Homemade Deodorant: The French Alternative

The ancient Egyptians had what was possibly the world's first underarm deodorant. Apparently they just picked a lettuce going to seed and rubbed the juice from the stem on to their armpits. Jackie French gave it a try, and found that it (sort of) works. It's also sticky, it can give you an awful rash and it tends to stain your clothes. So forget the lettuce going to seed, and try Jackie's recipe for homemade deodorant. It smells good, and it really does work.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons of almond oil
• 3 drops of lavender oil
• 3 drops of rosemary oil
• 3 drops of lemongrass oil
• 1 tablespoon of beeswax

Method

Heat the beeswax with the almond oil on a low heat. Stir well. As soon as the beeswax is melted take it off the heat and add the other oils. Pour the mixture into a pre-heated jar placed either on wood or several layers of newspaper, and allow to cool. To apply, scoop out a very small amount with the fingertips and rub under the arms.

Warning: hot wax and oil can burn - keep out of the reach of children.

Further information

Beeswax pellets are available at craft stores and cost about $2.95 for100gms. Almond oil costs around $6.00 for a 200ml bottle. Essential oils (lavender, lemongrass and rosemary) are priced in the vicinity of $8-$13 for 25ml bottles. Although only a few drops are needed for the underarm deodorant, you can use the oils for other purposes. Also if you hunt around you may be able to buy these oils in smaller quantities at craft or health food stores. As with any products used on the skin, it's a good idea to first test this product on a small area of sensitive skin to make sure there's no adverse reaction.

Copyright CTC Productions 1999