DIY Witch Hazel Deodorant

I still like the DIY cream deodorant recipe I posted back in August, but I wanted to try something new, which is where this one comes in.  I was browsing deodorants one day and kept coming across liquid roll-on formulas that had witch hazel fairly high up in the ingredients.  Eying my almost-full bottle of Humphrey's Witch Hazel Astringent, I came up with this recipe.  It uses only two ingredients and just might be the easiest DIY you'll ever find.  It literally takes all of 20 seconds to mix up.  

Recipe
1 ounce witch hazel astringent
4 drops lavender essential oil (or other essential oil(s) of your choice)

Pour ingredients into a bottle and shake to combine.

  


Love at First Swipe
This is basically the same thing I use as a toner on my face and I'll admit I was skeptical of how well it would would perform as a deodorant, but right from the first application, I was smitten.  I saturated a cotton ball with the mixture, swiped it on, gave it a minute to dry, then got dressed and went about my day.  That night, I checked back, and even with some up-close and personal sniffing, I couldn't smell anything.  Like a good blogger, I diligently tested this, checking every day for stinkyness.  It worked great - no irritation, no unsightly white marks on my clothes, and absolutely no sweaty smells to be found!

A Short-Lived Affair
Unfortunately, after about a month of using it, the deodorant stopped working.  There were no hints, no gradual lessening of effectiveness, just an abrupt 180 - one day we were great and the next, it was over.  I was stinky again.  I tried using different essential oils, adding more essential oils, and even reapplying throughout the day, but to no avail.  I'm so disappointed!  After a month of working perfectly, I can't seem to get this deodorant to work at all anymore.

The Bottom Line
While it worked, this was probably my favorite deodorant I've ever used.  Long term is another story, and for whatever reason, it stopped being effective for me.  Still, deodorant can be a funny thing and tends to interact differently with different people's body chemistry, so just because it stopped working for me, doesn't mean it won't work for you.  I'd still recommend giving it a try.  Besides being ridiculously easy to make, these are inexpensive ingredients that I expect many of us already have lying around.  Really, what have you got to lose?

I'm back to using my cream deodorant again, but I have to ask: store bought or homemade, what's your favorite deodorant?  Are there any wacky DIY concoctions on your vanity?


Also, you've still got one more day to enter my SoapStix Giveaway.  If you haven't entered yet, make sure you head on over before time's up!

  

         

19 comments

  1. Oh really?this one works?:o
    I use standar homemade bakingsoda+vco+eo. It works,always.. :)

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  2. It only worked short-term for me, unfortunately. Yours sounds similar to the other recipe I use...that one has never failed me either :)

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  3. Interesting. I find that this happens with my store-bought deoderants. I will find one I like and use it for awhile and then it seems to stop working! This is really irritating and I can't quite figure it out.

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  4. It happened with my last store-bought deodorant too...after using it for years without any issues. I'm not sure why it happens either, but it's so disappointing when it does!

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  5. I have been using alcohol with a few drops of essential oil and its been working good for at least a month now; though I'm not sure if using alcohol under my arms is a big deal???

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    1. I don't know what kind of alcohol you're using but I've read that a better alternative to rubbing alcohol is a high proof "drinking" alcohol such as everclear or vodka.

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  6. My witch hazel has some alcohol in it too. I don't think it's the best thing to be absorbing every single day, but I don't think it's the worst either. Just my take on it :)

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  7. I think witch hazel is good once in a while, when you have a bad case of BO that doesn't want to go away with normal washing. I applied it after showering and it seems to have cured me for a week or more. Probably not necessary or good to apply it every day.

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  8. Just found this entry. I have just started experimenting with witch hazel and essential oils as a spray on deodorant (mixed in a 3 oz. spray bottle, shake before each use). So far, so good (only a week). The coconut oil + baking soda + EOs does not work for me. I have hopes for this one!

    As another commenter said, I've had commercial deodorant quit on me, too.

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    1. Good luck! When it was working, I loved this witch hazel one. I wish it had worked longer term! It's funny how your body can adapt to different deodorants and it can go from working so well to not working at all :/

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  9. Try using the alcohol free witch hazel, add in a bit of castor oil, and some GSE extract, and aloe vera.
    There are a ton of variations on this, just google it. Plus, it's easier for some to just have a quick spray.

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    1. I've tried a few witch hazel deodorants now, both bought and homemade, and they don't seem to work well for me beyond the short term. Thanks for the suggestions!

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  10. Try adding a tablespoon of magnesium oil.

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    1. I've never heard of magnesium oil in a deodorant before! Will have to give it a try :)

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    2. Just be aware, you don't want to spray magnesium oil after shaving underarms, ouch and if you are a little deficent in magnesium it will tingle and can sting when you apply it. Not that it should stop you from continuing to apply it each day, in fact it means you probably should if what I have learned (from several sources) is correct and this happens because your body is low in it and once your body is back in balance/sufficient in magnesium you no longer get that sensation. I have had the experience of it stinging and then no longer stinging when I apply it (under arms or not) and then stinging again once in a while so while I haven't measured my mag levels during that time the facts do seem to play out and make sense to me based on experience. Oh also when using mag oil for deodorant purposes I think they suggest applying it at night (every night) and it works the next day, as I write this I don't remember why I stopped using it, I was using just good quality magnesium oil though not mixed with anything, it can be helpful with sleep as well as restless legs/charlie horse's of course too.

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    3. I've heard that before about the tingling and your body's magnesium levels -- it's so interesting! I still have not tried straight magnesium oil, but I've used a few deodorants with magnesium in them and it really does work so well!

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  11. I know this is years old but I have 2 thought's to add. First I wonder if you tried this again after a period of time not using it, say when your next natural option stops working for instance,it might work again. Perhaps your body adjusts to what your using so alternating when that happens might work? Or maybe altering the EO your using, just a thought. Second no harm in trying this because even if it doesn't work or stops abruptly as it did for you the bottle wont go to waste, you can just use it on your face as astringent, your body to cool down in the heat or on a sunburn and it can just be sprayed on bedding to relax you as a linen spray as lavender is commonly used for just that purpose. I love keeping a little spray bottle of WH and Lav in the fridge during the heat of summer, so refreshing to spritz myself with (even without having been in the fridge or cooler at the beach, that's just an added benefit). Thanks for this it never occurred to me to use it as a deodorant.

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    1. I've tried it a couple more times over the years and I find the same thing happens -- it works for a short period (days/weeks) but ultimately stops working for me again. Sometimes I'll use witch hazel to "freshen up" before applying another deodorant or as an aftershave to prevent razor burn (there's a DIY on the blog for that too!), but I don't use it much on its own as a deodorant these days. I do love it for my face too!

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