About a year ago, my husband was getting this nasty rash from his Old Spice deodorant. I suggested that maybe he should try a natural deodorant and he went off searching on Amazon as we do for most things. It arrived, he tried it and loved it. Great! Now it was my turn, since I was still using my Degree stick or whatever was on sale the day I went shopping. (I fight my overly thrifty side with my health conscious side all the time) So, the hubby found a female version of the one he bought and ordered it for me.
Getting an Armpit Rash From Natural Deodorant?!
My new deodorant quickly arrived, and to this day I can’t even tell you the brand I tried. That’s not really the point. I started using it right away. The very next day, I started noticing that I was getting a rash in my armpits. I did what everyone else does and started Googling the reasons why. Everything I read told me that it was a detox reaction and was just my body’s way of getting rid of the bad stuff in my body that was built up from my old deodorant. So, I stayed faithful and kept using it.
By day 3, my armpits were on fire. I had a rash that covered my whole armpit and hurt from my clothes to touch it or even my own skin to touch itself. (Did I mention, I work in the medical field?) This wasn’t normal. Every time I put the deodorant on, it felt like sandpaper and I was miserable.
I soon gave up and switched back to my old deodorant with aluminum in it (BOO!). Within a few days of using it, my armpits healed. I was so upset that it didn’t work for me. I didn’t want to keep putting toxins on my body but that rash was not worth it to me.
Finding a Fix for Natural Deodorant Rashes
Fast forward to a week ago and I was at a festival that had a booth of natural products. I looked at the listed ingredients in their natural deodorant and noticed they didn’t use something that seemed to be in all the other ones I saw. This one had no baking powder or arrowroot powder. I figured, “what the heck, I’ll try again”. This time, it worked! I was thrilled! No rash, no BO. It glided on easily and worked all day in the hot sun of Florida. I’m no doctor but I’m pretty sure I had a sensitivity to that arrowroot powder. I had never used a product with it in it, and that must be it.
So, before you give up on using natural deodorant because it gives you a horrible rash, try one that doesn’t contain arrowroot powder. Every one has different skin and everyone will react differently to things.
Make Your Own Natural Deodorant
I am currently in the process of perfecting my own DIY version of a natural deodorant that won’t cause me to get a rash. The recipe I’m going to base it off of is the one below. I’ll share how that goes in a post later, so make sure you follow me.
Natural DIY Deodorant With No Arrowroot Powder
The recipe I’m going to base everything on is from The Coconut Mama with the following ingredients:
- Coconut Oil
- Shae Butter
- Beeswax
- Vitamin E Oil
- Lavender Essential Oil
- Melaleuca Essential Oil
- Sage Essential Oil
I’ve talked about this in previous posts, but I get most everything from Amazon. However, I get all my essential oils from Barefut. You can find out why here.
My Results
I found that the recipe above ended up being much more firm than it should be. I basically had to rub really hard to get it on. My second batch, I altered the recipe a tiny bit and it came out perfect! No more rash, and my husband can even use this deodorant without smelling gross halfway through the day!
My trick was to use equal amounts of shea butter, beeswax, and coconut oil. So I basically used a little less beeswax an a little more of the other two to make it softer. It isn’t an exact science and it doesn’t have to be.
Kid, Mom, and Man approved
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