natural to the core, or to the pit.

We’re drinking raw milk at our house. (I’ve been drinking it most of my life actually, thanks to that dairy farm upbringing.)

With Bergen’s encouragement we’ve learned about the dangers of a plethora of initials from BHT to GMO to MSG.

High fructose corn syrup rarely sneaks its way into our meals or on our shelves.

Two rabbits are living in hutches at our house and twelve chickens have free range of our yard.

The word “natural” is not foreign here.

But for a long time there was one area that I just didn’t want to listen to the reports or hear the arguments against or for.

It was the armpit area. Deodorant.

I’ve read articles about the dangers of aluminum on your skin but just didn’t want to stink.

Natural deodorant brands left me sweaty and still stinky.

So I just hesitatingly applied Dove under my arms and hoped for the best.

In January a friend told me about a deodorant recipe her husband had been given as a gift. (Yep. Homemade deodorant gifts. That’s the circle of friends amongst whom we are blessed to live these days.)

I made a batch and convinced Kevin that winter would be the perfect time to try it together. ( I didn’t want to try it alone. This way – if it didn’t work we’d stink at the same time and might therefore be more tolerant of one another’s odor.)

So we mixed up our cornstarch and baking soda and coconut oil. Added a few essential oils. And applied.

I figured winter was a good time to start. Less sweat.

January. February. March. April.

It seemed to be working out great. Cheap deodorant. Good ingredients.  Underarms stink free. Honestly, it seemed a little too good to be true.

I didn’t blog about it then because I still wanted to sweat through a couple of summer months to be certain.

Bring on May and June.

Warm weather, outdoor exercise, beach trips.

And guess what?

It’s still working!

Seriously – it’s a little amazing.

And all the articles and tests and assumptions about the long term dangers of aluminum in deodorant could be wrong and the concerns about contributing to Alzheimer’s Disease could be exaggerated.

I don’t know.

But I do know this homemade concoction of all natural ingredients works.

Our recipe –

Mix equal amounts of baking soda and corn starch. (Use aluminum free baking soda. I buy ours at Trader Joe’s.)

Start with 1/4 cup each for a good amount, 1/2 cup each for two jars.

Add a few tablespoons of coconut oil until you get a consistency you like. I think I usually add about three or four tablespoons.

Drop in any essential oils. I like tea tree and lavender.

Mix it up and pour it in some container of your choice.

I have been using a cute tiny mason jar.

Truthfully – it really works.

The only negative I have discovered is that I no longer enjoy cooking with coconut oil. To me – it smells like deodorant!