DIY: Deodorant/ Antiperspirant

This year I really want to improve my health. I want to eat better, exercise more, and improve my appearance. One problem that I have is that my underarms are significantly more darker than my skin tone. Since I am a fair skinned person it is pretty noticeable. I have been doing some research and apparently deodorant and antiperspirant contain aluminum which is partially responsible for the darkening of skin in the underarm area. So I took the initiative and I made my own deodorant or antiperspirant. 

Making your own deodorant and antiperspirant is pretty simple, fairly easy and hopefully it will save me money in the future. Here are the ingredients that I used:

1. Baking Soda
2. Corn Starch
3. Coconut Oil
4. Lemon
5. Water

Baking soda is pretty cheap and you can buy it at any grocery store, dollar store, and pharmacy store. I believe my grocery store sells them for CAD1.99 but I bought my baking soda several years ago. You can buy corn starch from the grocery store but I did not need to buy corn starch because I had some at home ( I use corn starch to cook). However, I did need to buy Coconut oil which was surprisingly expensive; costing me CAD19.99 and CAD22.49 with tax. On the other hand, coconut oil can be used to cook, and is great for your skin and hair.

Instructions:

1. Grab a bowl and pour about 1/4 cup of baking soda.
2.  Grab a bowl and pour about 1/4 cup of cornstarch.
3. Grab a fork and mix the baking soda and cornstarch.
4. Grab a spoon and scoop 5 tablespoons of coconut oil and place in the bowl containing baking soda and starch.
5. Grab a fork and mix the baking soda, cornstarch, and coconut oil. Your mixture may me clump and hard to mix.
6. I would squeeze 1/2 of a lemon into the bowl and continue mixing (this step is optional but I did it because I know lemon helps in lightening the skin). Eventually the consistency in the bowl will change into a creamy substance. Once your satisfied with the consistency, pour the contents into a bowl and use.

I do not store my deodorant in the fridge but the decision is up to you. You can also add vitamin E to preserve the life of the deodorant but that step is an optional step.

Try it out and let me know how it turned out.