Project Natural Glow: Homemade Deodorant and Scrub

Spring, is that you peeking out?

Our weather has been outstanding over the past week and is only getting better. I love it! I am so excited to get outdoors for runs. I think a lot of the snow and ice will melt this weekend.

First up, three Project Natural Glow product reviews!

I bought these at Whole Foods on Feburary 6th.

1) Activa Organic Coconut Oil

My review: I love this coconut oil. For whatever reason, it doesn’t get super firm like some of the other ones I have tried. I use coconut oil as a body moisturizer on my body (in the shower) as well as my face as a moisturizer. It is more greasy than traditional lotion, but I am used to it now and love the scent. I find it takes about 15 minutes to soak in, so by the time I am done my make-up or drying my hair it is mostly absorbed. Sometimes I just give my body a quick wipe with a towel to make sure. A little goes a long way so I use a light hand.

2) Desert Essence Natural Tea Tree Oil Toothpaste

From the website: “Desert Essence Pure Aromatic Tea Tree Oil comes from the bountiful outback of Australia. We have also added baking soda, which actively helps to fight plaque. Flavored with pure essential oil of Ginger for a unique and refreshing taste. Free from harsh abrasives, synthetic sweeteners, or artificial flavors.”

My review: Since I have had such great success with their tea tree oil, I was eager to try out their toothpaste. I liked everything about this toothpaste except for the flavour. I had serious doubts about a ginger flavoured toothpaste, but it was the only flavour that Whole Foods had in stock so I bought it anyways. The ginger just didn’t give my mouth a fresh feel (and tasted gross!), so I switched back to the regular stuff for now. Any natural toothpaste recommendations?

3) Dr Mist

This is a spray on natural deodorant. It is aluminum free, fragrance free, stain free, colorless, and non-oily and non-alcohol based. It claims to get rid of body, foot and underarm odor effectively and can also be used for mosquito and insect bites, open wounds, acne, eczema and other skin itchiness caused by toxins.

My review: Despite these exciting claims, Dr Mist was very ineffective for me as a deodorant. It simply did not work. I have not tried it for things such as insect bites or acne, but I will probably give it a shot just to see for myself.

So what does a girl do when a natural deodorant fails?? She makes her own!

I have heard from some of you that swear by homemade deodorant. I came across Passionate Homemaking that features a homemade deodorant recipe.

Homemade Natural Deodorant

From Passionate Homemaking

Ingredients:

• 5-6 Tbsp Coconut oil
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch

Directions (taken from here): “Combine equal portions of baking soda & arrowroot powder. Then slowly add coconut oil and work it in with a spoon until it maintains the substance you desire. It should be about the same texture as the store bought kind, solid but able to be applied easily. You can either scoop this into your old dispensers or place in a small container with lid and apply with fingers with each use. After applying the product, you can just rub the remains into your hands as a lotion! This recipe lasts about 3 months for two people with regular daily use.”

I whipped some up last night! It was so easy. I didn’t know that you weren’t supposed to melt the coconut oil beforehand though…oops. I hope that doesn’t interfere with my results. 

I filled an empty deodorant container…and popped it in the fridge to set for an hour or so.

A tip: Do not use a deodorant container that does not have a bottom plate to push the product up. This one just has the middle screw stick and it was a huge fail. It won’t push it up at all.

I also put the leftovers in a small plastic container:

You can just use your fingers to apply it! I thought that was a bit strange, but I tried it last night and it was fine….almost like I was moisturizing my underarms!

I have not officially tested out this homemade natural deodorant. After seeing over 200 comments on the original post (many with rave reviews!), I have high hopes for this. Apparently you can even add a few drops of essential oils to add a light scent! I will be reporting back with my review as always.

EDIT: After using this deodorant for a few days I am loving it so far!! It keeps the stink away. Next time I make it I am going to add some tea tree oil as I hear that works great.

Have you ever used a homemade deodorant? What did you think?

My St Ives facial scrub also ran out, so I decided to make my own!

Lemon Sugar Scrub

[From Tip Nut]

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 TBS lemon zest (grated)
• I also added a tiny bit of fresh lemon juice (1 teaspoon)

Directions: Mix together and put in a container!

My review: This stuff is FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Very refreshing. You must make this! :) It is just awesome and left my skin sooo soft. I used it in the shower and it was amazing. I also tried it on my face and it was good too. The only thing I didn’t like was that it left my face very oily so I had to use a cleanser afterwards to get off some of the oil. I am hoping that it doesn’t cause breakouts on my face because I really thought this was so effective. A very cheap and effective way to exfoliate. I loved the touch of lemon too. A+++++ :mrgreen:

Updates:

Florida meet-ups:

1. March 22nd: Naples area, FL
2. March 24th: Ft. Lauderdale
3. March 25th: West Palm Beach
4. March 26th: Orlando
5. March 28th/29th: Sarasota

Please email me (angela [at] ohsheglows.com) if you’d like to be put on the mailing list for more details about my Florida meet-ups!

Size Healthy Around The Blog World:

• Diana: http://thechiclife.com/2010/02/sunday-prep-day-groceries.html
• Jenna: http://www.petitfoodie.com/?p=1287

Today is a writing day for me. I have 5 juice articles to write for Breville. I am definitely going to get outside and play in this gorgeous weather though. I am hoping for a trail run at a nearby park. Yippee.

Have a great Saturday :)