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natural deodorant
Hi, new to group, amazed and grateful that there is a group like this!
so I am making a natural deodorant and have stumbled into obstacles and need help!
I started with magnesium hydroxide, sodium bicarbonate, water and essential oils, but the sodium bicarb chrystallised so I removed it, but then it didn’t seem to work as well. It also was too thin, so I have bought some Eco-gel.
I have a few questions:
1. Can I add the sodium bicarb back but at smaller amounts & will this stop it chrystallising?
2. Does anyone know anything about Ecogel? do I need to heat it first and does anyone know the amounts to add? (there is nothing on the website about measurements and I am NOT a chemist)
I want to keep it as a spray deodorant, so don’t want it too thick, just not dripping down my arms!
3. should I just trial and error this? ( don’t really want to as the chrystallising of the bicarb is ruining by bottles and am having to throw them away
)
any advice would be fab!
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7 Replies
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Before you get too far down the road…. Study your skin…learn about the pH of your skin. Then look at the pH of the two ingredients you listed. Then think about it.
Good luck.
Why Deodorant with Baking Soda is Bad for You | Lume Deodorant
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Let me clarify:
I want to make the deodorant as natural as possible, magnesium hydroxide occurs in nature as the mineral brucite, whereas most lactic acid is synthetic, I could try and make my own but doesn’t seem very practical. So ethically i’ve chosen magnesium.
I’ve already taken bicarb out as it seems to make the deodorant pH too high, causing rashes and irritation. It was also crystallising in the tube of the bottle and then they can’t be re-used. So Bicarb is gone!
The problem that I’m currently having is that I can’t seem to calculate the pH in the magnesium properly which means it’s not working great, it does get rid of the smells for a while but then stops working throughout the day. Is there a way to calculate the pH that I’m not understanding? I know it’s the concentration of ion but to be honest I’m struggling with it?
The last point is the EcoGel (Lysophospholipids, Xanthan gum, Sclerotium gum and Pullulan), I’m only using this as a thickening agent as the deodorant is mainly water based so it drips quite a lot, I’ve never used this before and there are no instructions and the most I can find is other peoples product percentages, it’s usually making up around 5% of their product. However, I’m not sure the best way to prepare (if it needs heating) or if the ingredients will react with the existing or how much of the product should really be used? Is there a way to determine this or is it just a trial and error?Hope this makes more sense?
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Unfortunately, most of the magnesium hydroxide you would use is synthetic too. https://www.garrisonminerals.com/post/how-magnesium-hydroxide-is-made
And also “Commercial brucite, a worldwide used raw material deemed safe, can be contaminated by asbestos” - https://rosa.uniroma1.it/rosa04/periodico_di_mineralogia/article/view/17384
There is a reason that mainstream cosmetic companies don’t use this technology any longer…other things just work better.
To your pH question, you’ll have to give more of the formula to answer that. How much are you using?
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Relevant perhaps to this thread, this popped up in my emails today; https://www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com/cosmetic-ingredients/cleansing/article/22458080/kalichem-italia-srl-green-sustainable-deo-sweat-control-formulations-with-aluminum-salts?utm_source=newsletter-html&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CT+E-Newsletter+10-11-2022
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moomin said:Let me clarify:
I want to make the deodorant as natural as possible, magnesium hydroxide occurs in nature as the mineral brucite, whereas most lactic acid is synthetic, I could try and make my own but doesn’t seem very practical. So ethically i’ve chosen magnesium.
The problem that I’m currently having is that I can’t seem to calculate the pH in the magnesium properly which means it’s not working great, it does get rid of the smells for a while but then stops working throughout the day. Is there a way to calculate the pH that I’m not understanding? I know it’s the concentration of ion but to be honest I’m struggling with it?
Hope this makes more sense?
ThanksI don’t think I can help.
I formulate based more on the celebration of advances in science, vs what I can mine in the backyard.
I think you will find the pH of BS and Mag H rather similar. The only reason one is considered less harsh…is how it responds when meeting skin/moisture. One releases all at once….and one is a little more timed release. But both are still the wrong pH for skin.
The reason your mag effect is short lived…. your skin immediately upon application…tries to change that horrible pH you exposed it to and works to getting the pH back down. A natural process. On the other end of the spectrum…if you go low pH (the one your skin likes), you can regulate the pH drift with ingredients like triethyl citrate, which will keep to pH low over an extended amount of time.
Good luck.
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thank you!
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Perry said:Unfortunately, most of the magnesium hydroxide you would use is synthetic too. https://www.garrisonminerals.com/post/how-magnesium-hydroxide-is-madeAnd also “Commercial brucite, a worldwide used raw material deemed safe, can be contaminated by asbestos” - https://rosa.uniroma1.it/rosa04/periodico_di_mineralogia/article/view/17384
There is a reason that mainstream cosmetic companies don’t use this technology any longer…other things just work better.
To your pH question, you’ll have to give more of the formula to answer that. How much are you using?
Hi Perry - I reckon you would make a fortune by doing a “Natural and Other” Deodorant formulations course
Thanks for this great forum by the way. PS I love your Cat in your video with Amanda Fox_hill you did a while ago - He/she is very cute My icon is my girl cat Leah (ragdoll) and we have her brother Max as well -
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