Keeping the stink away post SHTF doesn’t have to be hard. You could super-coupon a stockpile of store bought personal grooming items, but I’ve had several tubes of deodorant that came out of storage poorly. I’m not a big fan of most of the scents available in the store, and I don’t like how antiperspirants feel, so I started making my own a few years ago. I find that the ingredients I need to make my own store well and fill multiple roles. First, a few words about the mechanics involved.
Sweat –sweat does not stink. Sweat itself is not much more than salt water with some trace fatty acids. The stink is from bacteria who like warm, dark and moist areas to live in. The things to remember about these bacteria are: you are never going to get rid of them, and they are more active at a certain pH. Now a human body’s pH can differ widely from one person to another; that’s why some people stink worse than others. If your pH is abnormal then you will attract more bacteria and they will excrete more stinkiness. Sugars and starches found in empty carbohydrates cause an individuals pH to be abnormal. In non-science terms, “You are what you eat.” If you really want to avoid BO, eat healthier foods. Have you noticed all the “clinical strength” deodorants advertised? Have you ever wondered why you need clinical strength when it’s quite likely that Grandpa grew up just fine on regular strength, or none at all? Those clinical strength deodorants are just increasingly acidic and fortified with antibacterial fighting agents, like propylene glycol and triclosan, to inhibit the growth of bacteria that are running amok because of the poor diet most American’s consume.
Ths formula may not be able to combat the underlying imbalances from a daily diet of take out and fast food, I’m not sure. This deodorant won’t stop you from sweating either. Most store bought sticks have a 1-2 punch of deodorizers (those acidic antibacterial agents) and antiperspirants. The active ingredient in antiperspirants is always aluminum based and works by plugging the sweat ducts, so no sweat can come out. Now, besides the fact that these aluminum compounds are linked to Alzheimer’s and brain disorders, why would you want to stop your body from doing something it’s designed to do? Sweating is a part of the systems for temperature control and waste management. Seems important to me, why mess with it?
So, without further ado, here is what I make:
Calamity’s deodorant
1 part Baking Soda
4 parts Corn Starch
1/2 part powdered Neem leaf and Lavender blossoms
Baking soda – The baking soda is my deodorizer. It’s the same stuff you put in your fridge to soak up bad smells. It’s a great scrubbing compound for dirty sinks and tubs. Needless to say, we keep a lot of it around.
Inactive Ingredients – The corn starch works to both dilute the baking soda and acts as a wetness absorber. Neem leaf is something I keep around, it smells nice and it’s a natural anti fungal/antibacterial. The lavender blossoms, again one of my favorites to have around, are just added for a little bit of scent. Feel free to add a scent you prefer. I get most of my herbs from Mountain Rose Herbs.
It only takes 5 minutes, and I can fill 2 jelly jars full of my deodorant. It’s a powder, so I apply it with a little powder puff applicator I made up out of some of my diaper making scraps. If it’s not strong enough for you, reduce the corn starch. Some people do have reactions to straight baking soda though, so don’t make it too strong. Mine makes it through the day, and I’m pretty active. I’ll reapply if I’m going out for some salsa dancing.
There are other recipes out there for everything from spray/mist on liquids, to creams made with Shea butter. For the gentlemen preppers, my hubby likes a Thai stone. From what I can tell it just coats the underarms with a fine layer of salt, making it uninviting for bacteria. Those things should store indefinitely.
With minor modifications this powder will work as a foot powder or a baby powder. Lessen the baking soda for the baby powder, add some more anti-fungals for the foot powder.
We all know S is going to HTF eventually, keeping your smell to a minimum doesn’t need to be a point of failure.
– Calamity Jane
12 comments
Interesting, Calamity.
Most antiperspirants contain a form of aluminum. The compound acts to form a temporary plug in the sweat glands and prevents our bodies from sweating.
Some have wondered if there is a link between antiperspirants and breast cancer although the National Cancer Institute says it hasn’t been proven.
As an aside, antiperspirants are classified as a drug by the FDA. http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/CosmeticsQA/ucm136560.htm
Joe
I remember someone a long time back who had said much the same thing. He didn’t stink or anything, but said that a decent diet and just bathing daily are all that most folks need.
There are also a lot of studies on the more sexual aspects of human nature that mention antiperspirants actually blocking pheremones…
I’ll have to try this. Most commercial deodorants give me a rash or don’t work well on me anyway. And I’ve got lots of baking soda and corn starch. Thanks!
Hi Calamity,
I have read that there can be side affects to the use of neem leaf. How safe is it to use in this powder form, and i know that the oil should not be used on infants or pregnant women, but can it be used in powder form?
Mountainsprit,
What you’re thinking of is consumption of neem oil. You’re very right that neem oil should not be consumed by pregnant women or children. But, applying the powder topically has none of those risks or side effects. I don’t know if I’d ever consume the oil, it’s far too harsh for my tastes, but I love the powdered leaf.
Not to add something that sounds horribly nasty… But I used to live in Central America, down there a fungal infection on your feet can quite litterally turn DEADLY pretty quickly. One of the quick and easy remidies I learned while in a survival school, is to simply urinate on the affected skin. I know, I know, it sounds disgusting, BUT it works, doesn’t cost anything, and is actually sterile if you go straight from the source (so to speak). If you were to go to the emergency room with a severe fungal infection on your feet (I had the displeasure of experiencing this during football camp my Junior year of highschool, thanks to a pair of Nike “Landshark” cleats, and a Moron for a “trainer”), they will prescribe a foot-soak and the main ingredient is Uric-Acid, guess where that comes from!
Hahahah, that’s not nasty. My hubby recommends it for athletes foot. I think he learned it in the army or from his dad or something. Works great for men, us ladies have a harder time with the aiming of the thing. 😀 Soaking will get you better results than a brief splash though, so diluting your pee into a tub of water is probably best. 😀
Where I was born in The Philippines in my country, our remedy for pink eye is applying our own urine to our eye lid. Amazing how our own waste product can work on our own illness without having to waste a penny :-).
Where I was born in The Philippines in my country, our remedy for pink eye is applying our own urine to our eye lid. Amazing how our own waste product can work on our own illness without having to waste a penny :-).
I knew there was a reason I kept buying baking soda and corn startch. 🙂
One thing I do, since I don’t use deodorants ‘per se’, is use corn starch in damp areas to absorb the sweat. Underarm, groin, feet. It’s an idea resulting from having kids and using corn starch to prevent diaper rash. My logic: if it works on a baby’s bottom, why won’t it work on my butt, too? Ocasionally I mix a batch about 50-50 with Arm and Hammer ande use that to keep the clothes smelling fresh, too. I think this is the idea behind talc, too. But usually, it has perfumes in it that turn my senses off.
Hand sanitizer works in a pinch