May 25, 2012

Rise and shine smoothie | Home-made deodorant



Did you wake up on the funky side of the bed? Feeling a little blah or queasy? Not as voracious an appetite as usual? Maybe you need a dose of rise and shine smoothie to get you back on track. It worked for me. :)

Rise and shine smoothie
  • 1 to 3 teaspoons fresh ginger root, washed, scraped, chopped (I used two teaspoons.)
  • 1-1/2 heaping cups frozen mango pieces (mine were from Trader Joe's)
  • 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional but good)
  • almond milk (about 1-1/2 cups)
  • water (about 1/2 cup)
  1. Add the ginger root and mango to a VitaMix or other high-speed blender. 
  2. Add enough almond milk to process, and thin to your preferred consistency with additional milk or water. (I used about 1-1/2 cups of milk and 1/2 cup of water, but your blender may want less or more. You may prefer your smoothie thicker or thinner.) Blend until creamy-smooth. 
  3. You can add a few drops of liquid stevia or other sweetener of your choice if you prefer a sweeter smoothie, but I found it plenty sweet as is.

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Home-made deodorant


I was reading a blog post about DIY deodorant and thinking I'd like to make some. Who wouldn't, right? It only had four ingredients, and the most expensive one I already had. If you already have everything on hand, it would be very economical to make, but if you have to buy everything, not so much. But I wasn't making it to be economical, I was making it because I was looking for a more  'natural' deodorant with a minimum of ingredients. Honestly, it works better than the natural deodorant I was buying, and has better ingredients. It contains only coconut oil, corn starch (or arrowroot), essential oil, and baking soda.

One recipe makes enough for several months. The deodorant stays hard when the room temperature is cool, but softens a bit as it gets warmer. In hot weather you could keep it in the refrigerator. I now have mine in four 2-ounce amber glass jars, three of which are in the refrigerator. (I made a bit more than the recipe provides.)

I had no problems with clothing stains while the deodorant was hard, but when it softened, I may have used too much, and I found oil stains on my favorite tee. This only happened with a light-colored tee. (They came out with a LOT of washing.) The stuff smells fantastic, and I really love it so I'm going to give it another shot and pay more attention to how much I apply. It only takes a little to do the trick.

The recipe is based on one I found on the blog, In Sonnet's Kitchen, which, sorry to say, is no longer available.

Homemade deodorant (based on a recipe from In Sonnet's Kitchen)
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • 2 Tablespoons arrowroot powder (or corn starch)
  • 5 teaspoons baking soda
  • 10 drops lavender essential oil
  • 10 drops tea tree oil
  1. Melt the coconut oil in a small pot over a low flame, or in a glass measuring cup in the microwave. If you use the microwave, set for 20 seconds at a time until liquified. (mine took two 20-second cycles)
  2. Add the corn starch and baking soda to the liquefied oil, and combine. 
  3. Add the essential oils. Mix together thoroughly to remove any lumps.
  4. Transfer to a glass container or two small glass jars.
  5. The deodorant will solidify just fine on the counter top if the room is cool. To speed it up, or if the room is too warm, you can cool it in the refrigerator until solid, stirring every 20 minutes or so. 
  6. I let it harden in the refrigerator, and kept taking it out to stir it while it cooled, because the ingredients tend to separate if you don't.
I like using the deodorant best when it's solid. I just scoop a little on the back of my fingernail and spread it on. If it gets too warm, and the deodorant melts, you can store it in the refrigerator. In Seattle's climate, I keep it in the bathroom cupboard year round. Note that some people have a reaction to baking soda in a deodorant, and get a rash. If you have sensitive skin, this may not be for you.


Update: Although I had no problems using the deodorant for nearly a year, I now find that it irritates my skin. At first, reducing the baking soda helped, but not anymore. 

41 comments:

  1. that smoothie looks so refreshing! thanks for sharing!

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    1. You're welcome! I had one this morning and it almost made me believe I had had enough sleep. :)

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  2. I'm trying the smoothie tomorrow and I love the homemade deodorant idea. I still haven't found a natural deodorant that works as well as the aluminum stuff.

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    1. Nature's Gate Winter Clean deodorant is the best one I've found — until I made my own. It works great but I'm still a little leery of the oil residue, though it seems to soak right into the skin and disappear.

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  3. Yummy looking smoothie, ginger works wonders! :-) I like the DIY deodorant but I'm a little worried about the oil. It's totally a pain to get any kind of oil out of clothing.

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    1. I love ginger, and was kind of surprised to read all the warnings about using too much.

      I really think I used too much the day I had the problem. It had softened and I wasn't prepared for the change in texture. Up until then, it had been great.

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  4. The smoothie sounds really good, but I'm totally intrigured by the deodorant! I use a natural deodorant that does work for me, but as you say, this one is even *more* natural and I like that you can make it at home. But I'd be afraid that the coconut oil would stain all my clothes. . .??

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    1. I wore it last night for a few hours of contra dancing and lots of sweating, and my black tee shirt looked fine. I'm most worried about light colored clothes. Am wearing a light colored tee today, and so far so good. Just put it on lightly and let it soak in before sweating. :)

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  5. Neither had I, but couldn't help myself after I read about it. It really works, too.

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  6. mmm ginger mango, love that idea!

    sounds like a good deodorant for a cool climate, but here coconut oil is liquid at room temperature...year round!

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    1. Yes, you would have to store it in the refrigerator — not the most convenient place to keep a bath product. :)

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  7. That smoothie looks wonderful! I can't get enough mango!

    I'm intrigued by your DIY deodorant. I have a friend who makes her own with a recipe similar to this one, and she swears by it. After trying many brands, I finally found a natural one that I like - Lavanila. However, it costs $18! That just seems kind of ridiculous for deodorant. For the homemade kind, the only ingredient I don't have is essential oil. So that wouldn't be too hard or expensive to obtain. Thanks for the info!

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    1. I love mango, too, but stick to the frozen kind since I'l allergic to the skin.

      You should give the deodorant a try — I think it works really well. Just make sure the jar you choose to keep it in has a lid. :)

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    2. That's right, I forgot that you're allergic to the skin. I'd never heard of that before. Have you ever met anyone else who's just allergic to the skin? That seems like it would be a difficult allergy to pinpoint.

      Yes, it could get very sloppy without a lid! Hopefully I'll be able to manage finding one. :)

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    3. A friend of mine is allergic to mango skin and uses gloves to prepare mango. She's the one who convinced me it was probably all right for me to eat it if I didn't touch it. (I had a horrible, long-lasting rash around my mouth after it came in contact with the skin.) Mango allergy is somewhat common.

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  8. I make my own deodorant too! The recipe I have uses the same ingredients. I found that the coconut oil rises to the top of my jar and the arrowroot and baking soda tend to settle at the bottom. So, before I apply it, I always give it a quick stir with my finger to make sure I'm not just applying the coconut oil. It seems to be working!

    By the way, did I see you in a photo on Facebook with Chloe Coscarelli? :)

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    1. My deodorant is hard and doesn't separate. I did notice though, that as it was cooling the ingredients were separating, so I kept taking it out of the refrigerator and stirring it until it was solid. That seemed to work.

      You may have seen a photo — a very weird one, actually. I was going to post it here but I "forgot." Maybe next post.

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    2. You're secretly hobnobbing!

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    3. not secretly enough, apparently ...

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  9. The ingredients in the smoothie sound like they'd be perfect together! I love ginger.

    That's great that you made your own deodorant and even greater that it works!

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    1. I would think making the deodorant would be right up your alley. I love how few ingredients it has yet it's very effective.

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  10. I love the sound of the smoothie. It looks very pretty too.
    Thanks for the link to the DIY deodorant. I'm very picky about what I use, too, but they never really work too well for me. I'll definitely be trying that recipe soon. I have tea tree oil too...how much did you use? mine doesn't have a dropper.

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    1. I followed the recipe but subbed half tea tree oil for half the lavender. I used the maximum amount in the recipe. You can usually buy a cheap (like 25 cents) dropper in most drug stores. My oil bottles have dropper tops.

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  11. That Rise & Shine smoothie sounds perfectly named, and perfectly delicious! I wonder if my aged blender would be up to the task? Sounds like a wonderful summer breakfast concoction that we'd really enjoy.

    The homemade deodorant sounds intriguing, and all I'm lacking is the coconut oil. Thanks for sharing the link to the recipe and your tips!

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    1. The smoothie is so simple but so soothing. It's my favorite breakfast when I'm not feeling energetic. It wakes me up!

      I can't believe the deodorant works. As Bitt pointed out, it may not be the best solution for hot climates where it won't stay in a solid state. But there are other recipes around with additives that help it stay solid.

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  12. Well, I was just informed that we need more sucanat, crystallized ginger and dried mangoes, so I threw a jar of organic coconut oil on our Lucky Vitamin order! :-)

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  13. Ooo, mango and ginger! Frozen mango pieces puree so smooth (and I don't break out from handling the peals.) Thanks!

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    1. Lorraine! Just seeing your name brought a big smile to my face. You know, it was you who convinced me to try mango again after I got a ghastly rash from eating a mango too enthusiastically. I'm still afraid to cut up a fresh one, but frozen works great in smoothies!

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  14. Lovely color on that smoothie! Sounds delicious too. I've got to add ginger to my smoothies and juices more often.

    I like the homemade deodorant idea. Sage water makes a great natural deodorant too.

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    1. Thanks. Mangoes make pretty smoothies and ice creams! I've never tried sage water, but I've been putting the coconut oil deod. to the test this weekend at Folklife!

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  15. The first part of your post sounded so much like a commercial that I almost grabbed a snack to eat until the show came back on. Ha ha. The smoothie does sound great, though. The deodorant - well, I only use pure deodorant, no anti-perspirant, but I can't say I've ever desired to make my own. So, is the tea tree oil the essential oil? I was wondering what essential is - for me it's sesame oil, but somehow I don't think I'm supposed to put sesame oil on my armpits. Where does one find tea tree oil? How do you get the deodorant out of the glasses? If you use your fingertips (like I suspect), what do you do when it's hardened? Readers want to know!

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    1. Hmmm. Maybe I should start writing commercials and get paid. Do you think there's a big market for mango-ginger smoothies?

      According to wikipedia, "an essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. ... An oil is "essential" in the sense that it carries a distinctive scent, or essence, of the plant."

      It's not really "oily." There's a more detailed explanation here: http://bit.ly/KXAzJV

      The two essential oils I used are lavender oil and tea tree oil.

      I think of sesame oil as a cooking oil, though I'm sure it probably has cosmetic uses. I got my oils at the co-op and Whole Foods. You could also go to an herb shop or order online from someplace like iherb. (Essential oils can be pricy, depending on quality, quantity and place of purchase.)

      I apply the deod. with a fingertip, then wash off the finger, but I really can't feel any residue. Although the stuff is hardened in the jar, it's easy to swipe a little off and rub it on. It takes very little to be effective. If it got too soft, I'd keep it in the fridge, but it doesn't seem to get very hot here in Seattle, so the coconut oil stays pretty hard. I'd never thought about making deodorant before I read Sonnet's blog post, but it seemed like a cool idea, and I must have been in the right mood for concocting something new. :)

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    2. Ah, now I get it - essential oil b/c of the "essence" of the plant. Makes sense when you break it down. And, you must know silly girl, that I was teasing about the sesame oil, sheesh! As far as mango-ginger smoothies, if anyone can do it, you can!

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    3. Yes, but when you tease me I tease you back, hence "cosmetic uses." :)

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  16. As though I am 12 years old, the thought of you keeping your deoderant in the fridge makes me giggle. I use the Crystal- roll on in the winter, rock in the summer. I think it works 90% of the time; I'm willing to risk the 10% not to spread icky chemicals on my glands every day.

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    1. If it comes to keeping it in the fridge for any length of time, I'll probably have to revert to my store-bought brand. The kitchen is too far from the bathroom and there are too many windows in between. :) (Right now, only the great supply of extras I managed to make are in the fridge.)

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    2. I hope it's labelled ;-)

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  17. that smoothie sounds fabulous.. i have a soft spot for mangoes and the current crop is just not coming out that good.
    i have to try that deo too. great to hear another positive review!

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    1. The smoothie is so simple but it's really delicious and invigorating. I love mangoes and miss using the fresh ones.

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  18. looks delicious! cant wait to try it :)

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    1. Hope you enjoy it, and thanks for your comment!

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