Okay, before you freak out, yes there is such a thing. I discovered this recipe in a blog (passionatehomemaking.com) that has natural homemade stuff for cleaning the house and some stuff that you can use on your body. She has recipes for homemade toothpaste, shampoo, etc., but the ingredients were a little intimidating (where the hell can I get Dr. Bronners castile liquid soap here in Manila?), so I decided to give the simplest recipe a try: Homemade Natural Deodorant. It only has 3 ingredients: 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup arrowroot powder or corn starch, and 5-6 tbsp of organic cold-pressed virgin coconut oil. I went to a drugstore and looked at all the VCO brands out there, and I only found one that actually says “cold-pressed”, so I went for that even if I’m sure the others were cold-pressed too (whatever that means). I just wanted to be sure. I’m supposed to mix the 2 powders, then ease in the VCO until I get a solid mass, similar to the consistency of a deodorant stick. Then, I’m supposed to coat my armpits with that concoction and the blogger swears by it!
Of course, I always flunked work ed back in grade school. Anything that remotely resembles work education, arts and crafts, home economics, practical arts, I suck at major. I sucked at macrame, basket-weaving, necklace-making, candle-making, sculpture, painting, and the list goes on. So what makes me think I can actually make this hipster organic stuff and not make an absolute fool of myself? What’s the worse that could happen? Worst case scenario is that my pits will smell like macaroons the whole day. Or at the end of the day I’ll have a crusty coconut-flavored muffin under each pit. If it doesn’t work then I’ll try to look for that castile soap and try to make homemade shampoo next.
One simple experiment is plain VCO. The blogger said it’s good to use as moisturizer as is. It’s supposed to be absorbed quickly by the skin, so you don’t feel too greasy. It can also be used as conditioner. Put a pea-sized amount on wet hair, she says better too little than too much, and if you put just the right amount, your hair will look great without being too greasy. So if you see me and you get a whiff of a coconut-y aroma, then you know the experiment is afoot. Forgive me in advance if I reek of niyog. And imagine if I use VCO to moisturize my loin area, it’s a deadly combination: niyog + itlog na maalat = bibingka!
Seriously, I promise to post an update on this blog. I’ll try to take a photo of the final product, but don’t expect any armpit shots (I’ll leave that to Delle). And I promise to give you an honest evaluation of whether the recipe works or not. Wish me luck!
