DIY foundation and deodorant!

In my quest to create my own natural products, I made a DIY foundation and deodorant this week. Both have worked really well for me and I'll give you a basic run down of how I made them. They were much easier to do than I thought! 

First, DIY foundation---you can find the full recipe and instructions at www.scratchmommy.com. I won't retype all of that here! Her website is awesome! 

Ingredients for foundation and where I found them:

Organic cacao powder- Whole Foods 

Zinc Oxide powder- Amazon

Almond oil- Whole Foods 

Shea butter- Whole Foods 

coco butter- Whole Foods 

Liquid Vitamin E- Whole Foods 

Beeswax- Whole Foods 

organic cinnamon powder- Whole Foods 

You basically create a double-boiler; I used a glass pyrex bowl. Another little item you will need is a kitchen scale. I got this one for $20 at Target and it works great. 

Melt all the oils and butters together and then add your powdered ingredients. The foundation sets up really fast. I used my 4oz mason jars. This recipe makes 4oz and I divided it between two jars to share with my BFF. I also made this pretty light as I am pale, pale, pale! You can add as much cacao powder as need to get the tint you want. Scratch Mommy has instructions for doing that! The Zinc Oxide also adds an SPF of 20, so you get sunscreen too! You can apply using your fingers or a makeup wedge. I'd call this a light coverage foundation, more like a tinted moisturizer for me. You'll still need a concealer to hide any blemishes! Oh, and it smells great! 

Now, for the deodorant! This is also a recipe from www.scratchmommy.com. You can go to her website for the full instructions. One reason I chose her recipe was because it doesn't contain baking soda, which is an irritant for a lot of people. I have been using Toms and it does irritate my skin from time to time (plus it still has some icky chemicals). 

This recipe contains:

Coconut oil- Trader Joes 

jojoba oil- Whole Foods 

Shea butter- Whole Foods 

Beeswax- Whole Foods 

Arrowroot powder- Whole Foods 

Liquid vitamin E- Whole Foods

Diatomaceous Earth--(this is a powder substance and you MUST use Food Grade!) Amazon---and you may want to order a smaller box....I apparently ordered the jumbo and can make deodorant with it for the next 100 years! 

Essential oils: I used lavender and tea tree oil (melaleuca--it has great anti-microbial properties)

You use the same set up as before with your kitchen scale and double-boiler.

^^^kitchen Scale

^^^^double-boiler

It gets all meted up and I poured into my 4oz jar. This also set up really quickly. I love the scent with the lavender and tea tree oil. You could also use patchouli or geranium would be nice too!  

How does it work? I have to say this worked better than Toms for me! Usually if I am really active, I have to reapply, but I didn't have to with this. I applied it with my fingers, which isn't a big deal. It feels nice! I felt like it was too liquid to pour into deodorant molds...there might be a way to hack that though! Remember that this deodorant is not an antiperspirant, so it won't stop you from sweating but it willl keep you smelling nice. Also, be aware that if you are switching from a conventional deodorant to a more natural one it may take several days before your natural version functions at 100%. I've experienced this with Toms and crystal deodorants. This is super healthy and easy to do! 

Stay tuned for a post about bug spray and an anti-itch blend!