DIY Deodorant

Just a quick post I wanted to share with you about a deodorant I made myself yesterday, and yes, it actually works!

I have seen many recipes floating around on Pinterest lately about DIY deodorant using basic kitchen ingredients and since I'm obsessed with using coconut oil for absolutely everything, I thought I'd give it a try. I used this recipe which is as basic as it gets, the changes I made to suit what I had on hand were I used two drops of oil rather than the 10 it suggests and I switched the arrowroot powder for constarch. I would have preferred to use tea tree oil but I had none on hand so I used lavender because it has great properties as well. Adding just the two drops of lavender also ensured that I wasn't blown away by the intense smell of it, which probably wouldn't have been an issue had I used 10 drops of other oils like citrus's or tea tree which i'll probably try next time. 

The hardest part of this DIY was waiting for it to set as I'm not the most patient person, and I wanted to see how it worked while I was out in the arvo. It was warm yesterday and the usual task's that would have caused me to sweat a little didn't seem to be an issue. I didn't feel wet or sticky and no smell. Awesome! One more thing I feel I should mention is that I applied it straight after shaving which in my case usually causes irritation but there was nothing of the sort with this.

 To use it you just scoop a little out of the jar and rub it into your pit, it will melt from the warmth of your skin and your good to go.

Even if DIY deodorant isn't your thing, I recommend giving it a try just to see how great it actually works, and perhaps it may convert you. 

One more thing is I've read on heaps of pages that cornstarch tends to cause irritation in some people and although my skin is easily irritated it wasn't an issue for me. 

Happy DIY'ing!

Desert Essence and Deo Nat Reviews

The last month or so I have been using these two products and let me just say, I do not think I will ever  favour any other shampoo and conditioner or deodorant, EVER.

The Desert Essence Coconut Shampoo and Conditioner are the most amazing smelling products I have ever smelt, so much so that I literally wanted to squirt the whole bottles in my mouth the first time I used them. Yep, they really do smell that amazing. The shampoo has a really sweet coconut scent, and the conditioner has a more creamy scent but still really sweet.

As for how they work on my hair, I have never been happier with natural hair products. The coconut ones in particular are Nourishing For Dry Hair, and nourish they do. My hair is so soft that  I am getting those little fly away's around my hairline and normally that would bother me but I really can't complain, my hair is looking healthier than it has in a long time. I especially love using these after my coconut oil hair treatment because the coconut smell just stay's in my hair.

Desert Essence Coconut Shampoo $6.03 from iHerb.com 

Water (aqua), rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract*, arctium lappa (burdock) root extract*, achillea millefolium (yarrow) extract*, hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel) leaf extract*, foeniculum vulgare (fennel) seed extract*, sambucus nigra (black elderberry) flower extract*, aloe barbadensis leaf extract*, sodium coco-sulfate (coconut derived), decyl glucoside (coconut and corn derived), propanediol (corn derived), coco-glucoside (coconut derived), butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter*, coco nucifera (coconut) oil*, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil*, cannabis sativa (hemp) seed oil*, olea europaea (olive) fruit oil*, dehydroacetic acid, glycerin, hydrogenated coco-glycerides (coconut derived), sodium chloride, potassium sorbate (fruit derived), lauryl glucoside (plant derived), benzyl alcohol, citric acid, stearyl citrate (vegetable derived), fragrance (parfum).

*Certified organic

100% vegan, wheat & gluten free

No: Parabens, sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates, phthalates, artificial colors, silicones, EDTA, glycol, or petroleum-based ingredients.

Cruelty free and biodegradable: No animal testing of raw materials or finished product. No phosphates.

Desert Essence Coconut Conditioner $6.03 from iHerb.com

Water (aqua), olea europaea (olive) leaf extract*, urtica dioica (nettle) leaf extract*, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract*, cetearyl alcohol (coconut derived), behentrimonium methosulfate, coco nucifera (coconut) oil* butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter*, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil*, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil*, simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed oil*, caprylic/capric triglyceride (coconut derived), dehydroacetic acid, cetrimonium chloride, benzyl alcohol, glycerin, potassium, sorbate (fruit derived), citric acid, fragrance (parfum).

*Certified organic

100% vegan, wheat & gluten free

No: Parabens, sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates, phthalates, artificial colors, silicones, EDTA, glycol, or petroleum-based ingredients.

Cruelty free and biodegradable: No animal testing of raw materials or finished product. No phosphates.

Deo Nat Natural Crystal Deodorant

 This deodaorant has only one ingrediant and that is 100% natural mineral salts.

* No perfumes, preservatives or alcohol,

* Kills odour producing bacteria

* Non-allergenic - will not sting or irritate

* Does not stain clothing

* Does not clog pores, is not absorbed through skin,

* last's up to one year.

I like this deodorant because it is just salt. No scent's or anything else that could get annoying, it doesn't completely stop me from sweating, but, the only time I do sweat is when im walking and the temperature is in the 30's, even still, my sweat doesn't smell bad, it doesn't smell like anything at all. 

I bought this from my local Healthy Life and it cost $8.95. 

Weleda and Avalon Organics

A couple of weeks ago I purchased A LOT of stuff from iherb.com so I will be doing reviews on those products in the coming weeks but today I wanted to review these two. They are the coQ10 Firming Body Lotion from Avalon Organics and the Wild Rose Deodorant from Weleda.

The coQ10 Firming Body Lotion is great, I had seen this online about a year ago but couldn't find it in any stores here so i'm really glad iherb stock it, because when I was pregant I got a bit lazy with moisturizing to keep my skin supple and now im paying for it. As I said, I only got this a couple of weeks ago but I can already see the difference, nothing major, but noticable. I think in a few more weeks i'll update to let you know if there is any change. Like any firming lotion though, you can't be lazy and expect it to do all the work, so with light exercise it should give good results, but again i'll update in a few weeks.

Cost: $11.23

 Ingrediants: Organic lavandula angustifolia (lavender) flower(1), chamomilla recutita (chamomile) flower(1), camellia sinensis (white tea) leaf(2) and organic arnica montana flower(3) extracts (aqueous), glyceryl stearate SE, vegetable glycerin, caprylic/capric triglyceride, stearic acid, sorbitol, sorbitan stearate, algae extract, phenoxyethanol, tocopherol (vitamin E), ubiquinone (CoQ10), organic helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil(2), citric acid, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), persea gratissima (avocado) oil, polysorbate 20, centella asiatica (gotu kola) and echinacea purpurea extracts, sodium carbomer, sodium hyaluronate, chlorella vulgaris (algae) extract, biosaccharide gum, prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond), rose canina (rose hip) seed and borago officinalis (borage) oils, ethylhexylglycerin, organic citrus aurantium bergamia (bergamot) fruit oil(2) and other essential oils.
(1) Certified by Oregon Tilth
(2) Certified by Quality Assurance International
(3) Certified by Pro-Cert Organic Systems

100% vegetarian ingredients. No animal testing. Paraben free. EU Cosmetics Directive Compliant.

The Wild Rose Deodorant is a hit and miss with me. Obviously it's not an antiperspirant so it doesn't stop you sweating but it does make your sweat smell like wild rose haha, so it the sense what it's meant for it is a good product but i personally don't really like the smell that much. It's not a bad smell, just an antiquish (if that's a word) sort of smell, it reminds me of something my nana would wear. I do use it though, the smell isn't overpowering but it's there. I think maybe I will try another scent next time as I do like this deodorant and the fact that  it doesn't sting my underarms if I have just shaved is another reason I like it.

Cost: $11.24

Ingrediants: Alcohol, Water (Aqua), Fragrance (Parfum)* Limonene*, Linalool*, Citronellol*, Benzyl Alcohol*, Benzyl Benzoate*, Benzyl Salicylat*, Geraniol*, Citral*, Eugenol*, Farnesol*, Rosa Moschata Leaf Extract, Rose Damascena Extract, Glycerin, Ammonium Glycyrrhizate. *from natural essential oils

If you have never made a purchase from iherb.com before, use the coupon code EYE455 at the checkout to recieve $5 off your first order.