This DIY deodorant spray with rose and lavender will make you smell like a flower, even when you are sweating it out in the garden! Made with gentle, all-natural ingredients that work hard and protect your health.
I could tell you all about this natural deodorant spray made with plant-based ingredients and how good it is for your skin.
I could go on and on about how it is packed with the skin-soothing benefits of aloe, witch hazel, lavender, and rose.
I could rave about it containing no harmful chemicals that can cause disease and impair your body’s natural functions. Or I could tell you that that it smells just like a floral garden in the summer.
But you don’t care about that, right?!
You just want to know if this DIY deodorant actually works! Well, let’s get into it.
- The Not-So-Pleasant Truth Behind Commercial Deodorant
- Formulating Natural Deodorant Spray Recipes
- Testing My DIY Deodorant
- Rose and Lavender DIY Deodorant Spray Deodorant Recipe
- Ingredients
- Make It!
- FAQ About DIY Deodorants
- More Natural Skin Care Recipes from the Flower Garden
The Not-So-Pleasant Truth Behind Commercial Deodorant
The odour from your underarms is actually due to a collection of bacteria. As we sweat, we create a perfect little hangout spot for bacteria, and as they feast on the moisture, the waste creates a smell.
Yuck!
But when we use commercial deodorants and antiperspirants, they actually stop both the bad AND the good bacteria. When we kill the good bacteria that protect us from the growth of other bad bacteria, we can actually make the odour problem worse.
Deodorant can also mess with our skin’s pH, causing dryness and itchiness as the skin barrier gets messed with.
A natural deodorant won’t plug sweat glans. Remember, this is a deodorant and not an antiperspirant. If you’re making the switch to natural deodorant for the first time, you may notice that you will sweat more. This is because most commercial deodorants are also antiperspirants.
It may take a few weeks for your body to adjust to the new product as the good bacteria settle in once again.
This natural deodorant is made entirely of ingredients you can pronounce, and perhaps most importantly, it doesn’t contain any aluminum. It’s meant to work alongside your body’s natural functions, not against it.
Formulating Natural Deodorant Spray Recipes
I started formulating homemade deodorant after sharing a room with my friend Crystal (the creative genius and my mom-spiration from Hello Creative Family), who used a DIY deodorant spray she had customized at an essential oils workshop.
The combination of fragrances she used smelled like a bakery: clove, cinnamon, and vanilla. YUM. I tried it out, and boy-oh-boy, did it ever work! But, using hot oils like clove and cinnamon caused my sensitive skin to have a reaction. It was nothing terrible, but I wondered if I could make a homemade deodorant that worked just as well and was calming for the skin at the same time.
I made a few different variations of simple spray bases and tested some combinations of essential oils until I found one that was soothing, nice-smelling, and did the job. Rose and lavender for the win! It’s pretty and floral, and more than anything else, it works.
Testing My DIY Deodorant
I’ve tested it for years on myself, my family, and anyone else who will agree to it. After testing it in all four seasons in Vancouver, it went well. When I needed to turn up the volume a bit, I took it to southern Mexico and had some surprising results.
It worked just as well as it had at home, but I also ended up using it on my face and skin to soothe and cool down my freckly, over-sunned skin. And I learned that it works great on clothes, too. It not only prevents any odor from my underarms, but I was also able to use it on my clothes when they needed a bit of freshening up.
Rose and Lavender DIY Deodorant Spray Deodorant Recipe
This recipe is not only good for your skin but also for the planet. I’m big on reducing the amount of packaging I use, and I love glass or stainless steel bottles that can be reused. Here are some pretty blue glass ones that I use.
Ingredients
- 15 ml aloe vera gel
- 15 ml lavender hydrosol
- 45 ml rose water
- 30 ml rose witch hazel
- 2 drops rose absolute essential oil
- 3 drops lavender essential oil
Make It!
Measure all of the ingredients and add them to a fine mist spray bottle. Shake well to combine and spray on underarm area after showering or when your underarms need freshening up. Shake well before each use.
FAQ About DIY Deodorants
The shelf life of any DIY product will be the earliest expiry date on the ingredients you used to make the spray. For instance, if the aloe vera gel for this recipe expired in 12 months, but the witch hazel expired in 24 months, the overall expiry date for this deodorant would be 12 months.
For more on beauty shelf life, check out this post.
To increase the shelf-life of my homemade deodorant, I use a pre-packaged aloe vera gel. Make sure it’s pure aloe vera gel (not the fake green stuff!). You can use fresh aloe, but it will only last for about a week and you will need to store it in the fridge.
If you prefer a solid deodorant over a spray, this Homemade Deodorant Recipe with Lavender and Sage from Colleen at Grow Forage Cook Ferment and this Herbal Deodorant for Women from Jan at Nerdy Farm Wife are great options to try.
Can you please give a breakdown of these ingredient measurements in drops and ounces?
Is there a reason you can’t use milliliters?
How can I print this out? I have trouble writing some days and I use my phone as I don’t have internet. It would make it so much easier. I had write most of your make it directions hand surgeries. Thank you
Why do I need a kitchen scale to measure liquids given in ml? They are all liquid measurements.
Excellent point, Lynette! You know, I’m so used to weighing every single drop of each recipe that it’s a habit now. You can just measure the volume in a measuring cup. Thanks for catching that! xo Stephanie
Hi! Would it be possible to get the recipe for your friend’s deodorant (the one with clove, cinnamon and vanilla)? Thanks
I will ask her :)
Thank you so much for your lovely website Stephanie! Very grateful for these wonderful recipes.
Looking forward to some intentional harvesting and planting this summer so that I can grow my own remedies.
Angela