Summertime and our thoughts are naturally on outdoor eating, playing and perhaps even sleeping. Every opportunity I get I am out in the garden, either sprawled out with a selection of newspapers (I am a news junkie – but a traditional one), eating a meal with my family, deadheading various overblown plants, or doing some food prep under the shade of our 80 foot oak tree.
Unlike some people here in the UK, I LOVE this heat. I am a Florida girl at heart, so instead of wilting, I am positively energised. Even without the benefit of air-conditioning (no homes have it and few workplaces do either) we are finding ways to catch the breeze in our house, and of course we are drinking loads of cold drinks.
My and Miss R’s default drink is iced matcha tea with lemon and a squirt of acacia honey. But we are also loving frozen watermelon, lime, mint and chilli (!) whizzed up to a deep vermillion brain-freezing froth in the Vitamix. Occasionally a drop of vodka falls in to mine and Mr A’s. Oops!
Because I am currently unusually active and energised (I blame the copious glasses of matcha), I am incredibly lucky to feel confident about – ahem – my underarms. This is despite the fact that I am very allergic to all commercial deodorants. Like horribly allergic. ‘Patient A in a medical textbook’ allergic. I am not sure what I react to but even the fancy, pricey aluminum-free ones are off-limits. This has been the case for over six years.
After a short time of wondering what in the world I was going to do – living in the Arctic or Antarctic were not options – I decided to investigate making my own. After experimenting with numerous combinations of both dry and wet formulas I hit on one that really works. And it smells ruddy fantastic too. Weirdly I am not infrequently complimented on it, and there is always an incredulous laugh when I say,”it’s homemade deodorant”. In conjunction with a slick of bacteriostatic alum crystal (I use Pitrok) during warm spells, this formula keeps me confident and dry. The oils I use are known for their natural drying and bacteria-zapping properties, but truthfully many other essential oils are as well, so it is worth experimenting if you fancy having a go with it yourself. But I do urge you to read the links I mention as far as potential interactions if using other oils. The ones I have in the two recipes are deemed safe for all.
I had to find a new way to keep myself whiff-free, but others choose to do so for other reasons, including a suspicion that commercial deodorants may cause breast cancer. In truth, not enough studies have been done to establish whether or not bought deodorants with all of their chemicals (that do work, for sure) cause some cancers. But I do think it is a watch-this-space situation. I monitor the scientific literature for any new studies but so far nothing conclusive. I am not an alarmist on this, however, and I don’t tell others to avoid deodorant.
If you are intrigued enough, check out my homemade deodorant recipes – one feminine and one manly. I have updated the research since I wrote it in 2011, and added quite a few new links too. In addition, I have slightly tweaked the recipe, so if you have seen the recipe the first time round, you will see it has changed slightly. For the better, of course!
And it goes without saying that although the recipes use vodka (!), don’t be tempted to drink it: Spray responsibly 😀 Keep the vodka-drinking confined to cocktails and watermelon and lime brain-freeze slushies.
What a great heading for you post!
Why thank you. I am glad someone appreciates my ‘humour’!
I love this heat too Kellie, and your cooling drinks sound like wonderful combinations 🙂
Thanks Miss Seonaid. I have some Lidl watermelon slushed up and freezing nicely for a tipple tomorrow once we get Miss R on her ferry to the Holy Isle…;D
Thanks for sharing your pit story Kellie! I tend not to sweat very much, so only use deodorant when needed. I use Toms of Maine lavender, but it might be fun to whip up a batch of your natural spray – love all the essential oils you use, and sorry to hear about your 2 week reaction-yikes! So glad to hear you are enjoying some summer weather finally 🙂
It makes a refreshing body spray – nice and cooling in the heat! Thanks for reading the whole saga, EA. It was quite a miserable experience but I think something good has come from it: I did loads of cancer/deo research and also came up with my own solution that really does work.
Thank you for the “recipe”! I’ve been considering trying to make a natural deodorant for a while now – I use one of the Tom’s brands currently but it doesn’t work that great for me during Florida summers, and I’m still unsure about the ingredients. So I’m going to try making this spray sometime soon!
That’s good to hear. I do find that this homemade spray with the alum crystal works well for me – even when I visit Florida. Mostly I can juts use the spray but in hot places and in summer I like this combo. I hope it works for you, and you like the fragrance
Loved this, Kellie…. what a great title too! xo
How great your post title is and so good to read about a home made deodorant and how effective it can be, not to mention the idea of a watermelon slushie drink. Do you whizz up the seeds, and if I am using a stick blender I am guessing I might have to take the seeds out?
Hi Laura. Unless it is very seedy (the black ones) I don’t bother deseeding as a good blender should cope, and the seeds are full of omega 3 fatty acids. But if using a hand blender, yes, removing them is best. The white ones shouldn’t be a problem to blend though. You can just push the flesh through a large, coarse sieve. My husband did that recently with a really seedy one. Enjoy!
Curiously my pits are just as prone to smelliness in winter as summer thanks to Brunhilda making it decidedly like Florida in our kitchen ;). Cheers for the deoderant share. I am not allergic but I am going to start making my own after reading this post. 🙂
Hi Kellie, so glad you like PitROK and we’re intrigued by your homemade deodorant! Love the blog. Thanks.
I’m honoured!