Make Your Pits Peaceful Without Baking Soda - DIY Baking Soda Free Peace Pits Deodorant Paste

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It's been a few years since I first created my Peace Pits Deodorant Paste and shared my tested recipe with you guys. To this day it is still the strongest and hardest working natural deodorant that I have ever made and/or tried, but there are many people out there that find baking-soda based deodorants are too harsh for their pits! Rashes in your underarms are the worst, so I have worked my magic to make an ultra-sensitive version that helps kick the stink to the curb without irritating your pits in the process! I still personally prefer the original version, but this one definitely still can pack a punch!

Why are some natural deodorants so harsh on your pits?

Have you ever tried a natural deodorant and found your pits feeling less than stellar? There's actually a few reasons why this could be happening, and the remedy to fix the problem depends on the issue causing the rash:

The detox rash - If you recently switched from your conventional deodorant to a natural deodorant, you may be experiencing a detox rash. This type of rash is extremely common after a switch to natural deos, and will go away 7-14 days after quitting your old deodorant. It's best to use a sensitive deodorant during this time, while your pits heal up. After the rash clears up, you can resume your use of the strong stuff in the scent that you prefer! To help the detox along, you can make a detox pit mask by combining 1 tsp. raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar, 1 Tbsp. bentonite clay and 1-2 tsp. filtered water. Leave it on your pits for 15-20 minutes before rinsing!
The chemical burn - Some recipes and even store-bought natural deodorants simply have too much baking-soda or too many essential oils in them, causing a chemical burn on your sensitive pits! If this was a DIY recipe, try halving the amount of baking-soda in the recipe and/or reducing the essential oils to see how your pits react.
The pH imbalance - If you have read some of my other posts on the effects of pH on our skin and hair, you know that pH is a big factor in all of our body care products! Our skin has a layer or oil that is called the acid mantle. This layer, appropriately named, has a more acidic pH and tends to go into overdrive when we wash it away with harsh alkaline soaps. Another factor that doesn't help, is that our pH changes frequently and for many different reasons. While women tend to have a slightly lower pH than men, we all sit roughly at a pH range of 4.5 - 6.2, which is acidic. Anything from stress and hormones, to a poor diet can cause your pH to change and thus make your normally effective deodorant cause a rash in your pits. Drink more water, meditate, and eat an alkalizing diet to bring your pH levels back in balance.
The allergic reaction - Got an allergy to corn? Try using arrowroot instead! If you are experiencing an allergic reaction, discontinue use of the product you are using and consult with your doctor. In most cases, you can substitute different ingredients based on your allergies.

Diatomaceous earth, the secret ingredient for sensitive pits

If you have never heard of this stuff, you are in for a fantastic treat! The word “diatomaceous” comes from the root word “diatom”, which is a single-celled organism. Diatomaceous earth (aka DE) is a chalk-like powder that is made up entirely of these diatoms that have fossilized over thousands of years. Chock full of minerals, food-grade DE is safe for use both internally and externally with many benefits. Naturally antibacterial and antifungal, DE makes a great deodorant ingredient because of its natural ability to dry up moisture. It also has a slightly lower pH than baking-soda!

DIY Baking-Soda-Free Peace Pits Deodorant Paste

The secret to my Peace Pits deodorant paste is in whipping it like a body butter! If you do not want to go the extra mile (trust me, you totally do!!!) you can just pour the melted mixture into the containers to harden and use it that way, but I find that the whipped version is much easier to apply and incorporates the powders evenly throughout the mixture! If you want to make an even easier version of this, omit the shea butter for a no heat easy deodorant that works really well by itself! If you can handle a very small amount of baking-soda in your deodorant, 2 tbsp. baking soda added to this recipe should help make this stronger without causing any irritation to most sensitive pits!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil
1/2 cup unrefined shea butter (optional - You can make this recipe without the shea butter and it works great, but the shea butter really helps to heal your pits, make them softer, makes the paste harder, and even softens the hairs for less frequent and easy shaving!)
1/2 cup food grade diatomaceous earth
1/2 cup arrowroot powder (or non-GMO cornstarch)
essential oil blend for a 4 oz. glass jar (see below)

INSTRUCTIONS

In a double boiler, melt the shea butter and coconut oil.
Stir the diatomaceous earth and arrowroot powder together while you wait on the oils to melt.
Pour the melted shea butter/coconut oil into the mixed powders and stir until completely combined.
Either cool over an ice bath or let sit to cool on the counter.
When it looks like the deodorant is half way hardened, meaning there is still a small pool of liquid on top, take out your electric hand mixer or emulsion blender and blend until smooth. I usually use the whisk attachment on my electric hand mixer, blend until there are no chunks of hardened deodorant left. This can not be done by hand. I usually take a spoon and chip away the bottom pieces first to make it easier to blend in the final result.
If you blended the deodorant too soon and it’s still not solid enough to pour into your containers, put the bowl of deodorant back onto the ice bath for a minute or two more then blend again.
In the summertime, this deodorant will be softer or liquid. If this is the case, just give it a stir before use. In the wintertime, the coconut oil will solidify which makes it easier to use as a paste.

Deodorant Essential Oil Blends

These blends are made for 4 oz (or 1/2 cup) of Peace Pits all-natural deodorant paste! I like to use 4 oz. glass jars when making these for other people! You can simply add the unscented deodorant to the jar, add the essential oils straight to that jar, and then stir with a chopstick until mixed completely together! This makes it so that you can make several different scents for different people, in one big batch!

All information on The Hippy Homemaker is meant for educational and informational purposes only. The statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products and/or information are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any disease. Readers are advised to do their own research and make decisions in partnership with their health care provider. If you are pregnant, nursing, have a medical condition or are taking any medication, please consult your physician.

Related

Why are some natural deodorants so harsh on your pits?

Diatomaceous earth, the secret ingredient for sensitive pits

DIY Baking-Soda-Free Peace Pits Deodorant Paste

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Deodorant Essential Oil Blends

Grapefruit Lavender

Lime & Vanilla

Lavender Lemongrass

Flower Power

Tea Tree & Chamomile

Lavender & Cedar

Cedar & Clove

Bay Spice

Man of the Woods

Mountain Man

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