. It doesn’t happen to everyone (I didn’t experience it at all), but it’s good to be aware of!
Price Breakdown
Now, my frugal friends, let’s take a look at the price breakdown. These are the prices that I paid. Prices on Amazon fluctuate regularly, so your price might be different. In fact, some of the prices have gone down since I bought mine.
Shea Butter— 32 oz for $12.50 ($.39/oz)
3 Tablespoons used (~2 oz) = $0.78
Coconut oil— 15.5 oz for $5.75 ($.37/oz)
2 Tablespoons used (~1.5 oz) = $0.56
Arrowroot Powder— 16 oz (56 Tbsp) for $7.00 ($.13/Tbsp)
3 Tablespoons used = $0.39
Baking Soda 16 oz box (33 Tbsp) for $.56 ($.02/Tbsp)
2 Tablespoons used = $.04
Lavender Essential Oil 10 ml bottle (200+ drops) for $9.99 ($.05/drop)
10 drops used- $.50
Total cost for 4 oz Homemade Deodorant = $2.27
Comparison of 2 oz Primal Pit Paste = $10.95
Summary
Until writing this post, I hadn’t sat down to actually do the math in detail. Wow! That was even cheaper than I thought! In fact, this aluminum-free, paraben-free natural deodorant rivals the prices of the cheap chemical-laden stuff you buy at the store.
To buy 4 oz of the name brand “pit paste” would cost $21.90, while 4 oz of the homemade version with the same ingredients is a mere $2.27. That’s a savings of almost 90%! I knew it would be cheaper, but I didn’t realize it would be so much cheaper!
I did shell out almost $20 for the two ingredients I didn’t have (shea butter and arrowroot powder), but that should make enough deodorant for, well, forever! Guess what everyone’s getting for Christmas?! Just kidding (that would rank right up there with socks and underwear, right?)!
Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. That means when you click through my site and make a purchase I will receive a small commission even though the price for you remains the same. Thank you so much for supporting our family!
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Sjoukje says
September 16, 2015 at 11:51 amWhat a great idea! I’ve always had issues with deodorant, but only recently found the trouble maker is alluminum. I’m happy to read that I’m not alone, it seems not be very common to be allergic to alluminum. And it’s in almost every deodorant you can buy. I’ll certainly try this.
Stephanie says
September 23, 2015 at 2:22 pmI haven’t known anyone allergic to aluminum, but I know it’s pretty much impossible to find commercial deodorant without it!
[email protected] says
September 16, 2015 at 12:47 pmYou cracked me up with the Christmas present joke! 🙂
Stephanie says
September 23, 2015 at 2:21 pmI’ve given my kids new socks and underwear for Christmas before and my dad thinks that is shameful! I can’t imagine what he’d have to say about deodorant! 🙂
Carolyn @ Raspberries in the Rough says
September 22, 2015 at 9:30 pmInteresting. I wouldn’t have guessed you could get down to such a great cost using quality (and typically expensive) ingredients like that. It sure sounds like it would feel nice, although I admit to having doubts about if it could handle my sweaty stinkyness!
Stephanie says
September 23, 2015 at 2:20 pmI was surprised by the numbers too! 🙂
Loretta says
January 29, 2019 at 2:55 pmIt’s about more than the sweaty or stinky. More important is the health issue: aluminum causing Alzheimer’s disease or breast cancer. I’ve been interested in this for several years and recently came across info on homemade natural deodorant. I am using a store-bought aluminum-free deodorant, but will be making my own. Some articles say your body has to get used to it. So even if you wash a couple if times a day, it should work.
Kimberly says
February 3, 2016 at 1:10 pmI just refilled my husband’s empty Primal Pit Paste jar with your recipe and had enough left over for a backup jar. I love that its possible to make healthy things cheaply!
Michelle says
April 20, 2016 at 12:37 pmDoes it work just like PPP? I love their lavender, but really want to save money by making my own.
Claudia says
February 25, 2016 at 5:46 amWhat is the consistency of your recipe? I made it, use it, and love it but the consistency is really soft like its thick but pourable. Should it be more salve-like? I just wanted to make sure that I had made it correctly.
Lauren B. says
March 28, 2017 at 7:24 amI saw another person post this question as well, but did not see a response.
I just made the recipe yesterday. IT seems to be more liquid than the picture suggests. I can pour mine as well.
Any tips to fixing it to be more like a salve, like the Primal Pit Paste?
Thank you!
Becky stiller says
August 25, 2017 at 2:40 pmPrimal Pit Paste uses candelilla wax. That ingredient will make the finished product set up firmer.
Becky stiller says
August 25, 2017 at 2:44 pmThank you, Stephanie, for sharing your awesome recipe! I’m going to make up a batch real soon! 🙂
Eurydice says
November 21, 2017 at 1:11 amI made this a few weeks ago, following this recipe exactly. Once it cooled, it was the same consistency as Primal Pit Paste. Maybe it was a teeny bit softer than PPP, but not by enough to really make any difference. So I don’t think it’s because the new PPP formulation uses beeswax. Mine has only what’s in the recipe above and came out beautifully thick and creamy, not at all liquidy.
I made enough to refill two empty PPP jars, and it really is almost the same consistency, once cooled.
I did cool them in the refrigerator, if that makes any difference, without their lids.
Michelle says
April 20, 2016 at 12:35 pmCan you give me an approximate amount of the essential oil you used? Are we talking a few drops or a teaspoon full (I LOVE PPP’s lavender)? I have all of the ingredients at home along with a few empty PPP jars I have been saving (hoarding) for when I finally make my own. I’m so excited to try this!!
I did experience a bad pit detox initially, I found that exfoliating my arm pits often and using talc-free baby powder through out the day really helped (or a 50/50 mix of arrowroot and cornstarch worked great too). Personally, it’s the little bit of dampness combined with the rubbing/movement through out the day that caused my redness/flare ups, so I put on a dash of baby powder and I am good to go! Here are my personal tips: only one application of deodorant per day is needed, you may want to apply more, but it will just mess your pits up, trust me, and a little coconut oil (or Pure Haven’s Dream Cream, my personal favorite) on them at night does wonders for calming my pits down (haha).
Diane says
August 10, 2016 at 3:54 pmthe part where it breaks down costs says 10 drops of essential oil was used.
Andrea says
June 22, 2016 at 6:31 pmI absolutely LOVE this recipe! I live in FL and the heat and humidity kills me, but this pit paste stands up to the elements with no problem. I have been using it for over a month now, and all of a sudden my armpits are getting discolored and starting to peel. It doesn’t hurt, but it is pretty ugly. Any one else have this problem?
Keri says
July 8, 2016 at 10:40 pmBaking soda could be your issue. Look into other sites about side effects of too much baking soda in DIY deoderants.
Keri says
July 8, 2016 at 10:38 pmI’ve been having issues since I started using PPP. Even when I used this recipe the issues continued. Lumps, rashes, itchiness, pimples…and I just read recently that baking soda can be the culprit. Too much, causing redness, rashes, etc. There seemed to be an online community/forum about those reacting in such ways to DIY deoderants. Most of the side effects are the exact reactions baking soda can have. Have many people responded this way to your deoderant? I love how PPP virtually eliminates all odor and is excludes aluminum…but it’s not working for me due to all the side effects/baking soda (I suspect). Any ideas?
Diane says
August 10, 2016 at 3:56 pmyou can use more arrowroot and leave out the baking soda or use bentonite clay in place of the baking soda.
Cornelia says
August 21, 2016 at 12:40 pmPretty sure commercial baking soda contains aluminum… Health food stores sell aluminum free baking soda.
That said, I have not used any sort of anti-antiperspirant or deodorant for 2 years (started as an experiment!) and don’t shave my pits. This summer the natural pH has obviously balanced because I neither swear too much and there is only a smell which I would call ‘natural musky’. I have decided not to mess with the pits anymore 😉
Also shower only twice a month with water only (do sink bath every morning) and shampoo hair twice a month. It has been a revelation how our skin and hair revert to normal pH conditions without offensive body odor.
Cornelia says
August 21, 2016 at 12:42 pmoops, meant ‘sweat’, not ‘swear’….lol!
Melanie says
September 16, 2016 at 1:27 pmHi Cornelia,
I was under the impression that baking soda contained aluminum too, but turns out it doesn’t! No brand of baking soda has aluminum in it, it is simple sodium bicarbonate. Baking POWDER, however, can contain aluminum, and that is where the confusion comes in. Apparently baking soda manufacturers were getting so tired of clarifying this to customers that they finally printed “aluminum free” on the packaging. So everyone can rest assured that this recipe and others containing baking soda are indeed aluminum free. But, be careful when buying baking powder for your cookie baking. Certain brands have it and certain brands don’t – just read your labels.
See this trusted source: http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2014/01/baking-soda-aluminum.html
Kelly says
June 14, 2017 at 2:58 pmThere’s is no aluminum in baking soda period!
lisa says
September 4, 2019 at 6:46 pmthere is a PPP now that they make that has magnesium and zinc oxide in it to stop odors and its for those that cannot use BS.
michelle says
July 24, 2016 at 6:25 pmDo you think I can substitute the arrowroot with tapioca flour?
Lynda Rich Spiegel says
August 25, 2017 at 6:41 amArrowroot and cornstarch are basically the same thing, so I used cornstarch, which I already had in the pantry.
And it’s baking POWDER, not soda, that contains aluminum
Christine Manter says
July 29, 2016 at 12:45 amCan I put the diy pit paste in a little tin instead of a glass jar?
Ari says
October 29, 2016 at 7:31 pmJust wanted to say thanks for posting this. I was using baking soda alone for a year, but I guess I should’ve used a more organic kind, I don’t know, because the peeling was making me a little raw and the baking soda was beginning to burn.
Works like a charm. There’s just enough baking soda to keep me fresh and not enough to make me burn. I’ve tried bentonite clay, coconut oil, shea butter separately and they suck as deodorant; I have not found anything as potent as baking soda. Seriously, you are a god-send…I have been “ripe” filtering through all the other diy’s.
Also, I saw Primal Pit Paste at Whole Foods, and $9-$10 for 2oz is ridiculous. I read the ingredients and thought “I have all this at home…”
Anyway, I used baby powder (had cornstarch in it instead of talc) in place of the arrowroot (I didn’t have it), and some almond oil/mango butter to compensate for the lack of shea butter/coconut oil. Works greaaaat.
So thanks again you great person you
diymama says
November 30, 2016 at 9:23 amI’m allergic to Shea, can I use another oil or butter instead?
Amy says
August 27, 2017 at 8:46 pmMy mom is allergic to Shea as well, so when making her things I sub cocoa butter. Same consistency and smells divine 🙂
Shannon says
December 31, 2016 at 3:02 pmIf you are looking for something to buy for women, why not Tom’s of Maine? I use the Calendula or the Lemongrass scented ones. They aren’t an antiperspirant, are they?
Eurydice says
November 21, 2017 at 2:08 amIf you look at the ingredients and compare those to the ingredients in this recipe, you’ll see the difference right away.
Also, I used to use a few different Tom’s of Maine deodorants, including the one you mentioned. Surprisingly, once I switched to Primal Pit Paste, I found it actually more effective than the Tom’s of Maine on really hot days out and about during the summer.
A much bigger and often overlooked issue is that the plastic packaging that all those conventional deodorants come in — Tom’s of Maine included — are incredibly wasteful. Even if you recycle them, the environmental damage of plastics is only mitigated by maybe 10%. Most of the harm brought about by plastics is in the creation of them, not in their disposal. Most discussion about plastics in terms of the environment focuses only on how to maximize recycling. If you dig, though, you will see that consuming less, and considering the whole product including packaging when you do buy things, is important.
That, more than the high quality of the ingredients in these pit pastes, is what drove my initial switch. The fact that the pit pastes are more effective for me is a really great bonus, though.
And the plastic zip bag packaging that a pound or two of shea butter, et cetera comes in IS plastic, but the plastic of several dozen deodorant containers is much, much worse.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/katie-patrick/21-reasons-why-plastic-bo_b_12848918.html
Khristina says
January 5, 2017 at 7:50 pmMy husband and I made this last weekend. It was our first diy deodorant. We did a bentonite clay armpit detox the night before. I can honestly say I will never buy deodorant again and I will always make it myself. This stuff really works! We both sweat alot normally and we immediately could tell a difference after the first day with this stuff. We sweat less and our pits just smelt like shea all day lol. I did use cornstarch instead of arrowroot because that what I had on hand. And we used lemongrass eo. Its amazing. The recipe is suoer simply for a diy. Definitely making again and again!
Paddy says
January 8, 2017 at 2:55 pmLook for aluminum free baking soda at your health food store. Grocery stores probably don’t carry it.
Dawn says
January 31, 2017 at 8:59 pmCan these be made and put in deodorant containers….or is the consistency such that it has to be in jars?
Stephanie says
February 15, 2017 at 9:03 amIf you have a cooler climate, then it could definitely work in normal deodorant containers. The catch is that coconut oil has a very low melting point (76 degrees I think), so if your home is warm, then the deodorant will not harden up quite enough for a normal deodorant container. Or it might work seasonally. Hope that helps!
Rosa says
March 27, 2017 at 12:40 pmcan you add a little bees wax ( so it wont melt in warmer weather) and put it in an empty deodorant Stick?
Thanks
Cynthia says
April 9, 2017 at 2:38 pmI used vinegar and baking soda but I always get a little burning in my arm pit. I will try this one and see how it goes. Thanks
Angie S says
April 18, 2017 at 9:40 amFun fact: if you use the same ratios in teaspoons instead of tablespoons, the recipe fills your old 2oz ppp jar perfectly!
Lol I wanted to make a small test batch to try before I went all in and was pleasantly surprised that it’s the perfect amount! Thanks!
Maisy says
May 20, 2017 at 4:12 amSo far, I’ve made my own deodorant using coconut oil, baking soda, corn starch and essential oils. Next time, I’ll try adding in shea butter too! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
*Maisy
Carol says
May 21, 2017 at 5:03 amI’ve been my deodorant for some years. Yours has a few more ingredients and I’ll try it. Thanks for sharing.
Nina says
May 23, 2017 at 9:19 amHi there! Popping in from the #HomeMattersParty and I’m so glad I found your recipe for the natural deodorant. Will be giving it a try very soon! I featured this post on my blog today and I’m looking forward to making some of my own deodorant. Thanks for the inspiration! Nina @ Vintage Mama’s Cottage
Sandra says
May 24, 2017 at 2:50 pmThat coconut oil is refined. We should use the UNREFINED virgin coconut oil.
felecia says
July 12, 2017 at 7:16 pmIs this natural deodorant safe for children. My daughter and I use the mineral stick but my 9 year old isnt reliable to apply properly, so I am interested in her using something both of us can see go on….whew, she stinks! Can you use it on 9 year olds who have never used anything conventional and certainly no anti-antiperspirant.
Thanks
Felecia
Rachel says
November 2, 2017 at 7:09 pmI’m not sure why but I find this gritty. Maybe I mixed it wrong? It is very gritty/sandy feeling (not smooth like primal). Is there a way to correct this? Thanks
Monique says
June 7, 2018 at 5:49 amThis post is years old, but here I am discovering it for the first time. I recently tried PPP after unsuccessful attempts at natural deodorant that works. The problem I have it that no deodorant works for me. Even conventional antiperspirants couldn’t keep me fresh. I don’t get bent out about sweating (I sweat a lot and very easily), but I really don’t want to smell bad. PPP works amazingly…and it doesn’t leave unwashable stinky residue in my clothing.
I’ve now just about run out of my first jar and I’ve wondered if I could make this stuff. ‘Cause $10 a pop is ridiculous! PPP posts their ingredients, but I wanted to make sure I got the ratio correct.
This is a long journey to say thank you for doing the research and experimenting to provide this recipe. I will try this in the near future (and I can use the ingredients for other personal needs). I also like to make my own hair conditioners and hope to start making lip balm soon.
Madison says
July 20, 2018 at 1:10 pmHey! I just wanted to let you know I’ve been using this recipe about two years now and I still love it! Thank you
Renata says
November 7, 2019 at 2:16 pmWow! Mine turned out amazing! The consistency is even better than the original! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this recipe with us! You’ve saved me tons of bucks, since this deodorant is the most effective one I have ever tried. Which is a win-win because it’s all natural with no aluminum! In love 😀
Will be making this for as long as I live.
Just one question: Can we substitute shea butter for mango butter?